Sometimes life’s most challenging moments gift us insight into how our spiritual practices hold and heal us when we need them most. At a time when world-renowned, Grammy-nominated devotional singer, touring musician, and teacher Snatam Kaur is creatively flourishing, she is also helping to care for her father, Sat Santokh, as he copes with cancer. Snatam’s lifelong Kirtan practice — both private and publicly, at concerts and classes — has proven to be a poignant comfort to her in this difficult time.

A New Single, a New Album

August 18 marked the debut of “Bani Guru,” the first single from Soul Bird, the upcoming album release (mid-October on Be Why Music) Snatam recorded with her mother, Prabhu Nam Kaur, and her 14-year-old daughter, Jap Preet Kaur. This first single is dedicated to Sat Santokh.

“Bani Guru” positions the three generations’ sweetly stirring vocals front and center against a delicately streamlined harmonium, guitar, and percussion arrangement. While sharing a tonal resemblance to one another, each of the women contributes a distinct quality to the song. Together, they project something special — transcendent and authentically devotional. Beauty and purity shine within the track.

“Bani Guru” and Soul Bird grew from an ambitious passion project Snatam and Prabhu Nam Kaur are pursuing together — cataloging and recording their family legacy of nearly 200 songs and chants from the Sikh tradition. This album is a part of that project, and for it, Snatam suggested to her mother that they share something with special meaning and pick whatever intuitively comes. Prabhu Nam Kaur turned inward, and “Bani Guru,” a Shabad or sacred poem that is sung from the Sikh tradition, came up.

“The words of this Shabad, ‘Bani Guru Bani Hai Bani,’ mean, ‘The song of God is the Guru, and then the Guru — the teacher and the wisdom — is the song of God,’” said Snatam, on the eve of the single’s release while simultaneously helping care for her father and prepare for the U.S. portion of her Light of Sacred Chant Tour. “The mantra is about going to the song of God for that connection. It’s profound because that’s the practice my mom taught me—that if you want to access the wisdom, sing, and it will come.” The next line of ‘Bani Guru’ translates to, ‘One who serves this energy of the song of God, who serves this energy of wisdom, then that wisdom or Guru manifests on the earth plane and in our lives.’

“At this time, with my father dealing with cancer, ‘Bani Guru’ is just the medicine we need to keep chanting and connecting to — praying for that energy of Guru to come through in our lives in a very real physical way with community support and all the little miracles needed day by day when dealing with cancer,” she said. “I feel the Guru come to our aid through life itself, through our own hearts, our family, our friends, and even the challenges we face.”

The Wisdom of a Committed Kirtan Practice

Snatam’s music career is deeply rooted in the Kirtan practice she was taught by her mother. “Two of the things I learned from her,” she said, “is, first, to go to Kirtan in times of trouble and need. Lean on Kirtan to find the good energy and ideas and a sense of relief. The second is to find a way to really open my heart to the Kirtan practice so that it becomes something that is alive for me — awake, juicy, and passionate. It takes a lot of cultivation of a daily Kirtan practice to find that space. It takes a desire to find that internal passion or connection with the heart, but once you do, it’s totally worth it because you find the capacity within as you are singing to open like a flower in the Sun.

“So that’s what I look for in my Kirtan practice, in the songs we record and those we choose to play on tour. I try to find a way to be in my heart space and connect to the flow of God and Guru with passion, love, and joy. It’s not always easy, or even possible for me, but this is what I strive for and what I feel my mother has mastered.”

Light of Sacred Chant Tour / L.A. Concert September 17 with Special Guest Jahnavi Harrison

That loving, celebrative sense of juicy, passionate awake-ness is palpable in Snatam’s live performances. From September 10 to 29 (with a show in Los Angeles on September 17 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater), she’ll tour the U.S. for the final stint of her Light of Sacred Chant Tour. This will be Snatam’s first Los Angeles concert since 2019, and she invites people to gather and honor the profound changes everyone has experienced and to chant in community, cultivating a renewed sense of love and joy while healing divisiveness with one another and within ourselves.

Performing with Snatam are her band members Ram Dass (piano and vocals), Grecco Buratto (guitar and vocals), and Sukhmani Rayat (percussion, tabla, and vocals). For Snatam’s Los Angeles show, she will be joined by special guest and popular chant artist Jahnavi Harrison, who will be sharing one of her chants, along with another chant that she and Snatam are collaborating on for an upcoming recording.

Healing as We Chant Together

“We’ve toured Europe and Latin America this past year, and I’m looking forward to really connecting to the flow of what’s happening within the concerts at home in the States,” said Snatam. “I feel the chanting itself is healing medicine, and I believe we can heal ourselves through collective chanting—that there are a lot of miracles available to us. I know how much transformation this energy has brought into my life. I feel blessed and honored to be a part of these group experiences, especially after not being in North America and connecting with many of our sacred chant communities for so long. Connecting through chant is one of the most powerful ways to build community, and I’m really looking forward to sharing that opportunity again.”

The Light of Sacred Chant concerts begin in a very meditative, heart-opening way and move into a lot of celebration and joy. “We’ve incorporated some fun pieces into the set, and the audience participation has grown to a new level,” she said. “With many of our songs, we’re doing traditional chanting back and forth. But then, there are some really engaging vocal collaborations with the audience that create a beautiful, jubilant experience. As a band, we’ve come to a really strong place where together we can tune into the audience and serve through the music and chanting.”

Snatam and the band are also completing a new studio album scheduled for release in early 2024. “I’m really excited to share some of the new music my band and I have been working on for the album at the concerts. We’re coming to a new level of trust and love with each other musically, and it’s given us room for improvisation in our live show.”

Click for Light of Sacred Chant concert tickets, and listen to “Bani Guru” (released by Be Why Music) here. Explore classes with Snatam, her husband Sopurkh, and other teachers at Kirtan and Kundalini, their online sacred music and yoga school, dedicated to supporting the spiritual journey of as many practitioners as possible. Find these and other resources on Snatam’s Linktree.

Marina Muhlfriedel

Marina Muhlfriedel is a native Angeleno and self-described creative omnivore with extensive experience as a writer, film producer, and musician. She serves as Communications Administrator for the Tai Chi Foundation, teaches Mindfulness Meditation to at-risk populations, and is a senior teacher at Club Kundalini, having begun her spiritual journey in high school as a student of Yogi Bhajan.

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Meeting of the Spirits to Create Yoga Soundtracks

Singing yoga teacher and festival favorite Johanna Beekman first met Grammy-nominated producer and multi-instrumentalist Ben Leinbach a decade ago when they were introduced by fellow yogic musician Benjy Wertheimer. Each with a passion for integrating multicultural influences, the pair developed an artistic synergy that enriches their collaborations with a distinct, light-filled energy.

The seven tracks on their new album, Yoga Soundtracks Volume 2, released July 14, 2023, by Be Why Music, project a lavish aural landscape, ideal for yoga and meditation practitioners or whenever soul-nurturing calm is the intention.

The project is a follow-up to Ben’s 2015 Yoga Soundtracks Volume 1, which featured various Kirtan vocalists. Yoga Soundtracks Volume 2, however, is a true partnership with Johanna. The album gleans previously produced tracks from her catalog— some of which they worked on together and others that Johanna produced independently—and reimagines them. Lush mixes enhanced with additional instrumental and vocals tracks imbue the recordings with new breadth.

Most notably, while Ben and Johanna have each released a lot of inspiring devotional music in sacred languages like Sanskrit, the language of yoga, this project replaces Sanskrit mantras from several original recordings with layers of soulful English lyrics and rich vocal beds that utilize Johanna’s voice as an instrument within the arrangements of global instrumentation. Ben has long been drawn to creating fusions of world music and elegantly intertwines its diverse tones and rhythms here. Matched with Johanna’s meld of gospel, Kirtan, and soft pop, the result is a unique yet familiar take on yoga music—soothing, deeply aspirational, and prayerful.

Exploring Lyrical Familiarity

“I really wanted to universalize the language,” Johanna recently told us while on the road in Portland, Oregon. “My goal was to create a yoga soundtrack for an intentional, mindful practice, where we could weave the poetry of Rumi into the lyrics at times. Ben and I decided to use these existing luscious soundscapes as a basis for something that could reach a larger audience, serve people’s practices, and help them access a different part of the brain and nervous system.”

They also created “mash-ups” of multiple songs of Johanna’s. The first track, “Love Lives,” a dreamy, soulful welcome to the album, combines three of her originals. “We completely changed the lyrical content on that one,” Johanna said. “It starts with an intro from one song, changes keys into another, and finally opens up into this epic torch song. Together, they feel fully merged.”

Elaborating on the project’s genesis from his recording studio in San Anselmo, California, Ben added, “Hans Christian, a very talented multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, who has worked with Johanna, was listening to some tracks she and I produced through the years and said, ‘You know, you’ve got a lot of great music here, a lot of great instrumental tracks backing the vocals. Why don’t you put together an instrumental album out of them?’ Johanna and I thought that was an interesting idea.”

From Instrumental to Incorporating Vocals

“Yoga Soundtracks Volume 2 started as an instrumental project, which was succeeding,” said Ben, “but Johanna’s such a great singer, we soon came around to wanting to feature her vocals. The idea was to create music that you could do yoga to, that was chill and relaxing, had cool hypnotic grooves, and little tidbits of English mantra. Words of spiritual wisdom are thrown in with reminders about compassion and love that can move you back into your heart space. We wanted to see if we could incorporate English into this type of album without it distracting or taking the focus away from practicing yoga or the general listening experience.”

It was a fruitful effort, with “Rise,” the album’s second track, for instance, built on the foundations of the Buddhist mantra Om Tare on Johanna’s Beyond Love album. “Rise” tunes into the energy of the Green Tara, Mother to all Buddhas and endless compassion, with English lyrics tenderly invoking that compassion. “In compassion, we arise, into magnificence…” The track features Indian-American singer and flutist Sheela Bringi.

Similarly, “May the Whole World Know” originally appeared on Johanna’s Heart Beats One album as Om Shanti. With added instruments, including Benjy Wertheimer on esraj and tabla, and Johanna’s English lyrics, the original transforms into a floating yearning prayer — “May the whole world know peace.”

Johanna’s Journey

Johanna was born into a spiritually engaged family, with music and yoga central to her upbringing. Her parents, George and Susan Grace Beekman came from the Midwest Bible Belt and moved to Oregon with the intention of raising their children to believe what they choose to believe. They still practice yoga daily, and Johanna’s father worked with Krishna Das and Ram Dass. Auspiciously, Ram Dass blessed her while she was still in her mother’s womb.

Says Johanna, “I landed pretty close to the tree and found it’s my dharma to lead a deep, spiritual, prayerful life where I weave all of the elements that have been really powerful to me.

“I’ve been singing since I could speak and writing songs about love since I was eight or nine. My first song was called ‘Just a Little More Love.’ It was about love being what the world needs to heal. I grew up singing interfaith gospel, and that’s also really one of my dharmas, to bring the gospel of the East to meet the gospel of the West,” she said.

Since then, Johanna has released seven albums of her own. She is a 500 RYT yoga instructor and brings her gospel-inspired Kirtan to festivals and workshops along with her signature Lullaby Yoga™, a restorative class accompanied by her soothing, heart-opening music.

Ben’s Journey

Ben didn’t fall far from the tree either. His parents were both musical. His father played piano and flute, and his mother dabbled in drums. “She was also a pretty good dancer and had good rhythm. I think that’s where most of my rhythm thing came from,” he said.

“Early on, I found that hearing music allowed me to feel at a deeper level. That really drew me in.” After taking drum lessons, playing in rock bands in high school, and exploring jazz, Ben attended Berklee College of Music before finishing up at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

He moved to the Bay Area, performed in jazz and rock ‘n’ roll clubs, and soon got a job at Spark, a (now defunct) recording studio in Oakland, where he moved into recording engineering. Honing his studio skills, working on everything from hip-hop and rap to jazz, Latin jazz, and rock, Ben eventually started recording and producing other artists and his own music.  One day, in the early 90s, Grammy-nominated sacred music artist, Jai Uttal, showed up at the studio to record his classic “Beggars and Saints” album. The project opened the door for Ben to work in East meets West yogic music, and Ben and Jai developed a long-term partnership. This also led Ben to record and produce Kirtan projects with Johanna, Deva Premal and Miten, Snatam Kaur, Donna De Lory, Jaya Lakshmi, David Newman, Mike Cohen, Brenda McMorrow, Katie Wise, Rob and Melissa, and others.

Weighing the intersection of music and yoga, Ben said, “I think music can be a direct path to the transcendence, the spiritual or the emotional realm —so direct that it doesn’t even need language to get there. Music seems to fit right in with anyone on a spiritual path trying to deepen their experience.

“And that’s not just the good stuff. That’s feeling the joy, the bliss, and the excitement, but also the melancholy, the suffering, sadness, and despair. You need to be able to tap into the experience and the full spectrum to have a rich life. That’s an important part of the spiritual path. These are the common elements that all human beings experience. I like to create music that allows everyone—or whoever hears it — to feel the commonality we all share, the same emotional experience. Hopefully, that leads to more love and more peace in the world.

“To me, that’s part of the spiritual and yoga path—to find more peace, love, and compassion—feeling you’re part of this life experience and connected to it.” Check out Yoga Soundtracks Volume 2 . For information on Be Why Music, please visit https://bewhymusic.com/.

Marina Muhlfriedel

Marina Muhlfriedel is a native Angeleno and self-described creative omnivore with extensive experience as a writer, film producer, and musician. She serves as Communications Administrator for the Tai Chi Foundation, teaches Mindfulness Meditation to at-risk populations, and is a senior teacher at Club Kundalini, having begun her spiritual journey in high school as a student of Yogi Bhajan.

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Joss Jaffe’s Breezy, Uplifting Sacred Pop Music

Joss Jaffe has released his fifth album: Sun Mountain Sea. It invokes the bright, breezy light and resonance of his native Southern California. The 10 tracks overflow with warmth and humanity. They are a balm for these trying times. This latest project on Be Why Music is at once introspective and inspiring. Joss is well-known for his uplifting vocal skills, as an electronic and acoustic multi-instrumentalist, music production, and as a yoga conference and transformational festival luminary. His soothing hug of a voice, matched with stirring rhythmic undercurrents, and the aspirational wisdom of his lyrics, make Sun Mountain Sea his poppiest and most personal effort to date.

In contrast to his last album, Meditation Music, an aurally spacious and calming instrumental collection, words and story are key elements of Sun Mountain Sea. Themes of nature, love, yearning, and striving permeate the songs with an empowered sense of self-discovery. Joss’s outstanding electronic music chops create a foundation of continuity between the releases.

Featured Guests Dave Stringer and DJ Taz Rashid

While the album overall radiates Southern California, Joss wrote the affirming, almost prayerful lyrics of the opening cut, “Sun to Shine” in India in 2008. They remain deeply relevant, maybe more than ever. The track is about overcoming adversity and features Grammy-nominated artist Dave Stringer, who provides backup vocals on more than half the album and produced Joss’s vocal sessions for the project. Joss and Dave have worked together extensively over the last 20 years, and their voices blend here like bright watercolors.

Yoga festival superstar, DJ, and producer DJ Taz Rashid also guests on Sun Mountain Sea and is featured on “Inner Way,” lending a distinct lightness and joy to the track. Joss first worked with DJ Taz in 2018 when he appeared on his debut album, Dub Mantra, and continues to collaborate with him. “Inner Way” lovingly invites listeners to tune into their core compass, find the flow, and follow their unique inner way.

Checking In with Joss Jaffe

Lyrically, Sun Mountain Sea’s tunes effortlessly move from the boppy sci-fi, metaphysical love song “Energy Field” to the contemplative reflections of “Reverie,” and we welcomed an opportunity to hear from Joss about the overall concept.

“The tracks are all love songs, of one kind or another, and the fact that they’re sung in English makes this album very different for me. Three of my albums focus on my interpretations of mantras,” said Joss. “A number of the songs on Sun Mountain Sea have a retrospective aspect to them; one is even called “Reminisce.” It’s an album about looking back but also looking forward, taking the good with the bad. It’s very personal to me.

“The album takes elements from different parts and different times in my life and puts them together in a new way. I think that may be similar to what so many people are going through right now. We’ve all been stuck at home the last few years with a lot of time to think and ruminate on things — over time, the separate pieces blend together.

“There’s a sense of dark and light merged in many of the songs,” he said. “It’s not purely happy and sunny— it’s a mix, a journey through the yin and yang of life. There is a lot of optimism throughout though. I think those who look for it will recognize the sun in it, like a musical mood pill to brighten things up.”

Joss was born in Santa Barbara and grew up in Southern California. He started playing guitar, writing songs, and producing music while still in elementary school, which, set against the backdrop of his mother teaching yoga, established fertile groundwork for his career to grow. He wrote the lovely track “Between the Mountains and the Sea” during his high school years as an ode to the wonder of Santa Barbara’s natural setting.

Drawn to Indian music, particularly tabla, sarode, and raga vocal music, Joss studied for ten years with Indian musical masters Ali Akbar Khan, Swapan Chaudhuri, and Zakir Hussain. In addition to the new release, Joss has numerous upcoming concert dates and maintains a full schedule of teaching workshops, classes, and retreats. Learn more about Joss Jaffe. Purchase Sun Mountain Sea.

Marina Muhlfriedel

Marina Muhlfriedel is a native Angeleno and self-described creative omnivore with extensive experience as a writer, film producer, and musician. She serves as Communications Administrator for the Tai Chi Foundation, teaches Mindfulness Meditation to at-risk populations, and is a senior teacher at Club Kundalini, having begun her spiritual journey in high school as a student of Yogi Bhajan.

The post Sun Mountain Sea – Irresistible New Yoga-Pop Album from Joss Jaffe appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Since the 2001 release of her first solo album, Prem, Grammy-nominated devotional singer Snatam Kaur has inspired countless people with the stirring silken quality of her voice, the gentle wisdom of her writing and teaching, and her uniquely radiant presence.

Healing Mantras on Nirankaar

Her 16th major album, Nirankaar, comes out May 13 on Be Why Music and features opulently orchestrated mantras that are especially pertinent and healing for these times.

Traveling Around the World for the Into the Light Tour

May also marks Snatam’s return to the concert stage with the commencement of her Into the Light tour of Europe, Israel, and the UK. The same group of accomplished musicians she collaborated with on Nirankaar will appear with her. They include her producer, Ram Dass, on piano and vocals, Grecco Buratto, guitar and vocals, and Sukhmani, on tabla, percussion, and vocals. Together, their sound invokes the blissful, ecstatic experience chanting can bring.

Sharing Prayers of Peace

The Into the Light tour was originally planned as a post-pandemic way to gather jubilantly, acknowledge the change and growth we’ve all been through, and find peace together. However, since the invasion of Ukraine, the tour’s focus has become even more profound. While lightness and celebration still underscore the shows, the war has personally devastated Snatam. Each concert will include chants for peace in Ukraine and the world and send out shared prayers of peace. A portion of the tour’s proceeds will be donated to Direct Aid for Ukrainian Refugees and each venue will provide opportunities to donate directly.

When Snatam was a teenager, she traveled to Russia and Ukraine with a peace group called the Giraffe Project to forge positive connections between American teens and their Ukrainian and Russian counterparts. “I really connected with both countries and with the young people we encountered,” said Snatam while preparing for the tour. “So, this war has just shattered my heart. I’ve felt deeply overwhelmed by it.”

“When the invasion began, I joined a 40-day global peace meditation and started meditating for peace as a part of my personal practice, inviting others to join me through various platforms. Now we’ll be able to do so in community at the shows.”

Teen-aged Snatam Kaur with youth in the Ukraine

Snatam fondly recalls walking with a group of Ukrainian teenagers along Kyiv’s empty cobblestone streets, playing guitar and singing Beatles songs in the middle of the night. She holds the experience and connection close to her heart.

Snatam Kaur and her Lifelong Practice of Healing Music

Snatam was born in Trinidad, Colorado, and raised in the Sikh and Kundalini Yoga tradition, immersed in a household filled with traditional Sikh Dharma, music, and chanting. Her mother, Prabhu Nam Kaur, is a Gurbani Kirtan singer. Growing up, chanting, singing, and practicing Kundalini Yoga provided a deep source of strength to Snatam. Following her mother’s path, she felt drawn to singing and performing and often traveled with her parents to India to study with Sikh musicians.

Today, Snatam’s mantra recordings are among the most popular in the world. Their renown has spread far beyond the Kirtan, Kundalini Yoga, and Sikh communities, conveying her spiritual warmth and deep humanity into an increasingly harsh world. Her relationship with Oprah Winfrey and a 2019 Grammy Award Show performance of “Darashan Maago” from the album Beloved helped introduce her to a vast audience that continues to expand.

Mantra Beyond Tradition: Snatam Kaur Shares Healing Music to a Universal Audience

Snatam’s appeal is universal. The purity of her voice and her spirit of love and devotion transcend the boundaries of individual traditions. As a touring musician, teacher, author, peace and environmental activist, and co-founder of Kirtan and Kundalini, an online sacred music and yoga school, Snatam has become a beacon to people worldwide attuned to in living in spiritual lightness.

Imparting the knowledge she’s gained in her life to others is an integral part of Snatam’s work. Even in her early touring years, she felt motivated to teach. “I met people along the way, in different places, who would have a powerful feel-good experience at a show or festival and want more,” she said. “I thought that if I could help them learn to chant and develop a spiritual practice, they could continue independently.”

She began teaching workshops along with her concerts, culminating in the 2016 release of her book Original Light. “I wrote the book to help people create meaningful daily practices modeled on the Aquarian Sadhana — the spiritual morning practice I grew up with, including recitation, yoga, and sacred chanting.”

Over time, that same impetus led to the idea of establishing a school. “For quite a while, my husband Sopurkh Singh, who teaches Kundalini Yoga, and I dreamed of having a school,” said Snatam. “Initially, we envisioned it as an in-person place to learn, but when the pandemic hit, that, like everything else, changed. We co-founded Kirtan and Kundalini in June 2020 to support the spiritual journey of as many people as possible, wherever they were, especially with so many people experiencing isolation. The fact that the school is online has allowed us to offer mantra, tabla, harmonium, yoga, and meditation classes to students everywhere and build a beautiful community. It’s a dream come true for us.”

Mantra and Meditation

Snatam is hosting special in-person Mantra and Meditation workshops during the Into the Light tour. These five-hour events are based on the mantras Akaal, Ongkaar Nirankaar, Ang Sang Waaheguru, and Ardaas Bha-ee, all of which appear on Nirankaar. In addition to chanting, each workshop includes yoga, breathwork, and meditation instruction.

Exquisite, simplified recordings of the four mantras were recently released in conjunction with the album as a new Mantra and Meditation series. Snatam created the tracks so anyone could chant along to enhance their practice. She is teaching online workshops for each mantra through Kirtan and Kundalini, then rebroadcasting them on her YouTube channel. Support Snatam and download Nirankaar on the Be Why Music store , or stream it on Spotify and other DSPs around the globe.

Marina Muhlfriedel

Marina Muhlfriedel is a native Angeleno and self-described creative omnivore with extensive experience as a writer, film producer, and musician. She serves as Communications Administrator for the Tai Chi Foundation, teaches Mindfulness Meditation to at-risk populations, and is a senior teacher at Club Kundalini, having begun her spiritual journey in high school as a student of Yogi Bhajan.

The post Snatam Kaur Shares Healing Music on Nirankaar appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Snatam Kaur debuts “Akaal” —an exquisite first single from her new album Nirankaar

Celebrated devotional singer Snatam Kaur’s latest release, “Akaal,” comes out March 4 and is the first single from her long-awaited new album, Nirankaar. The track is a heart-expanding rendition of the sacred Sikh mantra sung with all the radiant light Snatam, a Grammy-nominated vocalist, touring musician, teacher, and author, is renowned for.  Listening to Snatam’s “Akaal” is a profoundly uplifting experience. Her love of the mantra shines through her luminous voice and the compelling build of the music. Presales of Nirankaar also begin on March 4, with the album scheduled for release in May. A video of “Akaal” also debuts on March 4.

The Meaning of Akaal

The word Akaal means “Beyond or without death” and is usually chanted to support loved ones who have left their bodies as they connect with the Infinite. It is similarly chanted for those left behind, helping them tune into the deathlessness of the soul’s vibration.

Speaking with Snatam Kaur about Akaal

We recently had an opportunity to speak with Snatam Kaur from her home in rural New Hampshire to learn about her latest recordings, an upcoming tour, and her deep appreciation for the Akaal mantra.

“This mantra has been so important and so beautiful to me personally,” said Snatam. “We’re releasing this track about connecting beyond death with the energy of the soul nature first because it plays an important role in our capacity to really connect with God, connect with our lives, and to be present for all of the challenges we face in this day and age.

“Akaal is a mantra that comes from the Sikh tradition, but the word Akaal is pervasive throughout Sikh scripture,” she said. I’ve come to understand that Akaal is not only for the time of death or for a loved one to chant, but for each of us to truly connect with that nature and deathlessness of the soul. Each of us is able to access that point beyond death.

“This connection with the soul is incredibly important. If we exist solely within the chatter of the thoughts and forget to be present to our loved ones, our lives, and the nature of the soul, life can be quite lonely. The moment I return to this nature of the soul within my own practice, there’s so much love and peace. There’s much more capacity to be present with my loved ones. That space of loneliness, of that mind chatter, is just melted and dissolved.

Snatam Kaur Chanting Akaal

“I’ve been chanting Akaal my whole life and didn’t really tune into the intellectual meaning of it until quite late,” said Snatam. “When people chant the open ahh sound in Akaal, I think they open their heart space, which has a really powerful effect. You don’t need to intellectually understand any of this to experience it, and sometimes we’d probably be better off just going to the feeling we have when chanting as opposed to anything else.”

Participate in Chanting Akaal

Released by Be Why Music, “Akaal” is one of eight tracks on Nirankaar and is a collaboration with producer Ram Dass on piano and vocals, Grecco Buratto on guitar and vocals, and Sukhmani on percussion and vocals. In addition to singing, Snatam also plays harmonium on the track. On March 11, an extended and streamlined remix of “Akaal” will be released as the first track from Snatam’s new Mantra and Meditation Series. The series is specifically for practitioners to chant with and experience the sublime power of mantra for themselves. On March 16, Snatam will provide an “Akaal” workshop through Kirtan and Kundalini, her online school of sacred music and yoga. The workshop will be rebroadcasted on Snatam Kaur’s YouTube channel.

In addition to the new album, Snatam and her band will commence their Into the Light Tour on May 15, with summer concert and workshop dates across Europe, the UK, and Israel. Watch the video of “Akaal”: Pre-order the album Nirankaar.

Marina Muhlfriedel

Marina Muhlfriedel is a native Angeleno and self-described creative omnivore with extensive experience as a writer, film producer, and musician. She serves as Communications Administrator for the Tai Chi Foundation, teaches Mindfulness Meditation to at-risk populations, and is a senior teacher at Club Kundalini, having begun her spiritual journey in high school as a student of Yogi Bhajan.

The post Love of Mantra Shines through in Snatam Kaur’s Akaal appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Jai Anand photo by Kelly Fogel

Jai Anand Explores the Healing Power of Ra Ma Da Sa

Hearing the Healing Mantras

A Journey through Mantra

Ra Ma Da Sa as a Daily Healing Prayer

Healing through Mantra

The Journey of Be Why Music

How to Listen to Ra Ma Da Sa

Marina Muhlfriedel

Marina Muhlfriedel is a native Angeleno and self-described creative omnivore with extensive experience as a writer, film producer, and musician. She serves as Communications Administrator for the Tai Chi Foundation, teaches Mindfulness Meditation to at-risk populations, and is a senior teacher at Club Kundalini, having begun her spiritual journey in high school as a student of Yogi Bhajan.

The post Experiencing the Healing of Ra Ma Da Sa with Yogi-Musician Jai Anand appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.