This Is Why We Chant

by teacher Bethany Eanes

“The words to this song are simple: ‘I am who I am that is that.’ Sing along as you hold this bow pose,” Julie says, matter-of-factly like she always does.

“Is she fucking serious?” I think, like I always do. Then I look around, and everyone is seriously doing it. They’re holding these backbends for minutes at a time, and they are singing along to a song combining the voices of Guru Singh and Seal. Shit, here’s the worst part …

“Joy to the world. Peace on the Earth. God bless the children, how we love them,” Seal sings through the speakers. They all join in.  Fast-forward a few months. My husband arrives from work, briefcase in hand, to find me in a kaftan cooking our dinner with strange music filling the home. “Are you fucking serious?” He laughs, as Seal comes through the speakers. When I first started practicing yoga, I couldn’t believe the shit my teacher would say. She’d say things like, “Hug your anus and genitals in. This is the key to unlocking your full potential.” I couldn’t believe it, but I did it. 

(Photo: Me, pre-yoga, fresh out of the sorority, complete with sear-sucker dress.)

On the surface, I was skeptical, but there was no denying the profound shift happening in my life. That shift tipped a little more after every single yoga class. And if there was singing along, or chanting, that shift tipped big time. I’d float through the remainder of my day, wondering why no one had ever told me that anus and genitals things before. Could it really be that basic?

These days, I have to laugh when I hear myself sometimes at the front of the yoga room. All those things I was once skeptical of, well, they have become part of my every day vernacular and my personal practice. I look out at the mats and wonder, “Who thinks I’m fucking crazy? Who thinks this is awesome? And who kind of thinks both?” I love watching the transformations happen. On the really good days, students tell me how yoga helped them achieve a major transition in their life. On the even better days, they tell me I had some part of it.

On New Year’s Day, we hosted a half-mala and Kirtan chant at Namaste Highland Park. A number of students had very powerful experiences in the room that night. I was thrilled and blown away by the stories that followed that night. I knew we had to do it again.  So, we are! Whether you think it’s crazy, think it’s awesome, or think it’s crazy-awesome, you are invited to join in for community Kirtan. 

(Photo: Me, post-yoga, fresh out of moolabandha exercises, complete with faux hawk. Of course, the surface changes are more obvious, but those beneath the surface are far more profound.)