Speaking about chanting and meditation, Krishna Das helps us in navigating constricting systems and releasing childhood pain.
Watch these full sessions live on the official Krishna Das channel: youtube.com/c/KrishnaDasMusic
Chanting and Meditation
Krishna Das starts off with the chant Om Hum Hanumate Namaha. After, he responds to the first viewer question on the necessity of meditation. If we are already chanting every day, is it necessary to also meditate? Krishna Das says that you do not have to do anything that you do not want to do. Don’t constrict yourself. However, if you do not plant the seeds of the qualities you want to develop, they will not develop. Chanting and Meditating are similar but each individual practice will bring out unique aspects of our inner worlds.
“Meditation and chanting are very similar, if not the same. There are many different types of meditation and they all emphasize different aspects, different techniques, and ways to enter into the deepest place within us. It’s up to you.” – Krishna Das
Navigating Constricting Systems (14:49)
We discuss the practice of letting go. This is not an easy process, nor is it complicated. We have essentially trained ourselves to hold onto everything. We tell each other stories about ourselves filled with trauma, anxiety, and pain. These stories are like glue that traps and constricts us. We have not been trained in letting go. Krishna Das suggests picking one thing to let go of at a time. One of the best ways to practice this is by re-focusing your mind while meditating, chanting, or doing breathwork. Instead of hanging onto your trailing thoughts, stories, and worries, notice them, let go, and come back to practice.
“When you bring a practice into your life, it gives you something to come back to. Otherwise, we are just gone.” – Krishna Das
Tune into Ep. 11 of Here and Now for a Ram Dass lecture on Letting it All Go
Releasing Childhood Pain (36:10)
Many things can surface when we are doing our practice. The first few years of your life you are not paying attention. You feel emotions and react blindly. When you grow up and start a practice, you finally pay attention and realize everything that was happening. There is nothing wrong with you if your childhood traumas continue to bother you into adulthood. Krishna Das encourages us to again practice letting go and to keep our self-compassion because the process is gradual. Nothing will change overnight; it is a transformational practice that takes time and repetition. Stay tuned for a second chant at the end of this episode.
“When you start to do practice, many things come up. But, once again, during the practice period, what we do is we let go of that and come back to the chanting, or breath, or whatever practice we’re doing. That gradually stretches the sticky stuff that holds us to those thoughts and emotions.” – Krishna Das