Heart of Kirtan: Explorations in Sound & Vibration

Heart of Kirtan: Explorations in Sound & Vibration is a kirtan retreat at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island, Bahamas. It is led by the kirtan musician Ragani and is meant for anyone drawn to call-and-response chanting, mantra and meditation, whether they have sung kirtan for years or are curious about it. The retreat has been held at the ashram for several years.

What to Expect

The retreat centers on daily kirtan, yoga and workshops. Kirtan is a practice of call-and-response chanting: a leader sings a line and the group answers, so the room becomes part of the music rather than an audience for it. Ragani leads this style of chanting and pairs it with meditation, and the title points to the theme of the week, exploring sound and vibration as a way into stillness and attention.

Expect the days to move between singing, movement and more reflective workshop time, in the setting of an ashram where yoga and meditation are part of everyday life. You do not need to be a trained singer. Kirtan is a participatory practice built on repetition, and the call-and-response form makes it easy to join in by listening first.

About Ragani

Ragani is a kirtan musician who leads call-and-response chanting and meditation. Her website is organized around music, mantra, livestreams and a free music library, and it includes a section devoted to Swami Rama and another for Gayatri mantra repetitions.

Besides this retreat in the Bahamas, she has led evenings of kirtan and meditation in Milwaukee, and a workshop there called "Journey Within: Explorations in Sound and Vibration" at Himalayan Yoga and Meditation. With Kaita, she co-produces Kirtan Fest Milwaukee, a weekend gathering of kirtan artists and yoga at Blue Lotus Farm & Retreat Center in West Bend, Wisconsin. Bringing people together through sacred music is clearly central to her work, and the Bahamas retreat is one of its longest-running expressions.

The Setting

The retreat takes place at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The ashram welcomes guests for weekend workshops, immersive courses and quieter retreat stays, and its calendar is full of programs in yoga, meditation, chanting and devotional practice. Guests who join a program like this one share the grounds with others on their own paths of study and rest, which gives the week a communal, unhurried feel.