Listening as the First Movement
In mantra, and in life.
Hello everyone!
Loved seeing those who joined the Good Community call last night from Sweden to India to California, we dropped into a rich conversation on holding the light in the middle of great turmoil, and expanding our capacities to be with whatever is arising, and some magical synchronistic connections were made, as always. The next one is March 16th, they are free, just sign up to get the link.
The Rose Woman podcast this week features Dr. Shauna Shapiro, whose most recent book Good Morning, I Love You brings a new approach to mindfulness and self-compassion- we talk parenting, mentoring and being mentored, and maturing in devotion, with some actionable simple tips. She’s a radiant teacher and guide, and shares deeply from her personal story.
Continuing below with this excerpt from Mantra, Tantra, Ayahuasca, from the section on Mantra. This piece covers the first movement in kirtan: shravana (phonetically), or the yoga of listening, which also applies to life. If you haven’t been tracking these, the topics are organized at the top of the substack.
I invite you to join me, and some wonderful guest teachers for our 2025 Living Tantra retreats: May 14-19 in the Blue Ridge Mountains (monastery - sattvic meals and simple beauty- beginning at $1,400 all inclusive), and July 20-26 at Krallerhof in Austria (luxury- 5 course meals and spa treatments, beginning at $3,500 all inclusive). Both retreats feature incredible natural surroundings, deep play, potentials for breaking through limitations and deep holding. If you have any questions about the retreats or courses, please message me.
Thank you for being with me on the journey and being interested in living at full capacity, in unconditional love and full liberation in a body.
XO Christine
Listening as the First Movement
Mantra singing and kirtan are often described as a direct route to the heart of unity consciousness, beginning with the art of listening. In the Indian spiritual traditions, this foundational listening is known as śravaṇa (श्रवण) (phonetically that’s Shravana), which invites a quieting of the mind, an opening of the heart, and an inner receptivity. You are tuning in to absorb the resonance of the sound at every level of mind, body and spirit.
When people gather for kirtan* , it could seem as if the focus is entirely on producing sound, on singing together as one voice, yet before sound emerges from the lips, there is a subtler process at work. Of course, we listen to the pitch and melody, align with the rhythm - and more deeply, we listen for the gentle echoes of devotion within our own hearts. The act of chanting begins with attentive presence. Rather than rushing to fill the air with our own voices, we tune our inner ear to the mantras first.
In the broader context of yoga, śravaṇa is the first step toward knowledge and transformation beyond mantra. Traditional teachings outline three stages: śravaṇa (listening), manana (contemplation), and nididhyāsana (deep meditation or assimilation) So, the seed of understanding is planted in the listening phase. The vibration of the chant resonates not just in the physical space but in the interior landscape, inviting a state of stillness amid the sound.
This interplay between sound and silence is key throughout a kirtan. Not only before the chant, or in receiving the call, but in the stillness after the chant, when we allow ourselves to absorb what was sung. In those pauses, one can feel the collective vibration linger in our bodies and in the room. We perceive here a harmonizing of inner and outer realms.
The potency of a mantra lies not merely in its literal meaning but in its sonic essence. Each syllable carries layers of meaning, both linguistic and vibrational, and these mantras have long been considered vessels of divine energy. When we chant “Om,” “Om Namah Shivaya”, “Jai Ma” or “Om Mane Padme Hum”, or any other mantra, we engage the breath, voice, and spirit. Sanskrit mantras are said to be “revealed sounds,” intricately linked to the cosmic order. By practicing śravaṇa, which may also be described as deep presence, participants begin to feel the currents of these mantras, catching glimpses of how sound shapes consciousness. Chanting thus becomes an offering, one that lifts us beyond personal boundaries. To make such an offering real, we practice how to receive, to listen deeply, to let the mantras speak to us before we speak them back into the world.
This transforms kirtan into a living dialogue. It’s not a performance. Everyone’s voice matters. Ultimately, mantra singing and kirtan are pathways to communion with the deeper currents of reality. Those pathways remain unexplored unless we embrace śravaṇa as the bedrock of practice. By honing the art of listening, we attune to the vibration within and around us, forging a direct connection to the mantras’ transformative power.
Then, when the chant finally leaves our lips, it emerges from a place of true inner resonance, weaving personal devotion into a tapestry of shared song that echoes the divine harmonies at the heart of all existence.
*the communal chanting of sacred mantras or names of the Divine
Listen to the Whole Episode Here
