Video Archives - Remember Krishna

Posted on March 21, 2020March 21, 2020 by remember krishna — Leave a comment

Livestream Kirtans & wisdom talks you can join in from home

congregational kirtan at home livestream

Most livestreams are using either YouTube or Facebook.

I’m going to share the YOUTUBE livestream channels that are consistently putting up regular livestreams of both live kirtan, as well as meditation and yoga.

The Australian School of Meditation and Yoga have been livestreaming their weekly kirtans to facebook for a few years now, and yesterday announced that they will continue to livestream kirtan on a regular basis. Around the world others have joined this online kirtan party, making sure that we can continue to associate even if trapped at home by Coronavirus self isolation proceedures.

I encourage you to follow them on Facebook and Youtube!

Wisdom talks you can tune into from home.

I expect a lot of livestreams here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Qk-RUCSN0bTvVgtto02pQ

If you prefer to watch your livestreams of Facebook find The Mantra Room Facebook by clicking this link

my Friends at Kirtan Experience are doing magical kirtan by the beach, while we are still allowed out of doors…

https://www.facebook.com/253631894813893/videos/751990215208418/

They have even set up an audio download you can grab to listen on Soundcloud.

I am also enjoying associating by watching the videos of the very humble servant of Sri Krishna on this channel here:

There are multiple playlists with different themes, but I am loving listening to this yoga wisdom talks while I am sewing for Krsna.

There are multiple locations for The Mantra Room around Australia, and I love the strong kirtan vibe in Brisbane. Follow them on YouTube

All of these channels are so PROLIFIC and generous with their distribution of KIRTAN and Yoga Wisdom that I have just had to pick one or two to represent.

You’ll love it if you enrich your life with these wonderful opportunities to hear and chant from your couch!

Especially in these stressful times with the world pandemic creating mass confusion and anxiety, benefit from the calming wisdom of the ages:

The title says it all. We can buckle down, and stay indoors, and create an internal sanctuary

Have you got some channel you would suggest? Leave a comment and let me know! Maybe I’ll update this list to share it!

This is NOT an exhaustive list! I’m sure my friends around the world would have so much more to add!

I hope it helps you in your daily remembrance of Sri Krishna in these times when we are encouraged to self isolate and may mean separation from other devotees and inability to have congregational kirtan together.

Posted on December 14, 2019December 18, 2019 by remember krishna — Leave a comment

10 Christmas Carols You’ll Love to Sing

krishna marble statue on red background with mango leaf garland candles and white lotus lamps playing flute at krishna christmas celebration the mantra room gold coast

Krishna blesses our Christmas Celebrations

Joyous Noel!

There’s so many beautiful Christmas Carols you can learn and sing with family that I wanted to share some of our favorites with you.

What we do in our family is usually a nice big Christmas lunch with all our family and then we go and join our friends for a Christmas evening kirtan celebration. I love this, so special! We always have Jesus on the altar with Krishna.

1. Bless The Lord

Let us offer our respectful obeisances to Lord Jesus Christos who dedicates his life to the Supreme Person.

Jesus made it very clear that the Supreme Lord is his heart, and that he is the heart of the Supreme Lord.

Krishna says:

The saints are my heart and I am their heart. They are always thinking of me and embracing me, and I am always thinking of them and embracing them.

Jesus Christ stands as our inspiration. He is the embodiment of love for God and all living beings, and such love should be celebration with the congregational glorification of God and His Holy Names on the appearance day of Lord Jesus Christ, and on every other day of the year!

With the most beautiful lyrics, and combined with that soul-stirring Hare Krishna Maha Mantra! Gotta watch this beautiful sound clip of the Choir of Angels with the beautiful frangipani flower wristlets and candles (battery operated thank you) Honestly this one might be my absolute favorite!

2. Prayer of St. Francis

The first and foremost commandment of Jesus is to love the Supreme Father with all our heart.

When we look at Jesus Christ we see in him what we aspire for, and what we hope and pray to acheive.

There is a saying that when you ask God for something, you will receive it.

Jesus Christ is showing us what we should ask for, what we should pray for and that is unconditional love for God and for all living beings.

Such pure spiritual love will make it so that we are happy, free and peaceful, and that the world is happy free and peaceful.

3.When Love Was Born

Christmas is a celebration of Gods love for us. From time to time, the Supreme Person, Sri Krishna, sends an empowered representative to this world to invite us back to Him.

Such was the case when the pure love, son, and servant of God, Lord Jesus Christ appeared in this world, bringing with him the greatest gift, the gift of pure spiritiual love.

He embodied a love that embraced all living beings. This song celebrates the night that such selfless spiritual love in the person of Jesus Christ was born.

4.Blessed Be Your Name

Introducing this beautiful powerful hymn, and I wanted to include it here, because it really encapsulates the very meaning of this beautiful prayer.

Pure love for God is already residing dormant in our hearts, but it is covered over by so much material contamination. By coming into contact with God I become purified of all that is keeping me from experiencing pure spiritual love. In this age the Supreme Lord, out of His Causeless mercy descends as His Holy Name, transcendental sound, and it is a very simple way to come into contact with Him through that sound.

Jaya Jesus means All Glories to Jesus.

5. Day By Day

Jesus first commandment is to love God. His second commandment is like unto it: Love our neighbour as our selves. Love for others, for our neighbours, for our enemies, cannot be separated from love for God because love for God is the unifiying factor. We pray that our love for God will grow day by day.

This beautiful Christmas carol starts beautifully solemn, and then has such a fun, swinging, getting into it upbeat sound! We love it 🙂

6. The Message

Resonating with Vaishnava’s, this beautiful song praising Lord Jesus Christ, a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord. You might never have heard this one before! It’s one I grew up with! I could sing it if I lost every other memory, I know it so well! SUPER BEAUTIFUL!

7.What Child Is This?

A beautiful soaring soprano version of this beautiful song about baby Jesus, kids love this one… I love how they have incorporated the Om Hari Om – I didn’t grow up “Christian” so I have no idea if these tunes are fresh or new or old, and pretty much every traditional carol is a revelation to me 🙂 LOVING it!

8.Happy Birthday Jesus

We only just started singing this one and I LOVE it!

I’m sure you have heard a version or two of this beautiful Happy Birthday Jesus Christmas song – it was the star of 2018 for us! Here’s my daughter with her friends signing it at a nursing home. Can you see how they are doing their earnest best? After 3 months of carol practices, they’ll never forget the lyrics or tunes of these songs!

9.Jesus Loves the Little Ones

Definitely get to throw yourself into this Christmas song! It’s so fun, we usually love to point and poke and giggle with the hand gestures!

10.O Holy Night

A classic for a reason!

This beautiful soul stirring song of praise never gets old! You know it I’m sure, but I really had to include it in this list of loveliness!

Posted on October 29, 2017 by remember krishna — Leave a comment

Easiest dhoti in the world for Krishna deity

Following on from my first HOW TO MAKE A DHOTI FOR KRISHNA post, I have put together a very simple guide, with some ideas and explanations about the reasons for pleating, and how and where to pleat.

This really is the worlds easiest dhoti… or maybe I should say, realistic dhoti, after all there are some dhoti which are just a sarong and that is probably easier style.

It’s also extra fun because I have temporarily in my custody this beautiful Krishna deity I painted! Isn’t He lovely? Syamasundar Krishna in all joyous happy beauty. (If you are painting deities then please check out my tips on painting deity forms)

As long as you know how to sew and hem a simple rectangle, then this DIY tutorial is all you need to get started on making your own clothes for Krsna! If you have your deity standing in front of you then you can easily work out the length you need to cut.

I love it if I have Krsna in front of me it makes sewing for Him SO much easier! In general I would allow 1/2 of waist width for the front pleats, 3cm extra for the back pleat, and then 1.5 times waist width for the length to pass between Krishna legs and fold into the back of his dhoti at the back.

Always sew on your braid before you do your final stitches to secure the ends and add your press studs!

If anything in this tutorial is unclear, please refer to my step-by-step tutorial which is detailed with images! Here’s that link again

There’s a whole catalogue of Krishna videos on my YouTube channel which you may or may not follow – not everything makes it’s way to my blog, we’ve diversified across social media platforms, hah! Please subscribe and follow me on YouTube & Facebook! I promise to keep it Krishna conscious! I don’t promise not to totally obsess over art, Krishna, deities, and more 🙂

Posted on July 26, 2017July 26, 2017 by remember krishna — 1 Comment

Jiving to soul music kirtan bands

kirtan band ashraya soulful music bohemian new age sound

Have you heard these amazing kirtan bands?

When you are growing up, you’re attracted to music – as you get older, for me at least, it dims in importance. But there are so many beautiful souls out in the world working on sharing their musical ability as a way of glorifying the supreme lord Sri Krishna – so why not support them, get behind their music and let our kids (and ourselves) enjoy the diverse musical arrangements that have only the most positive and beautiful lyrics and meanings!

I personally adore the music of the following bands, and I’d love to hear if you have some recommendations! In fact there are a few friends I need to chase up for I know they’ve had amazing music!

Atmasfera; watch their clips here: YOU TUBE

Buy their music here!

This might be my favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naCuh4lWXck

But then I adore this rocking one too!

https://youtu.be/1rYOswLObDQ

Ashraya is wonderful!

They are a kirtan band, so all music is sacred mantra’s, oh you have to watch and hear! And if you ever get the chance, you MUST experience kirtan with Ashraya in person! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VnWvT38E_4

You can keep an eagle eye on their next appearances on their facebook page, and also their website has some music downloads for your listening delights! Go HERE

WAI LANA The exquisite music video by great yogi and artist Wai Lana is so beautiful and you must watch it at least once, and then you will be glued to it and watch it a thousand times!

View the dreamy soulful music video here

You can subscribe to Wai Lana You Tube, and she also has a website here https://www.wailana.com/ and a platform on almost every channel! Or should it be a channel on almost every platform? I’m not really sure, but it’s amazing to hear her beautiful songs.

Like her on facebook here

In our life, the kids are starting to develop their own musical tastes and my daughter just adores Atmasfera, and Ashraya! It’s always good to share what and where we can, little life tips – you might enjoy reading this post i put together earlier on blogs to follow

More parenting wisdom acquired with tears and difficulty here.

The cute band 4 Jivas has some super sweet music – you can visit their facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/4Jivasband/ and watch their video here

Another fun band called Modiwo is one my friends only just introduced me to! I like their stuff – check them out: http://modiwo.com/

Man-tra pretty cute kirtan band for you to check out! Follow them on facebook here:

In fact, I was amazed recently to find some people do not sleep with music on auto repeat all night. When I was growing up we always had soft mellow kirtan chanting on repeat all night (on a tape deck at that time), and it’s something I have continued in our home for my children. The beautiful sound of kirtan can be a continuous background to your life, and your children will sleep easy hearing it.

In fact, I’m a little odd because I am happy to sleep with feverish, raging kirtan! My favorite go-to YouTube soundtracks and also for is Science of Identity Channel! Jumping and dancing and chanting loudly like this; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR-l4ACu56E

is a lullaby to me! What about you?

What’s your bedtime soundtrack?

Posted on February 6, 2017February 17, 2017 by remember krishna — Leave a comment

Krishna activity play day

Every so often we are welcomed into a world of delight! This beautiful play day was organised by some homeschooling wonderwomen & shared with me. It’s got craft, dress ups, and role playing – what an adventure!

The schedule for activities is one which I have found generally works, and you can shake up the order as needed, to keep kids attention and make sure they are well fed & happy:

Offering: Have a romp around and play while the guests drift in, and once all are assembled have an offering to Krishna and all chant. It’s very encouraging to round up all the little ones for this, and give them different instruments to shake bash bang or play. Even the youngest can take part if they can shake a tamborine.

DIY krishna kirtan offering activity — offering to Krishna with Love and kirtan

Storytime:After a kirtan, relaxed and fun, tell or read a Krishna story. Kids relate much better to something which is a lively and animated retelling, and enjoy a group story-telling session where the storyteller interacts with them and gets them involved by asking questions. We don’t have a video of this part, but we are working on a collection of Krishna storytelling videos! Stay posted.

Craft: Set up a craft activity for the kids to do, related to the story. (Click here to see the DIY kind of tutorial for this Krishna craft)

Craft krishna kids activity fish craft DIY — set up activity area ready for bombardment of mini people and their enthusiastic minders.

Lunch: While the craft is drying is the ideal time for a lunch break.

Krishna prasadam time offering DIY — Lunchtime with some freshly offered banana muffins prasadam from Lord Krishna

Story re-enactment: Dressing up and decorating themselves and each other the kids have a lot of fun retelling the story they have learnt.

DIY Krishna kids play dress up crafts for Varuna play fun — A little stage was set using the fish craft, and a muslin bed canopy suspended from the overhead mango trees.
A throne was made for Varuna, and paper streamers and balloons were hung to give the underwater world effect, as well as all the crafted fish the kids had made during the activity section of the Krishna playday. This can work just as nicely inside a house don’t worry!

Play acting out the pastimes of Krishna activity — A full cast of actors for our Krishna drama

Wild playtime: the culmination of the day time to bond with each other and relax in their environment and free play.