Heart full of soul...

Today on the radio on 'Desert Island Discs' the guest was an English comedian, Frank Skinner.  He is not generally someone I go out of my way to watch, though if he happens to be on TV and I come across his programme, I might linger for few minutes and listen. On 'Desert Island Discs' he was discussing his very eclectic  taste in music.  His first choice of music was an aria from a Mozart opera.  He described his growing love of opera and told a sweet story of going to hear Placido Domingo at the Royal Opera House, which was around the corner from his office, so an easy choice of a way to spend an evening. He had booked the cheapest seat and knew little about opera at that time.  He said that there was a moment when Domingo's voice hit a note and his whole body vibrated.  He said he spent the rest of the opera with his mouth hanging open in total awe.  During the interval a well-dressed elderly man came up to him in the bar to ask if he was enjoying the show so far.  Skinner said he felt a bit intimidated since he knew nothing about the opera, but all the man asked was 'Did you feel the tingle when Domingo sang?" Skinner said that he never knew that anyoine could feel music in their body like that and he has loved opera ever since.

Tonight listening to Krishna Das chant and sing with us was the same for me.  There were moments of such sublime beauty that I felt my body expanding with longing.  Sitting in the Union Chapel on hard benches, the room disappeared and became just voice and sound and heart.  How wonderful a way to spend an evening.

It was curious to hear Krishna Das in London.  For a couple of years I have heard him at the Ecstatic Chant group at the Omega Institute in upstate New York.  The setting is very informal though the kirtan format is the same.  The real difference is the audience - 450 Americans, mainly New Yorkers, are very different from an audience of English people.  At Omega everyone gets up and eventually dances and celebrates whilst chanting.  Here, tonight in London,, the only people who got up and celebrated the music were a small handful of people in the balcony.  I wondered why this was and think that there are a number of reasons.  The English do not just get up at concerts, even if they are participating, they wait for someone to give them permission, they are polite and wouldn't stand up in case they block the view of the person behind them and they are terrified of looking stupid or drawing undue attention to themselves.

At first, being more used to the celebratory abandon in Omega, I was disappointed in the staidness of the chanting and then I relaxed and decided to just be with what was happening.  Everyone was involved, everyone was touched by KD and his spectacular voice, just in a different way.  It was a very English kirtan and it was lovely.  Heartful, touching and very rich.

Now I am back home.  Tired, but happy.  Very full and looking forward to another workshop with Krishna Das tomorrow.  Till then...