Celebrating Peace Tour: Snatam Kaur in concert

May 31, 10:09 PMTampa Yoga ExaminerDanielle Hope Hier

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Danielle Hope Hier

"Satnam...I bow to the infinite truth within all beings.  I bow to the infinite energy that resides in all of us."   Snatam Kaur addressed the crowd gathered in the Unity church in Clearwater for her Celebrating Peace tour.

One cannot study yoga for any length of time, without having experienced the lovely lilting music of Snatam Kaur (pronounced Suh-nah-tum-car). 

A Kundalini yoga instructor of the Sikh faith, who also gathers for monthly meetings with spiritual leaders of varying belief systems (in order to promote unity), she has dedicated her life's work to promoting peace through song.  The lotus banner above she and her unique band reads, "Peace in your heart. Peace in your home.  Peace in the world", and 10% of the profits of the tour are being donated to charity.

Unlike most traditional performances, audience participation is highly encouraged (so it's okay if the person next to you wants to sing the song lyrics loudly along with the performer).  In this case, there was a natural ebb and flow in listening to the performance and chanting along at the singer's request.  And, while I had to agree with a friend of mine who also attended, that a "bouncing ball with the song lyrics on the big screen" would have been helpful (particularly since the words were in sanskrit), I do believe that people were so moved by the rhythm of the words and music, that chanting what they thought they were hearing, was close enough.

One of the most interactive concerts around, at any given time, the audience might be encouraged to stretch and work on their fire breathing technique , chant along, join hands in meditation or even get up and dance.  As guitarist and manager GuruGanesha Singh explained - jovially - about the man who "accidentally" found himself chanting along with his wife, against his better judgment, "Peace has a way of bypassing the intellect" and heading straight for the heart.  

The purpose of chanting, Snatam Kaur explained, is to use those words to help guide our actions and our thoughts.  The more we chant about recognizing the divinity in all of us, in acknowledging our connection to each other, about leading a harmonious life, the more those words become our reality.

Without being told, somehow the audience understood that a natural moment of silence to meditate and draw in the energy created through our chants was needed after each song, with applause reserved for the few fast-paced exhilierating pieces.  And also without being told, everyone left the concert with a greater sense of both knowing, and loving, without judgement.

For more on the music and misson of Snatam Kaur, visit: http://www.snatamkaur.com.