Sacred Sound: Mantra and Kirtan - Interview with Alanna Kaivalya

SACRED SOUND by Alanna Kaivalya - Nada Yoga — or the yoga of sacred sound — often gets short shrift in the West because mantras and kirtan aren’t readily understood. However, its chants are held sacred in all types of Eastern spiritual practice for the way they can help practitioners bypass the day-to-day mental chatter of the mind in order to reach a transcendent state of awareness and self-realization.

In Sacred Sound: Discovering the Myth & Meaning of Mantra and Kirtan (New World Library, April 15, 2014), celebrated yoga teacher and author Alanna Kaivalya explores both the myth and meaning behind twenty-one mantras, or chants, that stem from the yogic tradition. She also describes the myth, text, or context each mantra comes from or is associated with, and explains how these rich myths relate to our modern-day spiritual practice.

Sacred Sound offers practical guidance for starting, developing, and/or improving a mantra practice. Each mantra and kirtan in the book includes the Sanskrit, transliteration, and translation. Alanna’s clear retellings of the pertinent myths highlight modern-day applications so that readers discover their own personal connection to the practice. 

Alanna Kaivalya is the author of Sacred Sound. She is the yoga world’s expert on Hindu mythology and mysticism. Her podcasts have been heard by more than one million people worldwide, and her Kaivalya Yoga Method melds mythology, philosophy, and yoga. Visit her online at http://www.alannak.com.