Cacao and Kirtan

CACAOCacao is the perfect complement to Kirtan as it opens and heals the heart. Amanda will share a little cacao wisdom as we move into a cacao prayer to honour and pay gratitude to our ancestors and to connect deeply with this sacred, nourishing, plant medicine.KIRTANThe ancient practice of Kirtan is the singing of devotional songs using mantras (a series of words) often in the sacred language of sanskrit (yogic language) and it is a practice that allows anyone, including non-musicians to experience the many life enhancing benefits of singing. You don’t need to be a singer (or even think you can sing!) — just bring an open mind and a willingness to join in. The magic of Kirtan is in the group energy – voices joining as one, creating a joyful, meditative space.Theis beautiful, uplifting practice of call and response chanting allows us to drop out of our heads and connect with our hearts and the core of our being bringing deep feelings of peace, serenity and joy and bringing us into the present moment, the here and now where tensions and worries evaporate.By repeating these sacred sounds, we can move beyond the chitter chatter of the mind and tap into a higher state of consciousness. The creation of vibrations by singing the mantras is a powerful way of entering a deep meditative state and coming into stillness. When we sit in stillness and silence after chanting, this is where the magic happens and where answers to any questions can come to us.Every time we sing, we heal. Our voices are a unique medicine that has been specially formulated to heal our hearts and reconnect us to the essence of our soul.When we sing in groups, oxytocin is released in large amounts as the body feels safe, supported and connected to the whole.Encouraging the release of oxytocin is also a powerful way to alleviate the effects of major stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline so if you keep singing, you’ll soon balance the effects of stress in your body, mind, soul and spirit.ABOUT AMANDAAmanda is a highly experienced and knowledgeable yoga teacher of seven and a half years and she is delighted and excited to bring Bhakti yoga, one of the eight limbs of yoga to her practice having completed a six month foundational course in "Devotional Chanting and Kirtan" with her highly experienced teacher, Nitya Mukta.Amanda has been a musician since the age of seven playing the violin, piano, guitar and now the harmonium and she has been a member of several choirs for a number of years so the practice of Kirtan was the perfect synergy of voice and instrument (harmonium) and Amanda was deeply drawn to this powerful, transformative, healing practice after attending sessions hosted by Nitya Mukta for a number of years.The practice brings Amanda feelings of immense joy, peace, serenity and often a release of emotion but one of joy rather than sadness, connecting with the heart."It is impossible to describe Kirtan. It has to be experienced for oneself" - Swami Nishchalananda"Enlightenment is when a wave realises that it is the ocean" - Thich Nhat Hanh

CACAOCacao is the perfect complement to Kirtan as it opens and heals the heart. Amanda will share a little cacao wisdom as we move into a cacao prayer to honour and pay gratitude to our ancestors and to connect deeply with this sacred, nourishing, plant medicine.KIRTANThe ancient practice of Kirtan is the singing of devotional songs using mantras (a series of words) often in the sacred language of sanskrit (yogic language) and it is a practice that allows anyone, including non-musicians to experience the many life enhancing benefits of singing. You don’t need to be a singer (or even think you can sing!) — just bring an open mind and a willingness to join in. The magic of Kirtan is in the group energy – voices joining as one, creating a joyful, meditative space.Theis beautiful, uplifting practice of call and response chanting allows us to drop out of our heads and connect with our hearts and the core of our being bringing deep feelings of peace, serenity and joy and bringing us into the present moment, the here and now where tensions and worries evaporate.By repeating these sacred sounds, we can move beyond the chitter chatter of the mind and tap into a higher state of consciousness. The creation of vibrations by singing the mantras is a powerful way of entering a deep meditative state and coming into stillness. When we sit in stillness and silence after chanting, this is where the magic happens and where answers to any questions can come to us.Every time we sing, we heal. Our voices are a unique medicine that has been specially formulated to heal our hearts and reconnect us to the essence of our soul.When we sing in groups, oxytocin is released in large amounts as the body feels safe, supported and connected to the whole.Encouraging the release of oxytocin is also a powerful way to alleviate the effects of major stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline so if you keep singing, you’ll soon balance the effects of stress in your body, mind, soul and spirit.ABOUT AMANDAAmanda is a highly experienced and knowledgeable yoga teacher of seven and a half years and she is delighted and excited to bring Bhakti yoga, one of the eight limbs of yoga to her practice having completed a six month foundational course in "Devotional Chanting and Kirtan" with her highly experienced teacher, Nitya Mukta.Amanda has been a musician since the age of seven playing the violin, piano, guitar and now the harmonium and she has been a member of several choirs for a number of years so the practice of Kirtan was the perfect synergy of voice and instrument (harmonium) and Amanda was deeply drawn to this powerful, transformative, healing practice after attending sessions hosted by Nitya Mukta for a number of years.The practice brings Amanda feelings of immense joy, peace, serenity and often a release of emotion but one of joy rather than sadness, connecting with the heart."It is impossible to describe Kirtan. It has to be experienced for oneself" - Swami Nishchalananda"Enlightenment is when a wave realises that it is the ocean" - Thich Nhat Hanh