CHITHEADS from Embodied Philosophy
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Be Here Now Podcast – Nina Rao - Preserving the Wealth of Nature with Robert Thurman
Robert Thurman joins Nina Rao for a conversation around strategies we can use to restore our balance with nature for the sake of our connection, Beauty, and global climate.
Robert Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, President of the Tibet House U.S., a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization, and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and dedicated to the publication of translations of important artistic and scientific treatises from the Tibetan Tengyur. Keep up with Robert at bobthurman.com
Find events near you featuring dharma talks, meditations and chanting with Nina at ninaraochant.com. Register here for the Sacred Music for Sacred Forests Benefit Concert with Nina, Krishna Das and Friends, NYC May 30, 2020. You can learn more about ways you can preserve the natural habitat of India’s tigers at Nina Rao’s wilderness conservation non-profit charity: savingwildtigers.org
Wisdom Rising: Mandala of the Five Wisdom Dakinis & Goddess Traditions of India and Tibet
Experience transformation through the power of chanting to the goddess in her many forms and through meditation on the maṇḍala—a universal map for inner and outer balance, wholeness, and practical awakening. Chandra and Nina share a deep interest in the complementary wisdom and devotional traditions of Tibet and India honoring the divine feminine. They will weave together mystical stories, visualizations, meditations, mantra repetition, and singing chants.
Interview with Phil Cartwright - Nina Rao "Anubhav" Album
ANUBHAV is the title of the album ~ Anubhav is a word Ma spoke when talking with Nina about how important it is to have a disciplined practice so it may blossom into each one’s own direct experience of the Divine, the Soul, the One. This inner knowing or perception or feeling, Anubhav, is what guides us on the Path of Life.
Nina Rao learned traditional chants (bhajans) from her grandfather in a village in south India when she nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. For many years Nina has been Krishna Das' business manager and assistant, often touring with him playing cymbals and singing. In 2007, she recorded the track 'Nina Chalisa' on Krishna Das' CD "Flow of Grace " and in January 2013, she released her debut album, "Antarayaami - Knower of All Hearts". Nina regularly leads kirtan, chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa, and sings for yoga classes in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY and beyond.
Positive Energy - Video Interview + Chant {with me and my Uma}
Here's an interview and chant (with Uma and me) - "Positive Energy" on Princeton Community TV that you might enjoy.
Exploring the Devotional Path with Nina Rao
Michele Granberg interviews well-known Kirtan artist Nina Rao, who travels the world with Krishna Das, about her spiritual journey. Nina and her daughter Uma share a beautiful sanskrit chant.
Embodied Love - Online Conference
Devotion is a phenomenon more universal than any particular tradition, for devotion can be as varied as love itself. In the dharmic traditions, the term for devotion is bhakti. As Bhakti Yoga, it is a form of practice characterized by devotion to a deity. The more popular forms of bhakti are Vaishnava, Shaiva and Shakta in character (devoted to Krishna, Shiva, or forms of the Goddess, respectively). In all of these traditions, bhakti is both a form of religious and contemplative practice since love for a particular form of God/Goddess is widely accepted as one of the most effective ways to focus the mind.
In this free online conference, we will discover both traditional and non-traditional forms of bhakti. We will explore the ways in which devotion transforms our world, from the inside out. Just as falling in love has the power to shape and renew one’s worldview, becoming a Bhakta transmutes our vision and refines our heart. Love for the divine further empowers the devotee to transcend aspects of mundane existence, as it challenges common and selfish expressions of love. By dedicating our practice to a principle or deity that transcends the ephemeral, we can begin to taste the fullness of embodied love and its liberating possibilities.
This conference, as with all programming at Embodied Philosophy, will seek to strike a balance between scholarship and practice. Each participant has been invited to share embodied bhakti-informed practices as well as scholarship and research relevant to Bhaktas and the various Bhakti traditions.
We will learn about:
The history of Vaishnava Bhakti
The teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā
How to live the life of the heart
The yogic practices of devotion
The character of Hanuman, the personification of devotion from the Ramayana
How Bhakti yoga differs from other forms of yoga
Why serving the divine will save the world
The relationship between the Bhakta (or practitioner) and Bhakti
The relationship between the human and the divine in Vaishnava Bhakti
Stories from the Indian tradition that are central to Bhakti
Sri Krishna
The 9 Practices of Vaidhī Bhakti
I am so pleased to be included as a presenter in this free online event coming up Oct 4 to 6, 2019.
Sign up here!
https://www.embodiedphilosophy.org/a/17738/tSca2zU2
Kirtan at Home with Nina Rao
This is an experiential program in chanting the names of the Divine from the Indian tradition. Chanting of these Names creates a devotional space for your hearts to open into.
Read MoreMindrolling Podcast – Raghu Markus with Nina Rao on Nina's Anubhav CD
Nina Rao visits the Mindrolling Podcast for a chat with Raghu about the transformative power of mantra and the fruits of pursuing a spiritual path.
Nina learned traditional chants from her grandfather in a village in south India when she was nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. For many years Nina has been Krishna Das’ business manager and assistant, often touring with him playing kartals (cymbals) and singing. In January 2013, she released her debut album, Antarayaami – Knower of All Hearts and her sophomore album, Anubhav, in 2018. Nina regularly leads kirtan, chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa, and sings for yoga classes in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY and beyond. Keep up with Nina Rao at ninaraochant.com.
Thank You 467 Backers - Information for Anubhav Pre-Orderers
It’s a been a wonderful journey of 40 days through this pre-sale campaign on Kickstarter which ended June 29 - I am so grateful for the support for my new music.
If you are a Kickstarter backer, please review this important information:
- June 29 - July 14: Pre-sale campaign on Kickstarter ended June 29. Kickstarter takes 2 weeks to process your payments. If they have any issues they will have emailed you directly at the email address you used to make your pledge.
- Around July 18: check your email box used to make your Kickstarter pledge - look for an email via Kickstarter that requests you to fill out an information ‘survey’. Please make sure you complete that survey answering all questions as soon as possible. It is the ONLY way we have to collect your information (shipping address, email address to send the digital album), to get your reward. Note - when you made the pledge during the campaign you were not asked for address for delivery, so you will have to provide it at this time.
- Starting early August: Those who have provided all delivery information (see above), will receive from us an email for you to download the digital version of the album - downloadable from your computer only (not tablet or mobile phone)
Our plan for those who pledged for physical CDs and responded with delivery information is, that we will start delivering them later in August in the mail.
General release of the Anubhav album will be available through all major channels in later Fall 2018. We will keep you posted!
Thank you again for your support, I look forward to chanting with all very soon. Check out my event schedule and come chant live with me!
Ram Ram
Love Love
Yogic Paths - Sharing The Magic Of An Ancient Tradition
Yogic Paths has all episodes available for streaming!
Episode 01: Exploring The Yogic Path is FREE to non-members.
Explore the vast tradition of yoga with the Gaia Original Series, Yogic Paths. Filmed across India, the 13-episode series captures the beauty of mystical Indian landscapes and never before seen ashrams while taking the viewer on a journey through the many traditions of yoga. Yogic Paths explores eight forms of yoga: Hatha, Bhakti, Jnana, Karma, Tantra, Raja, Kriya, and Kundalini, as well as the esoteric practices of Nada and the Siddhis -- all of which ultimately lead to self-realization.
While the practice of physical postures called asanas is most well-known in the West, understanding the full scope of this rich and varied tradition gives meaning and power to the yoga we know today. An incredibly honest and deep exploration of yoga, Yogic Paths is a docu-series of thoughtful interviews that touch the heart and encourage self-discovery, reminding us how deeply we are all connected.