Chanting, kirtan, devotional music — by whatever name you call it, the lure of ancient call-and-response singing in the name of God is on the rise. “Chanting wakes up our hearts,” says kirtan singer Luna Ray, who opened the On the Wings of Ecstasy devo …

Do you remember the details of your first yoga experience?   Yoga came to me unexpected. My first yoga experience was initiated by a close friend. One rainy evening, she asked me to join her at a new studio in Vancouver, Canada. I was very hesitan …

Has yoga changed your relationship with your religion? In what ways?   I went to Catholic school when I was young. I went to church camp and sang in the church choir. But at some point all of this drifted away. I stopped going to church. I never t …

If you have received a spiritual name, what has been the effect for you? How do you feel about your name? Do you use it in daily life   I was given a spiritual name after completing the TTC in 2008. I feel a bit shy about using it. I have been tea …

by Nicole Vahlkamp (Nirmala) It is 6 o’clock in the morning and 200 people are sitting cross-legged on a large wooden platform surrounded by palm trees made slightly iridescent by the contrast between the slowly rising sun and the shadows of the dissol …