The music of Snatam ("Sun-Autumn") has been a constant soundtrack to my life for the last 6 years. I have been to her concerts at Seaside Church, and other San Diego venues. Her concerts are always ecstatic events. Last year I visited the 3HO Summer Solstice Sadhana, a ten day festival of Kundalini Yoga in the high desert of New Mexico. Snatam was under close watch as she was several months pregnant with her first baby. I watched her from a far and enjoyed sharing space with her. I was going to attend the Solstice again this year, but then became informed of a week long intensive training of kirtan with Snatam ocurring a few weeks after the Solstice. I thought the smaller venue and focus on Kirtan with Snatam would be an amazing experience for me to develop my ability to chant and lead others in chanting. The concept of "Guru" is so powerful in Yoga. Your Guru is your teacher, but much more than that. Your Guru is like your direct connection with the divine here on Earth. First with the Sivananda Organization and next with the 3HO, I seem to arrive a few years after the Guru has died. I join the movement when everyone is grieving their loss, and I am left feeling at a loss for a Guru. Learning about these men from India second hand just doesn't make me feel a connection to them. But when I listen to Snatam sing, my heart is moved, I often cry from the joy bursting from inside of myself. I listen to her words "Let there be no space between you and God," and I feel it becoming reality in my own being. And she isn't so foreign to me. She is close to my age, grew up in California, we even went to neighboring colleges (and today I discovered we drive the same car!). I am ready to listen to her, love her, offer up prayers for the health and safety of Snatam and her family. And now I am blessed to spend a week in her home, learning from her and singing together. Thank you God for this enormous opportunity! May we all be blessed to live our dreams and connect with our Guru, on this night of the Guru Purina, the full moon where in India we honor our teachers.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Journeying to see my Guru
The music of Snatam ("Sun-Autumn") has been a constant soundtrack to my life for the last 6 years. I have been to her concerts at Seaside Church, and other San Diego venues. Her concerts are always ecstatic events. Last year I visited the 3HO Summer Solstice Sadhana, a ten day festival of Kundalini Yoga in the high desert of New Mexico. Snatam was under close watch as she was several months pregnant with her first baby. I watched her from a far and enjoyed sharing space with her. I was going to attend the Solstice again this year, but then became informed of a week long intensive training of kirtan with Snatam ocurring a few weeks after the Solstice. I thought the smaller venue and focus on Kirtan with Snatam would be an amazing experience for me to develop my ability to chant and lead others in chanting. The concept of "Guru" is so powerful in Yoga. Your Guru is your teacher, but much more than that. Your Guru is like your direct connection with the divine here on Earth. First with the Sivananda Organization and next with the 3HO, I seem to arrive a few years after the Guru has died. I join the movement when everyone is grieving their loss, and I am left feeling at a loss for a Guru. Learning about these men from India second hand just doesn't make me feel a connection to them. But when I listen to Snatam sing, my heart is moved, I often cry from the joy bursting from inside of myself. I listen to her words "Let there be no space between you and God," and I feel it becoming reality in my own being. And she isn't so foreign to me. She is close to my age, grew up in California, we even went to neighboring colleges (and today I discovered we drive the same car!). I am ready to listen to her, love her, offer up prayers for the health and safety of Snatam and her family. And now I am blessed to spend a week in her home, learning from her and singing together. Thank you God for this enormous opportunity! May we all be blessed to live our dreams and connect with our Guru, on this night of the Guru Purina, the full moon where in India we honor our teachers.
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1 comment:
How exciting for you Robin! I can't wait to hear about it :)
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