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Recent interview with Govindas and Radha:
1. What does the word bhakti mean to you? Govindas: Dedicating the best of myself, the fullness of my heart to whatever moment in my life that I may find myself in, generosity, tenderness, feeling my emotions. 2.
Where are you from and how long have you been in LA? Govindas: I am from Rockville, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. I moved to San Diego in 1993, spent 2 years there, then moved to LA in 1995 and have been here ever since. 3.
How/When did you discover yoga, which branch of yoga was it, how did
this lead you to kirtan? Govindas: In my first semester as a freshman at University of Maryland, I took an elective course on Stress Reduction. Nine weeks of the course were dedicated to TM (Transcendental Meditation), or mantra meditation. At the age of 18 I had no idea how much influence these 9 weeks would have on the course of my life. More or less from that point on I have been regularly meditating and doing spiritual practices. I was introduced to Kirtan through the older Neem Karoli Baba devotees: Ram Dass, Bhagavan Das, Krishna Das and Jai Uttal . I was teaching yoga in LA at the time and was majorly suffering with an illness called ulcerative colitis, a debilitating form of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). It was a time in my life that was incredibly challenging, because I was 27 years old an my body was completely failing on me. The kirtan gave me the opportunity to call out to Spirit, to connect with the Source on a deeper level and practice embracing even the most difficult times in my life as gifts in which I can learn an grow. As I stepped onto the bhakti path and have been working with these practices ever since, it has helped me to become more accepting of myself, and accepting of the days that I feel really terrible. 4.
What is it about kirtan that speaks to you? When did you know this
would be your path? Were there difficulties in making the transition
into living bhakti? Govindas: When I first heard kirtan, it blew me away. It felt so ancient. In tradition. Music as a prayer. The melodies really touched me. The drumming. The devotion of the leader, the call and response. There was something inside of the chants that I had always felt inside of myself: a deep yearning and longing to be connected to something greater. Immediately when I first heard kirtan, I began to immerse myself in the teachings of Bhakti Yoga, of which kirtan is a central practice. I was teaching Vinyasa Yoga at the time, which is still a big part of my practice. I was quite ill so there was this deep feeling inside searching for answers. Through Bhakti I felt my path open a bit wider and become clearer. It gave me an ancient tradition which uses the practices of heart, devotion, love, and God to help in peeling back the layers and facilitate a deeper understanding and harmonization with the energies of life. Some of these practices are kirtan, ritual/puja, japa meditation, dancing, cooking, etc.. In 1999 I journeyed to India with the intention of diving deeper. This is where I started studying music and bought my first harmonium. On my return from my trip I began chanting in my yoga classes.
5. With whom did you train to be a hatha yoga teacher? How long have
you been teaching Vinyasa? Govindas: Bryan Kest has been my main hatha yoga teacher. His wisdom, strength, trust, and generosity continues to bless our lives. I took a teachers training from him in 1998 and began teaching at his studio soon after. His studios are run on a "donation-basis" which for me feels like it keeps the financial exchange between teacher and student pure. As a teacher there, it requires a trust that the universe will take care of you, which she always does... When I began to bring Bhakti into my vinyasa practice, it felt like it shifted the feel of my whole practice. It turned vinyasa into a prayer, the repetitive sequences like surya namaskar into flowing body mantras, and ultimately helped in being more sensitive with myself in honoring the body as a sacred temple. As well as Bryan Kest, I have been greatly influenced by Saul David Raye and Shiva Rea.
6. With whom did you study kirtan? Who is your greatest guru? Radha: I have many Guru's... The guru lies within truth. My beloved, my family, all of the great saints that have walked the path before us, mother ocean, moon and sun, life, the innocence, imagination and playfulness of children, mother India, There are so many.... It is in everyone. The guru is what guides me toward the light. The guru within, and the teacher within everything. For me the Guru continues to show me the way of Gratitude. We are so blessed to have this life. May we shine our love on everyone and everything. Govindas: The guru removes the darkness. The guru leads us to the light. The guru shows us the way. The guru can be an energy in the universe, or can actually be a person, a teacher, a guide, as an embodiment of the guru energy. My guru is Neem Karoli Baba. He was considered a great Indian saint, and his message was so simple, "Love, Serve, and Remember." He would say things like "Suffering is Grace", meaning our discomforts can be our greatest teachers. Though I suffered immensely with a disease called Ulcerative Colitis, at the same time it led me deeper into my truth, the path of bhakti. And as the story is told, wherever Maharajji was, kirtan was always sung. This is where Bhagavan Das, Krishna Das , and Jai Uttal all learned the devotional practice of kirtan in the 60's and 70's and brought it back to us. These guys are our teachers, and pioneers in America, in their own unique way all opening our eyes to the bhakti path. They all continue to point to the same place as the source: a picture of an old man wrapped in a plaid blanket, Neem Karoli Baba. I was introduced to Maharajji through them. As I walk down this bhakti path, Maharajji's presence has become more influential in my life. My relationship with him is really interesting because he left his body in the early 1970's. All I can say is it feels as though he is a guiding, creative, and protecting force in my life. I try to keep a picture of him around me at all times. For me he is a reflection of love, grace, service, and truth. When I chant, my intention is to get really open, visualize his image in my mind, let him guide the chant through me, and follow the river of his grace. 7.
How would you describe your spiritual beliefs? Can a person of any
faith sing Kirtan?
8. When did you begin leading your own kirtan? What is the experience
like to be a leader in chanting? What do you hope to bring to those
who attend your kirtan? 9.
Do you chant every day? Do you create your own melodies of chant?
10.
How and when did you meet your beloved? Was it love at first sight?
When did you marry? What does your beloved mean to you? How has finding
a life partner affected your life, teaching and bhakti path? Govindas: I first met Radha in my yoga class in 2003. I remember the first time I saw her I was stunned by her beauty and presence. She continued to come to my classes for 3 months. I wanted to get to know her better but didn't want to be the kind of yoga teacher that tries to hook up with his students. There is a really fine line there, so I wanted to approach the situation very sensitively. I stayed patient and waited for the universe to give me signals. I really knew nothing about her, whether she had a boyfriend, was married, etc., but I felt these very strong feelings continuing to build. Then at a point I remember it felt like something cosmically shifted, like the universe said very clearly me, "You are ready. You must do something about it." So the next time after class I asked her out on a date. We have been together pretty much every day since. We got married on the beach in Maui November 10th 2005. Govindas and Radha: Our relationship is our main spiritual practice.... Within it we honor the "Lila" the divine play of the masculine and feminine as Beloved... God and Goddess in a dance of pure love and devotion with each other. Traditionally this "merging" of opposing forces, God/Goddess, Radhe/Govind, Sita/Ram, Shiva/Shakti, Sun/Moon, Individual Soul/Universal Soul creates balance, harmony, and oneness. Simply put, our own individual paths to God lie through the love, devotion, acceptance and commitment to each other. The play of God and Goddess on a spiritual realm, the play of our love, here, on the physical. This is our doorway to God, liberation, and freedom, and what continues to bestow grace upon our lives. 11.
What do you think the secret to a lasting and loving relationship
is? Govindas: Even though Radha and I are married and united, we both have our own unique process... as does every soul. We must fully honor our own process, and of course our partner's process too. Our intention is to always pull the best out of each other and be as perfect of a reflection of love and truth as possible. We do our best to be an environment through which the other can feel the magic of life... grow and rise to their potentiality, fulfilling their dharma within this incarnation. Yet in saying that we must always remember that we are human. We must accept our own and our partner's imperfections. At times I get so lost in fear, illusion, and maya. That is exactly when Radha is there for me, in her nurturing way, constantly reminding me that "Everything is going to be OK, everything is going to be all right." And I trust her, because she is my Goddess in form. I learn from her to accept all the different colors, moods, emotions, feelings, and fragrances of life. They are all sacred. Life is sacred. And as important as anything, is to play, to be light, to laugh, and find the nectar in every moment.
12. What is your dream, the hope you have for your life? Govindas: The most important thing is family... This is the dream and hope for my life. Family and Community. When we recently were in India, we were reminded of this over and over. Everywhere we went it seemed as though we were a part of one big family. As well, we spent much time with families that had so little materially, as we would perceive it from the West. Yet they were so happy and full of love and joy. They had each other, played, ate, loved and laughed together. And seemed as though they would do anything for each other. On a whole different note, since I was a little boy I have had the dream of integrating traveling, music, yoga and surfing. I feel so blessed... the past few months we have been in India, traveling and singing. It has been such a humbling, inspiring, and creative journey to visit the holy places in the bhakti tradition. Bhakti is the path of surrendering our own individual will to the will of the Divine, something here in the West that we are not so comfortable with. My personal practice is giving it all up to my guru, and letting him handle all of the details. Sometimes we joke and say he is our booking agent. Like most people, my tendency is to have some pretty strong agendas. So my practice is to let go, open up to be guided by something greater. In saying that, I do feel really drawn to doing charity kirtan events to benefit those in-need. We are so blessed here in this culture with abundance on the material plane. Yet there are so many people on this planet without clothes to wear or food to eat... starving children living on the street. It is up to us to give back. This is my path, to serve, to give back in a way that uplifts the collective. And sure I look forward to making more albums and sharing this blessed practice, but the truth of the matter is that it is all in God's Hands.
13. If you had to choose one mantra, or quote that embodies you path,
how you try to live, what would it be? Do you have a favorite chant? Govindas: The Hanuman Chaleesa is a long mantra of 40 verses glorifying the qualities of Hanuman, the Monkey God and a central character in the Indian epic the Ramayana. In this story, Hanuman is the absolute embodiment of service and devotion, all of his actions are done in the spirit of serving Ram/God, or serving truth. In chanting this mantra it is a reminder of my role of service here on the planet. My name is Govindas. "das" means "to be a servant of." Specifically Govind, or Krishna, which is sometimes described as the energy of love. This is my path, to serve love. I would say first that my favorite chants are the simple ones, in melody and mantra. It is in this simplicity that one can truly drop into the flow of the chant, which ultimately serves the meditation. As well my favorite chants are to Sita Ram or Radhe Govinda, the union of God/ Goddess, masculine and feminine. This balance is uniquely embodied in Radha and I leading kirtans together. Our path is our love for the Divine, our guru, and each other. This is the essence which is hopefully reflected and transmitted through our music.
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