Studying Gurumayi’s Message this year has changed my understanding of the practices of chanting and meditation, and I have experienced the stillness of my inner Self.
While offering seva as a lead chanter, I’ve been learning to listen to the melody, listen to the group, and listen to myself. In this way I can better contribute to the harmony and beauty of the chant. One evening, while chanting, I started paying close attention to my voice. I listened to its quality, the melody, the clarity of the notes, my breathing—everything. As the chant progressed, I heard myself singing from a place deep within me. I was amazed by the sound. The more focused attention I gave to it, the fuller and more melodious the sound of my voice became. And when the chant concluded, I experienced the beauty and joy of that sound in the stillness that followed. I felt like I had entered the place where joy originates.
The following month, when I was offering seva in Gurudev Siddha Peeth, we chanted a namasankirtana that I had never heard before. I was filled with sweetness as I immersed myself in the sounds of this new chant. Afterwards, I was drawn to go sit in the meditation cave. I could feel the nighttime stillness inside of me. In that stillness, I heard sounds arising from somewhere deep within. I was pulsating with sound. Yet I was focused, quiet, and calm.
A Siddha Yogi from Bikaner, India