Online Kirtan Facilitator Training

This course aims at deepening and refining the musical quality and spiritual understanding of the practice of chanting mantras, named kirtan or bhajan in Sanskrit.

While this practice in itself is simple and accessible to anyone, with no need for specific knowledge or training, its spiritual depth and spectrum of musical unfolding will benefit greatly from the guiding presence of one or several facilitating musicians with certain skills – and this might be you!

Music, and in particular devotional singing, is an important element in spiritual traditions around the world. Being an art form that transcurs in time, it has the natural power of binding the mind to the present moment. Singing happens by means of the breath. As air is the governing element of the heart chakra, the act of singing itself helps to open the Heart and to relate more intimately to its intrinsic qualities: love, devotion, tenderness, surrender…

In India, Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of Devotion, is one of the traditional main branches of yoga and is practiced widely, mostly in the context of the Hindu religion. Kirtan, the practice of devotional singing, has soon found its way into the hearts of many Western spiritual seekers and is now being practiced by yogis around the world.

Become a better Kirtan Leader

This course follows two main topics: on the one hand, to expand and to refine your musical vocabulary, improving rhythmic firmness, variety of rhythms, awareness of musical dramaturgy, tempo and dynamic variations. And on the other hand, to deepen your metaphysical understanding of the power of devotion, the use of mantras, and of the aspects related to each of the different Deities.

This course is for you if:

you feel resonance with the practice of chanting mantras, and would like to deepen it
you have basic knowledge of playing guitar:
- you know the basic chords (C, D, E, F, G, A, Dm, Em, Am) and are able to change between them while keeping a rhythm
- you know how to play a basic “campfire guitar” rhythm

Course Highlights:

20 hours of live online group sessions (no prerecorded material)
min. 3 one-on-one individual lessons of 30 minutes each
extensive written material

Musical Teachings:

Comprehensive rhythmical training: how to integrate new rhythms; 4+ basic rhythms used in Western Kirtan
Basic theory of chords
Guitar chord variations and picking
How to play a simple chord accompaniment on the harmonium (having a harmonium, and previous experience of playing piano or keyboard are an advantage, but not a must)
Singing harmony: 2nd and 3rd voices
Finding your vocal range and transposing
Holding a band together
Creating a kirtan playlist

Metaphysical Teachings:

Introduction to Bhakti Yoga (yoga of Devotion)
Importance of silent Awareness
The method of Self-Inquiry
Vowel Pranayama
Yoga Asanas for the Heart and Throat Chakras
The Meaning of Mantra
Inner and Outer Japa
Nada Yoga Meditation
Hindu Deities as personification of energies
Contemplations on individual Deities: Ganesha, Kali, Tara, Radha & Krshna, Sita & Ram, Hanuman, Shiva,…

This course is NOT:

a new beginner’s training in playing guitar
an introduction to the vast universe of Indian music (although using Sanskrit words, most Western Kirtan songs are based on Western pop music styles – in this course, we stick to this…)