Kirtan & Yoga Wisdom at The Earthbeat Festival 18-19 March 2021

If you are @ Earth Beat Festival make sure you visit Meditation New Zealand for Kirtan & Yoga Wisdom!

For all those thinking of attending Earth Beat Festival: March 17 - 21 @ Te Atiu Creek Regional Park near Wellsford: We will be holding Kirtan and Yoga Wisdom talks @ REHUA TENT, in The Workshop Area Marquee.

Program:

@ The Rehua Tent, in The Workshop Area Marquee

Thursday 18th:

7.30 pm till late: Mantra Breathing / Kirtan and Truths of Bhagavad Gita with Paramahamsa das (Patrick)

Friday 19th:

7pm till late: Kirtan with the Mantra Band and Satsang with Vedic Story Teller and Yoga Wisdom Teacher Acharya das

Enquiries please call or text Patrick on 0211744965 All Welcome 🙏🏻

'My Story' by JJ

Kiwi blokes dont do yoga!...

I’ve always just thought of myself as your average Kiwi bloke. You know the one, a bit rough around the edges, loves a few beers and a game of rugby on the weekends. If you’d asked me two years ago to give a live All Blacks game a miss and maybe watch it later because we were going to meditate on a Saturday night instead, I’d tell you you were absolutely dreaming!

Like most kiwi blokes I was always in search of a reason for a few beers or a high to get into a better state of mind. Where did that behaviour get me? Nowhere! All I ever got out of those experiences was a quick high to get a rush of endorphins lasting the night followed by an emptiness the next day until I found the next excuse. It's too easy to say this is normal and is enjoyable, but in reality it is not and in fact it is just a form of suffering.

Other forms of escape I have used include taking stupid risks with adventure activities or punishing myself with extreme exercise to get the endorphins flowing. Spending hours upon hours to improve my fitness and get the fix that I so desperately wanted. Eventually this led me to endorphin fatigue and I was unable to fill that void.

This was when someone told me I should give Yoga a try. If I’m honest, I was keen to give it a go but for all the wrong reasons. Back then I thought that the most attractive part of yoga was the attire that the woman wore. It once even led me and a mate of mine to Bikram yoga. What a hot sweaty disaster that was. Two unintelligent Māori boys living London, jammed in a sweltering 40 degree room, sweating like crazy, lungs burning and massively uncomfortable. Not attractive! I realised that this type of Yoga was not for me.

On the other hand, everyone I knew who practiced Bhakti Yoga seemed to be insanely happy, so I took a leap of faith with the help of a close friend of mine to discover the true value of yoga.

The word Yoga literally means union. But with what? Once someone actually explained the point of yoga I was hooked. The path of yoga for me was to bring myself closer to the Supreme Being and acknowledge that I am not my mind. I am not my body, I am an eternal spirit soul.

Fast forward two years without a drop of booze, I practice Yoga every day, host weekly meditation gatherings at my house and absolutely hit the pause button on the All Black games in favour of meditation. For I have found something truly amazing. Something transcendental. Bhakti yoga, mantra meditation & kirtan music. I mean it, stuff the beers and other stimulants! Rugby can wait too. This form of meditation will take you to the place you’ve been searching for and once you get a taste for it, it just gets sweeter. You don't need any qualifications, or even be able to sing. Just an open heart and a willingness to shift to a new normal. These sweet transcendental sounds from the spiritual world free you from your mind and reach deep within your heart.

For those of you who love a happy ever after. Each day I am thankful for the lifestyle change and the decision to make Bhakti yoga my life. I have now found the purpose, the absolute truth & an undying love for the Supreme Soul.

'My Story' by Carrie Burns

......the meditation part scared me!

My first experiences of ‘meditation’ were stressful to say the least. I found myself getting anxious about even going to classes because the meditation part scared me. I enjoyed the postures but found myself making excuses to leave the Astanga yoga class early so I didn’t have to lay in the darkened room trying to meditate.

When I closed my eyes and tried to relax I found my mind was my worst enemy. Frightening thoughts, feelings and images came into my mind.

I had experienced the loss of three close friends and family members in a short space of time and the trauma of these events were replaying in this quiet time. Ashtanga poses were awesome, but the ‘meditation’ part sucked. I quit ashtanga and spent the next few years trying to find a yoga class that didn’t have an ending I found scary. I kept up with daily asana (postures), but meditation still eluded me.

Then one day my son came home from the skatepark with an invitation. “Mum I met this really cool kid and his parents do yoga too, and meditation! He said they’re having a meditation class at their house tonight and we should go. Can we?” I was reluctant. Still scared. What type of meditation? What will we do? How long will it last? “Mum don’t worry!” said my 12 year old. “He said it’s really cool, with music, I’m gonna bring my guitar.” I was intrigued.

That evening was my first introduction to mantra meditation. It changed my life completely. There was nothing scary about it. Instead of frightening memories and thoughts, my mind was instead filled with transcendental sounds of mantras.

Kirtan meditation is a simple call and response. One person would take a turn to lead and everyone would respond. There were no hard or fast rules. My son and his new friend were among those jamming along on guitars and drums. Sometimes the tunes were upbeat or reggae styles and people danced around. Other times the tunes were lullabies that nearly sent us into a blissful sleep. All the while my mind was completely at ease, daily stresses disappeared and my heart was filled with joy. I was hooked.

That was over a decade ago. Today mantra meditation is a central part of my daily routine. It has transformed my life. The anxiety and fearfulness that plagued me is a distant memory. Mantra meditation has opened the door to genuine contentment and lasting happiness. I am eternally grateful to my dear friends who bought me this gift.