Baltimore Yoga Village (BYV) is located in The Mill Center in the Hampden neighborhood. The area dates back to the late 1600’s when this section at the foot of the Jones Falls River was first settled. Well actually, at the time, it was just a river. It was later named after the man who settled the first mill in the area, David Jones. The area was eventually home to 11 mills. The BYV makes its home inside of a pre-civil war mill building that once manufactured fabric used as sails for ships. The mill is located down in a valley close to the water.
The entire mill area is a magical location. A drive along Falls Road near the Center is bordered on one side by the beautiful Jones Falls, sprinkled with old buildings, many of which are now the home to arts centers, art glass work spaces, as well as metal work shops for the Maryland Institute College of Art.
On Sunday, March the 8th, I made my first visit to the Center to participate in a group chanting session of the Gayatri Mantra. The Mantra is said to be one of the oldest prayers on the planet and is chanted around the world daily by thousands of people. It is a Sanskrit chant for the awakening of the planet. It is said to possess an incredibly high vibration. Well that is what the description of the class said anyway. And, I’m happy to report that I found that description to be right on point.
There were 14 people present for the session including me and a pretty 10 month old baby girl, who in her daddy’s arms seemed perfectly enchanted by the sound. This is the mantra
Om Bhur Buvaha Suvaha
Thath Savithur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayath
The facilitator gave cheat sheets to those of us who were unfamiliar with the mantra. We chanted the mantra 108 times in 4 sets of 27. It was all to relate somehow to the number 9. The number of man….I won’t even attempt to explain why…because I can’t, but what I can say is, “It was beautiful!”
It being my first time I had difficulty keeping up. So when I felt that I was getting out of step with the rest of the group, I just sat in silence and fed off of the vibes. And, let me tell you, the vibes were OFF THE CHAIN. I could feel the chant reverberate through my entire body. The man with the pretty baby girl would move in and out of the room according to her temperament. My favorite moment came when he reentered the room at one point and took the empty spot next to me.
If I thought that the entire chanting scene was vibing high before that, once he sat down and joined in next to me, the vibrations hit the roof!
Each set of 27 chants ended with the sound of a small gong. After which, we sat in silence until the facilitator began again with the first om. The entire session gave me the feeling of floating in the air. After the last chant, we sat in silence for 10 minutes. During this time I could feel my entire body vibrating.
It is unfortunate that I did not record the session, because the sound was ever so sweet. Be rest assured that the Mill Center and Baltimore Yoga Village vibes high in Baltimore!
Next time, I am visiting another location in Hampden, Breathe Bookstore. There I will participate in a group silent meditation….I can’t wait!
For a proper explaination of the meaning of the G
Video Coming Soon!
RSS Feed