Foundation of Dhrupad and the goals of this retreat
This retreat addresses the very fundamental meaning of life with a focus on the ancient art form of Dhrupad. In today’s stressful, dynamic and competitive times, people are constantly moving between unrelated and unnecessary activities, ever busy and yet without peace, beauty and integrity. How can we avoid this mass of confusion and return to our peaceful state? This retreat aims to reconnect each participant to their true nature of peace and bliss, by uniting them with their true voice using the highly developed ancient techniques of Nada yoga.
In their search to find a higher meaning of life, since ancient times Nada Yogis and spiritually inclined musical maestros together created an in-depth and the first fully comprehensive study of sound frequencies and their effects on the human mind. Thus in their pursuit for Brahmajnaan (sonic theology), via the human voice, they caused the creation of what has become India’s highly evolved raga musical system. Nada Yoga has played an integral part in the evolution of classical music in India.
The practice of Nada Yoga is perhaps one of the least documented disciplines, despite the fact that Nada Yoga encompasses the greatest research and understanding of sound and its ability, in the human voice, to transcend all duality and achieve self-realization. Dhrupad is considered to be the first fully formed style of Indian classical music. Thus it is not only the oldest classical music tradition of India but also the one closest in goal and technique to Nada Yoga. A study to discover the deep relationship between Yoga of Nada and Dhrupad will corroborate the traditional, even esoteric understandings of the transformative power of sound as it relates to the physical and psychological dimensions of human life. Methods employed in daily voice culture and other profoundly impactful Dhrupad practices derive directly from Nada Yoga, and perfectly blend various aspects such as focus on breath, vibration, attention and rhythm with the goal of achieving a higher state of mind.