Kirtan Yoga — Mantra Chanting and Sound Meditation

A community event we’re passing along — not one of ours. Ahimsa Escuela de Yoga in Asunción runs a one-hour kirtan session, and it is exactly the kind of low-stakes, low-cost thing that is easy to say yes to in your first months in a new city.

What kirtan is#

Kirtan is call-and-response chanting from the devotional traditions of India: one voice sings a line of mantra, the room sings it back. There is nothing to memorise and nothing to perform. The session is carried by three traditional instruments — the mridanga, a two-headed sacred drum; the kartālas, small hand cymbals that hold the rhythm; and the harmonium, a hand-pumped reed organ. The chant builds slowly, repeats, and settles into silence: the meditación sonora, or sound meditation, named on the flyer.

What to expect#

You sit on the floor. You do not need to read Sanskrit, know the mantras, or sing well — call-and-response means you echo what you hear, and plenty of people simply listen. No prior experience is required, and the whole thing lasts an hour.

Practical details#

Saturday, 3:00–4:00 pm, at Ahimsa Escuela de Yoga in Asunción. Entry is Gs. 50,000 — roughly US$ 8 — paid at the door. Mats and instruments are provided.

New to the city and reading this cold? The full relocation guide is the place to start.