Vedavalli : Chris Priest

Along with the rest of the aYs, Vedavalli has been impacted by the various changes and restructuring which we are going through. The Vedavalli teachers met recently for a 2 day sangha, to chant and practice together. While there, we discussed how to take the organization forward.

Firstly, we decided that we would like the teachers’ meetings to be more open, and more regular. For that reason, they are becoming 'experienced chanters' workshops, and we are hoping to hold them 3 times a year, around the country. The first will be in Bristol on Friday 16th March, and we hope the second will be at Harper Adams on July 13th, immediately prior to the aYs Sangha meeting. The third will be in the Autumn, and will probably be in the north of England. Anyone who enjoys chanting and wants to engage with it further is welcome - please do contact me if you want to discuss if it would be suitable for you. As well as being a chance to practice together, we are also interested in supporting people who want to make chanting part of their teaching - whether it is as specific chant workshops or as part of other yoga activities. We hope this will be a forum to develop people's self-confidence as chanters and chant teachers, and provide support for people wishing to start small chanting groups.

Secondly, we are re-designing the Vedic Chanting foundation course, and hope to accredit it with the British Wheel as a 'short course'. Teachers of the course will meet regularly through the experienced chanters’ group, and develop their personal practice through contact with more experienced teachers in the UK, in Europe and in India.

Margo recently went on one of the KYM Vedavani chanting courses, and asked Radha about the possibility of a more advanced chanting course at the KYM. Radha was open to the idea, if there is sufficient interest. So, if you are interested, please drop me a line and I will see if there are sufficient numbers. Radha also said that the KYM are in the process of producing a book of chants, which should be available soon.

On the subject of books, one of our team, Howard Crosthwaite, has devoted an incredible energy to developing his practice and understanding of Vedic chanting over the last few years. He has collected his understanding together in a book, covering both the spirit and the technique of this art. He kindly asked me to proofread it, and I can recommend it to anyone who is interested - it will be printed and available from Howard very soon.

If you are interested in being involved in Vedavalli, or have ideas of how to engage and support people interested in Vedic Chanting, then please do contact me.
Chris Priest