Be well now.

On Feb. 12, Lydia “Nitya” Griffith welcomed the coming Chinese New Year on Feb.14 – the year of the tiger,

Lydia "Nitya" Griffith is a yoga instructor at Yoga Source in Richmond, Va.

with a Kirtan class at Yoga Source. Kirtan is a traditional Indian component of yoga where the group chanting of sacred sounds are said to evoke a sense of euphoria, allowing the mind to clear all thoughts. It represents one of the six branches of yoga called Japa – the yoga of chant.

Students sat on folded blankets and pillows in the lotus position or indian-style, forming an inclusive circle. The class began with a brief explanation of Kirtan by Griffith, followed by breathing exercises and call-and-response chanting.

When she teaches, Griffith goes by “Nitya,” which means the eternal one in Sanskrit – the given name she received during yoga training with Integral Yoga in 2006.

“[The name] Lydia has a whole humongous long life of experience and attachments to things,” Griffith says. “Nitya is simply here to serve.”

Her goal for each class is to offer the space and the tools for students to let go, and return to themselves – something she says our society does not give room for. The Kirtan session was followed by a loosely guided meditation to allow the mind to remain focused in the present moment – clear, open and awake.

At the end of the one-hour session, everyone seemed more relaxed than when they entered the room, and all wore glowing smiles.

“You can’t really be thinking about your grocery list and your problems at work and at home when you’re chanting, Griffith says. “You’re mind, body, spirit and entire being are consumed by this sacred sound.”

Kirtan is known to serve as a tool for mediation because it helps with focus and eliminates distraction, which can be helpful for beginners in meditation.

Griffith is often asked if chanting is a religious act. While it can be considered religious, the focus of Kirtan is simply on vibrations of voice.

“One of the things that’s nice for us is that we don’t know what the Sanskrit words mean,” she says. “By not knowing what you’re singing, you can just focus on the vibration, which has been scientifically proven to heal the body, the mind, the spirit.”

Griffith says it is important to keep a concentrated focus while chanting. Focusing on an area of the body or a particular emotion and visualizing the area drenched in light can create a certain amount of healing and resolve.

Chants can also be dedicated to devastated areas of the world, such as Haiti. In chant, one could envision great light encompassing the island, a technique believed to send powerful, beneficial vibrations – similar to the power of prayer.

Griffith says Kirtan can easily improve health and wellbeing but intention is a major component in receiving the benefits.

Nitya Griffith leads the kirtan session.

“If you come in the door and say, Oh, I’m just here, you’re only going to get part of it,” she says. “You have to know that you are here to serve yourself, to heal, to release tension, to feel better.”

Because Kirtan means chanting in a group, it can be compared to the Buddhist idea of community.

“I don’t really know you and yet you’re my sister,” Griffith says. “Look[ing] at the world as we’re all connected we’re all related and we all breathe the same breath, can change your perspective.”

Twenty chanting voices are more powerful than one,  and can create a magnified vibration that is felt by everyone within the room.

“That’s why I come,” Griffith says “I always leave here so euphoric, so happy. It’s hard to hold a thought together afterwards.”

Griffith also offers yoga instruction to children at Richmond Kids Yoga Camp.

She says that even teenagers should consider taking up the practice of chanting.

“They would never touch drugs and alcohol, they wouldn’t care about sex,” she says. “It is euphoria.”

The next Kirtan led by Griffith is 7-8 p.m. March 12, at Yoga Source in Richmond, Va.

For more information on yoga instruction and Kirtan, visit Yoga Source of Richmond or call, (804) 359-YOGA.

Learn about Richmond Kids Yoga Camp.

Listen to the Kirtan session.