Chanting is a grounding practice for me. I find it a perfect prelude to a meditation practice such as centering prayer, and a delight on its own. When I feel a little “off base,” I might chant -- in the car, or quietly in the grocery line or the dentist’s office. Chanting is not about perfect singing, it’s done with our whole being, particularly the heart, as prayer. As I hum or chant with awareness of the body, it helps me to show up as a whole human being.
I’ve been surrounded with music all my life, and have often woken up with melodies in my heart. It has been a natural expansion of the wisdom path for me to become more involved in chanting – leading groups of people intoning them together, writing them, and simply offering them as prayer. Here are some recent chants (and a couple of longer songs) that I've written, and recordings of some chants written by others. Feel free to join in as you listen!