Listen to my heart: Songs Of Devotion
Enter the doorway of the heart and rest in love of the Divine through sacred chanting with musician and spiritual teacher Swami Nirvanananda. Join the chanting and experience the yoga of devotion, known as Bhakti yoga, to draw closer to God and into a time of sacred stillness.
WEBSITE: Nirvanananda.org ShantiPuriFriends.org
#kriya yoga #kirtan #bhakti yoga #meditation #devotion # contemplation #sacred chanting #mantra
Swami Nirvanananda
Giorgio Kriegsch was born to devout parents, a Catholic mother and a Lutheran father in Trieste, Italy. In 1975 his life was changed after reading Paramahana Yogananda’s book, Autobiography of a Yogi. He was initiated into Kriya Yoga by Swami Hariharananda—a direct disciple of Yogananda’s guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar. During one of his early trips to India, Giorgio discovered the inspiring work of Father Marian Zelazek, who was helping the children of lepers in Puri, a city in eastern India. He asked Fr. Zelazek how he could help and was asked to seek sponsors to support this work. Giorgio began performing Kirtan (sacred chanting concerts) to raise funds. In 1992, in the holy city of Jagannath Puri in India, Giorgio took the final monastic vows of a sannyas and became Swami Nirvanananda Saraswati, meaning “the bliss of freedom from suffering.” He continues to travel the world, inspiring audiences with devotional music and raising funds to help others.
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Swami Nirvanananda brings a serene, spiritually imbued quality to his sacred chanting and playing, that I can't help but experience a depth of love and gratitude for this felt presence of love and joy-- for God. And that is why we chant sacred songs-- to open our hearts and minds in faith and awareness of that presence within. The conversation with Dr. Trujillo and Swami ji clarified the practice of Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion, one of the four classical paths of yoga. Swami ji tells us that "chanting increases the power of the mantra... and increases energy" that uplifts the spirit, opens the heart and mind to bring us peace. I was deeply moved by this program and it will be a source of strength and inspiration to listeners.
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: Swami Nirvanananda chanted several of my favorite chants including the Gayatri Mantra, Door of my Heart, and So Hum mantra. During the episode I experienced being drawn within to feel my connection with my own heart, and drawn into stillness. Chanting is a powerful practice of Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion. I shared some verses of the Bhagavad Gita about Bhakti Yoga during the episode, and enjoyed how Swami ji’s chanting gives listeners a first hand experience of the benefits of listening to sacred music.