We are CHANT RAM.

 

We are friends practicing Bhakti yoga. We subscribe to the more modern interpretation of bhakti yoga which is the practice of devotion toward unconditional love for all sentient beings, for the planet and the universe. We are musicians and singers who love to chant the many names of God with others. We do this by offering Kirtans.

A kirtan is a call-and-response format of chanting mantras together.

We typically gather together by sitting on the floor on cushions and blankets or chairs. The band leads the group by singing a call (a mantra) then the group sings the mantra back in unison. For example, the leader may sing,

 "ong namo guru dev namo." The group would then sing that phrase back. This repetition continues to flow back and forth. It can be slow and meditative as well as energetic and ecstatic. Chanting together is beneficial for the body mind and spirit. Chanting mantras can create feelings of calmness and grounding as well as a sense of joy. Sound is a vibration and devotional mantras help to raise one's vibration as they chant them. "The desire to connect with the divine or to deities, lies at the heart of mantra chanting."

(Harvard Divinity Bulletin.)