Do a Google search for ‘raising vibration’ and there is no lack of information available. But in the spirit of the ‘high vibes game’ meme started at OptimistLab (I’ve just been tagged … twice), I’ll give my take on it as well as five things I do to ‘raise my vibration’.

But first, the following individuals with great websites tagged me within a day of each other, before I had the opportunity to work on this post:

Jonathan Bankert from JonathanBankert.com
Pamm from My Secret Spiritual Dance

Five Ways I Raise My Vibes

Raising your vibration means different things to different people. To some it means increasing your level of good feelings, to others it means increasing your level of spirituality. From my perspective:

The closer you are to who you want to be, the better you feel and the more things in life just seem to fall into place effortlessly. That said, these are the things that work to help me be in that place:

• Meditation/Breathing Exercises

  As a daily practice, I like to start the day with meditation and some Kriya Yoga pranayams, or breathing exercises. This puts me in a positive frame of mind for the day.

• Modified Five Tibetan Rites

  These exercises do not take much time to perform and are great for generating rejuvenating energy. There are plenty of instructions on the web, but I perform a modified version taken from the book Your Hands Can Heal You, by Master Steven Cho.

• Kirtan/Chanting

Whether with well-known Kirtan chanters such as Krishna Das, or with a local group which gets together once a month, an evening of Kirtan leaves me so hyped up with energy that I can be a bit overwhelming with my family after I get home.

• Listening to inspiring music

Krishna Das, Wah!, Jai Uttal, and Snatam Kaur are among the artists that I listen to. Their music always puts me in a peaceful, positive, mood.

• Unselfish acts

In an episode of Friends, Joey tells Phoebe that there is no such thing as an unselfish act. In a sense, I have to agree. While family and friends provide plenty of opportunities to do things for others that do not bring immediate benefit to myself, the mere fact that they benefit is meaningful. Why? Because we are all connected, and if something happens that makes another happy, why is it any different than if it were happening to me?

Spreading Good Vibes

As part of this meme, I’ve tagged and submitted the following posts to the website High Vibe It, which functions like the community-based Digg website for articles/posts/news, except that the intention of High Vibe It is to focus exclusively on positive-oriented content. Some of these writers might already have been tagged, but I felt it good to draw attention to these posts anyway.

• Are you Using the Language of Love?

  By Mark at The Naked Soul, this post is a good reminder about being aware of how we speak to those whom we love.

• Installing the Love Software

  By surjit at gurushabad, computer geeks (and others, too) will find humor and meaning in this post about the ingredients for love.

• A compass tells you what you want most

  JackDirt at excommunicate.net tells how to tap into your subconscious for answers.

• A Better Way to Unleash Your Potential

  Lee over at absolutelee.com shows why our failures are no reason for giving up on a dream.

• Gardening for Your Soul and Your Success

  Joseph Bernard at Explore Creating a Meaningful Life relates gardens to our current life and beyond.

Why would a person who doesn’t believe in or worship “idols” enjoy listening to a forty-verse devotional anthem to a monkey god?

That’s right, a Hindu monkey God – the divine monkey – also known as Hanuman.

To look at the devotional images of the Hindu religion, most people raised in a western religious environment would think that it is full of nothing but polytheistic idol worship. But that isn’t the case. I’ve made the point in a previous post that the Hindu religion uses stories and characters to explain various aspects of the divine.

The story of Hanuman appears in the epic tale Ramayana — where he is given the assignment of locating Rama’s wife Sita, who was abducted by Ravana, a demon king. Hanuman is always on Rama’s side in constant battle against evil forces. He is looked upon as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance, and devotion, and represents the perfect devotee, the ultimate disciple. His loyalty to Rama was such that he never tired, and from that we can start to appreciate the unlimited potential that we all have.

Sometime in the 16th century, the Hindu poet Tulsi Das composed a 40-stanza poem praising Hanuman. Many Hindu families today recite this poem – the Hanuman Chalisa – as a prayer on a regular basis. And in the west, it is becoming more and more popular among those who enjoy chanting, kirtans, and other expressions of bhakti yoga.

The first time I heard it I didn’t know what it was – it was just another enjoyable tract on the CD Nowby Bhagavan Das. Later I caught one of Krishna Das’ renditions, and that was when I started paying closer attention to the flow of the words. Krishna Das’ chanting style is a little bit more accessible to westerners like myself.

You can listen to a short clip here:

This stands out from the style of repetitive chanting, but because it’s spoken in the same spiritual language of Sanskrit, the same principles are involved in its recital. It is said that the devotee who recites the Hanuman Chalisa 108 times will overcome all obstacles. No, I don’t believe that there is an actual entity that appears to assist you. Rather, it’s the nature of the vibrations that has the effect. After finding a version that resonates with you and then listening to it for awhile, you’ll feel something very positive in the words – even if you don’t know the translation. And as we honor the loyalty, strength, and purity of Hanuman, we also honor that part of ourselves.

You can find the words to the Hanuman Chalisa here.

Actually, the exact words spoken by Krishna Das at a recent kirtan were “Dust is us”. That was before he led the crowd at the church through the process of removing that dust – removing ourselves.

What’s that about- removing the dust? You’ve heard the song Dust in the Wind, by Kansas, but that comparison of humanity with the fleeting existence of dust is not what is meant here. Instead, the comparison is to dust on a mirror, which prevents us from seeing our true selves. Seeing our true selves is the key to internal happiness and peace. Unfortunately, we get in our own way of achieving this. It’s our external ego and concept that we have of ourselves that interferes with our ability to see who we truly are at the core, at the heart.

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to spend a few hours removing some of that dust.

The Magic of Kirtan

Kirtan is a form of call-and-response musical chanting of Sanskrit mantras that contain the names of God – specifically Hindu names such as Ram, Rama, Shiva, and Krishna. I know many Christians would consider this blasphemy, and that it involves invoking false gods and even demonic influences, but I completely disagree with that. It is a misconception that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. All the various names are intended to draw attention to different aspects of God. Even the Bible refers to God with a number of different titles such as The Almighty, Father, Creator, God, and Jehovah. Hindu theology has just created stories around their various names to further explain a particular quality of God.

Another aspect of Hindu teachings is that they are primarily based on empirical observations of the effect that various actions and practices have on spiritual growth. One of their observations is that certain sounds have a positive spiritual effect when spoken, and some of these sounds are the basis for the divine names. It is said that every time a divine name is uttered, a little spiritual progress is made.

But what I get out of it is the opportunity to relax and practice letting go of my thoughts in a manner similar to meditation. In fact, it is said that in this day and age, the practice of bhakti (or devotional) yoga and the singing of kirtans and bhajans is an easier way to achieve the same benefits as meditation. All I know is that it does alter my awareness, it usually hits my emotions, and I always enjoy the experience.

Now the beauty of all this is that you don’t have to accept any of these concepts in order to enjoy the experience. The crowd that attends is a mixture of young and old, and everyone has their own way of participating. Some do sit quietly and absorb the music, but others let the music take over and in response they get up and dance in the aisles. In many ways it is not unlike a holy-roller Christian revival meeting. I’ve been to church services where there was music and singing, and many of the faithful would raise their hands to God in song. The sight at a kirtan can be very similar. And perhaps the same processes are involved.

Kirtans with Krishna Das

Krishna Das is regarded as the one of the best known American singers of Indian kirtan-style devotional music. His deep voice adds a fullness to the mantras that can fill any auditorium or church. Locally, I’ve gone to see him when he’s performed in San Francisco and then just recently in Santa Cruz.

Each song, or bhajan, lasts about twenty minutes. Believe me, after twenty minutes of repeating the same lines over and over again to music that is inspiring, the united voices of everyone else adding to the vibration, you can’t help but get lost in it. The words are Sanskrit, so they offer no blatant meaning to distract you; yet the constant flow keeps you from getting too distracted with other thoughts. What’s left is an experience that is beyond thought. And so you end up reaching a part of yourself that is hidden by the constant onslaught of worries, plans, problems, and dialogs that your mind is usually filled with. This is the part of you that is at peace, and – well, happy.

In between songs a few moments are taken in silence, to allow you to continue soaking in the vibrations. I definitely feel a buzz throughout my body during this time.

The entire session typically lasts two to three hours. It’s a very energizing experience and afterwards I usually feel a little hyped up and buzzed. It’s a positive feeling. During that time, any problems that were weighing on my mind are forgotten, and I am once again reminded that within myself is all the happiness I need. And for me, a little dust is indeed removed.

Recommendations:

“Live on Earth … for a Limited Time Only” is a good introduction to the music of Krishna Das.