Snatam Kaur on Letting Go

Sat Nam. Recently a dear friend of mine, Dharm Singh of Espanola, told a story about a conversation he had with Yogi Bhajan many years back.
"Dharam Singh, you have two choices. You can either control everything, or control nothing."
As Dharam shared with us, he gave this statement some serious thought. Could he control everything? He started going through the list of things that he would like to control, that he wanted to control, and then realized at some point in the cascading of thoughts that passed through his mind in a matter of seconds that he could not control everything. So therefore, he decided from that point on to live life in the reality that he could control nothing.

As it turns out, years later, he has an incredibly successful restaurant/bakery in Santa Fe, New Mexico called Chocolate Maven, a very beautiful family, a cozy and beautiful home where he hosts people from all over the world, a disciplined sadhana practice, beautiful music that he has recorded (check out his album, Angels of Awakening) and shares with people through touring, and many ways in which he serves the community. He always told us that things just come to him, and he shows up with his presence and willingness to receive. And there is a grace with which he lives. He is receiving everything. I believe he is able to do this because of his daily meditation practice. Sometimes a perfect employee comes to work for him in his restaurant, sometimes he has challenges with certain employees. A weed grows in his garden, yet the lettuce in his garden grows so abundantly that he can feed the whole neighborhood. Blessings, challenges, blessings, challenges. He kind of just roles along with everything, in the perfection and imperfection, with the pure love in his heart and the discipline of his meditation.
Why do I tell this to you today?
Well, I suppose I am inspired on this day, to take a deep breath. To let go of needing to cross all the "t's" and dot the "i's". To be alright with a stumble here and there. To let go. To not need to or want to control anything, and therefore everything. To realize that in all truth I cannot, absolutely cannot control anything! Just bring my meditative presence in to every situation, and allow all lessons to be learned for myself and everyone involved. For we are all souls anyway, aren't we? Here to learn. Here to grow. Let us see each other as souls. Let us bounce around in the imperfection of our soul bodies dancing in their pure light way on this dense earth plane.
Love,
Snatam Kaur
Dharam Singh Khalsa's Angels of Awakening is available to sample and purchase at Spirit Voyage Music, www.spiritvoyage.com.
Angels of Awakening by Dharm Singh Khalsa
Photo "Snatam Eyes Closed" by Robin Layton, www.robinlayton.com.
(Editor's Note: Dharm Singh will be performing at Sat Nam Fest East this year on September 13th.  www.satnamfest.com)
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Posted in Notes From the Road, Snatam Kaur | Tagged Angels of Awakening, Dharm Singh Khalsa, notes from the road, Snatam Kaur
Snatam Kaur was introduced to music and spiritual practice at an early age. Schooled in kirtan, meditation, and Gurmukhi, the Sanskrit-based language of Sikh scriptures from Northern India, the young Snatam Kaur began to develop the devotion and skills that have grown and blossomed into a compelling, profound talent. Snatam Kaur's parents brought her up in the Sikh tradition as taught by Yogi Bhajan. From an early age, she practiced yoga and meditation daily and her mother taught her Gurmukhi. "My mother taught me the alphabet on my way to school every morning," recalls Snatam. Her Sikh community augmented these lessons with instruction in kirtan (devotional chanting). "Through these experiences, I learned the pronunciation," she says, "but also I learned the passion for what I was singing because these gatherings were so spiritual." As a child, Snatam also had training in voice, violin, guitar, and percussion. She obtained a solid foundation in Western classical music while playing violin in an orchestra and giving solo performances. Her many opportunities to use and expand her musical talent in a spiritual setting emphasized for her the connection between her music and spirituality. "I learned about the importance of sound currents from Yogi Bhajan," she says, "but I also had the personal experience of how the energy of these sacred words can have a very real, positive effect." Snatam further explored the power of sound in India. After high school, her love for the Indian musical tradition and for children took her to Miri Piri Academy, a boarding school for children in India. She spent time taking care of the young children, teaching physical education, and providing music for the children's morning and evening chanting. When she returned to the United States, she attended Mills College in Oakland, California, where she obtained a degree in biochemistry, taught yoga classes, and shared her chants with Western audiences. But India called her back. After touring and performing Kirtan in northern India, Snatam settled in Amritsar where she studied music with the accomplished ragi (Indian master of Sikh-style kirtan) Bhai Hari Singh. This was a great honor for her, and particularly meaningful because Singh was the same teacher who had taught her mother when she was just a little girl. Snatam embraced everything that Singh taught her, from the technical aspects of the notes, to the ability to sing with presence and awareness. The lessons took place in Singh's home, where Snatam was welcomed by the entire family--daughters, sons, and grandchildren. While in Amritsar, Snatam lived next door to the Golden Temple, considered the world's holiest Sikh temple. Sacred music resonates from inside the temple from about 2:30 in the morning to midnight every day-sounds created by world-class masters of Sikh kirtan. This enabled Snatam to continually soak in the essence of the Sound Current. Upon returning to the US from India, Snatam began her career as a recording artist with a band called the Peace Family. She served as the band's lead singer and, with two skilled and accomplished musicians - Livtar Singh and GuruGanesha Singh, had her first opportunity to write songs. Two years later she began to develop her own sound and style and embarked on a very fruitful solo career.
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