Sita’s Light Kirtan, which has been part of the kirtan scene in New York and Connecticut for the past seven years, is coming to Mount Kisco, NY, on November 8, 2014. Miriam Zernis, who is a member of Sita’s Light along with Suan Armstrong and Fumio Taniguchi, says the timing is perfect for those who want to experience sacred music and chanting before the holiday rush sets in.

“Our devotional music sing-a-longs are for everyone,” she says. “They help you quiet the mind, experience personal discovery and expression, or simply feel the joy of raising your voice in song. The best part is that it doesn’t really matter if you can sing. It’s all about relaxing, opening the heart, and enjoying the wonderful high vibration, healing and general enjoyment that the music and the mantras have to offer.”

While kirtan began more than 5000 years ago in India, the chanting practice has taken the West by storm in the past decade or so, Zernis says. Each year hundreds of chanting enthusiasts gather at Ecstatic Chant at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, and several kirtan festivals around the country. “Kirtan is a form of Bhakti Yoga—yoga of devotion—and the singing is accompanied by musical instruments and rhythmic drumming,” she says. “The audience is encouraged to participate by chanting, clapping and dancing. In its heartfelt expression, kirtan can induce profound states of meditation and peace and for some, outright bliss.”

To register, visit StarVisionsCommunity.org. For more info about Sita’s Light, visit SitasLight.com.