Yoga Vacation ProgramJuly 30 — August 2, 2024
Devotional Chanting for Deep Meditation
Jeremy Jones and Anil Prasad
Chanting for the purpose of spiritual communion is an ancient divine art, which utilizes the power of sound vibration to recharge the body and mind with fresh reserves of prana (life energy). Join Jeremy Jones (harmonium, voice) and Anil Prasad (tablas) in the practice of devotional chanting “kirtan” style, in which a devotional thought is chanted along with repeated musical accompaniment. With each repetition of the words, the intensity gradually builds until the mind is completely absorbed in the meaning and feeling of the chant. Participants will be invited to sing along as we chant with increasing intensity and gradually convert the audible chanting into whisper chanting, then mental chanting, and finally internal absorption and meditation.
In India, chanting in this way is recognized as a form of “Bhakti Yoga” meaning “yoga of devotion”. There is a rich history of saints and spiritual adepts using music in this way to unlock the ecstatic joy of Spirit. In these sessions we will practice divine chants for spiritual communion, and traditional Indian bhajans in which names or aspects of God are repeated in a practice known as “japa yoga”. Join us for this program of spiritual recharging and heart upliftment as we dive deeply into the art of devotional chanting.
Offered as 2 satsangs and 3 workshops (subject to change).
The presentations associated with this Yoga Vacation Program begin with an 8pm satsang on the first day of the program and conclude with a 90-minute noon workshop on the last day of the program. Click here to read more about the Yoga Vacation Program details and view the ashram schedule for yoga classes and meals during your stay. We suggest you arrive at least one day prior to the start of your program for the optimal experience.
Raised in Denver, Colorado, Jeremy studied music at Duke University in North Carolina, with an emphasis on jazz studies and drum set. Upon graduating he relocated to Seattle, Washington where he currently lives and has performed and recorded with artists of diverse genres as well as releasing several albums as a leader. Jeremy has received awards for jazz performance from Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center, Earshot Jazz, and the Inside Out Jazz Awards.
Jeremy received a GRAMMY Nomination in 2014 for playing drums on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ album The Heist which was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album. Jeremy was a member of the Seattle-based jazz trio The Teaching which released 5 full-length albums including Birds in Flight and What a Joy. In 2023, Jeremy released a new full-length modern jazz trio album The Eternal Path, which is comprised of 12 original compositions by pianist Josh Rawlings, bassist Tim Carey, and Jeremy as bandleader and producer.
Jeremy follows a path of Raja Yoga meditation that includes a style of musical chanting called Kirtan which comes from the spiritual traditions of India. He regularly leads Kirtan sessions, playing harmonium and singing, along with accompaniment of piano and tablas. Jeremy often records and performs devotional chants published in the book Cosmic Chants by Paramahansa Yogananda, founder of Self-Realization Fellowship, as well as other bhajans (devotional songs) in the bhakti yoga tradition (the yoga of devotion) from India.
In 2023, Jeremy released the album Cosmic Chants & Bhajans which is available on Spotify, Music, YouTube, and all streaming platforms. And in 2024, Jeremy released Bhajans, an album predominantly of chanting in Hindi, and Cantos Cósmicos, an album of chanting music in Spanish.
Anil’s studied in India where he got to learn under tabla master of the Ajrara Gharana Ustad Akram Khan. Here’s where he learned the true art of Indian classical tabla and how to practice. World renowned master, Zakir Hussain, invited him to his Master
classes in which he attended during 2005, 2006, 2010-2016. During 2006-2008, Anil got a degree in Cardiac Sonography as well. Since 1999 he has played with many musicians with many genres of music including flamenco, jazz, gospel, kirtan, ghazal, and rock and roll to name a few. Anil remains the most sought-after tabla player because of his adaptive style of playing.
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