“Discovering the Joy of Chanting: My experience at a Spiritual Retreat”

As soon as I walked into the dormitory, I unpacked my bags and put fresh bedding on the single small bed assigned to me. I couldn’t help but notice the empty bed beside me. But thankfully, the dormitory was not completely silent as a few participants were bustling around, trying to settle in like me. This was going to be my home for a month – I had registered myself for a yoga teachers’ training course at the Sivananda Dhanwantri Ashram at Neyyar Dam in #Kerala. The mesmerizing surroundings of the Ashram immediately took my breath away, and the stillness made all my worries disappear.

The Journey

As an introvert, this journey was a big deal for me. Traveling alone from Delhi to an ashram in Kerala and staying with people from all over the world was a daunting prospect, but I was determined to make the most of this opportunity.

I was introduced to group chanting

At 6 o’clock in the evening, we all gathered at the meditation hall for Satsang. It started with a short, guided meditation followed by an introduction session and then group chanting. I wasn’t aware then, that the chanting session was going to change me in the coming days.

We were given booklets, and either the gurus or someone from the participants would lead the chanting session. The rest of us would sing in chorus. The songs and the mantras, when chanted by 100 participants, created a vibration that not only rippled in the environment, but its effect could also be felt within your very being.

The syllables, the sound, and the words were so powerful that when chanted from the core of the heart with devotion, it was no less than meditation. It calmed your mind and overflowed your heart with adoration. The cohesiveness of the community reverberated with the vibration of the sounds that touched the soul. Even though I didn’t have a singing voice, it did not deter me from opening my vocal cords for the chanting.

I was surprised at my progress. In the beginning, I used to avoid eye contact with my fellow participants. But eventually, we all chanted, sang, and bonded over Satsang. My self-created cage of inhibition just seemed to melt away. The chanting session had brought us all together, and the bond we formed over the coming days was unbreakable.

There were silent meditation sessions, but I was fond of the sessions accompanied by Om chanting. Diving deep into your inner self with closed eyes and repeating the universal sound of Om that starts from the abdomen and works its way to the head. Each cell of the body feels the vibration from the mantra.

Chanting makes me more grounded, humble, and devoted that fills my heart with a newfound love and generosity. The power of chanting in a spiritual setting cannot be underestimated. It has been used for centuries to calm the mind, heal the body, and connect with the divine. I left the ashram with a heart resonating with the vibrations of chanting. I finally understood that it is not about the quality of your voice but the intention behind it.

PS: This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023.