Kirtan Evolution Retreat — Shivananda Yoga Retreat, Paradise Island, Bahamas

Kirtan Evolution Retreat is a kirtan retreat at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, led by the kirtan artist and musician Girish. It is for people drawn to call-and-response chanting, mantra and devotional music who want to practice it for several days in an ashram setting by the sea, whether they are longtime kirtan singers or newer to it.

What to Expect

Girish builds his retreats around chant, rhythm, breath and shared singing. At the center of these gatherings is a Sacred Choir, where every voice is welcome and the group's response becomes the heartbeat of the practice. In call-and-response kirtan, the leader sings a line and everyone answers, so the experience comes from singing together rather than listening.

For those who want to go deeper, his retreats offer simple guidance on harmonium, guitar, drums and keyboard. Chanting is treated as a path to joy, healing and freedom, a way of giving voice to what lives within us.

About Girish

Girish is a kirtan artist who leads call-and-response chanting, live music and workshops. He plays live music alongside yoga classes and leads chant workshops, including multi-day chant camps. His own description of his work presents music and mantra as a path to the joy, healing and freedom that come from giving voice to what lives within us.

His work also reaches into sound healing. He creates Attuned Soundscapes, customized healing soundscapes tuned to a person's own singing bowls.

The Setting

The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat sits on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. It is a yoga ashram, founded by Swami Vishnudevananda, that offers a year-round calendar of yoga vacations, immersive courses, teacher trainings and retreats. Its programs often include yoga, meditation, chanting and devotional practice, so a kirtan retreat fits naturally into the rhythm of ashram life. Kirtan and Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, are regular themes in the ashram's offerings, and the community there is used to welcoming guests who come to sing and pray as well as to practice asana.

Before You Go

No musical experience is needed. The Sacred Choir is open to everyone, and you do not have to read music, play an instrument or consider yourself a singer. If you play harmonium, guitar, drums or keyboard, or would like to start, the retreat offers simple guidance on each. Come ready to use your voice, and expect to spend most of the retreat in shared song.