The serene sound of music takes you to a peaceful place. The gentle movement of dance fills you with joy, moving around the space. You are free and feeling great. This is the experience of the Kirtan/Yoga Dance class. The most recent class was at 2:30 p.m. on June 12 at the Wildcat Center studio, room 202. Keep an eye out for the next one.
Kaylie Driver, a Weber State University GroupX instructor, said, “The class is freeing and not a specific structure where you have to be here and do this. Just be in the flow and listen to the call of your body. The class is low-key, and so come as yourself. We are all human. We are here to hold space for one another.”
Kirtan/Yoga Dance utilizes a mixture of chanting mantras, small yoga movements, slow breathing techniques and freeform dancing, providing relaxation and invigorating its participants. The instructor also covers the meanings behind the chants, so beginners and advanced students alike will feel at ease.
“The Kirtan/Yoga Dance exceeded my expectations,” Markata Havlova, a participant of the Kirtan Dance experience, said. “People just have to feel it. They have to try it.”
The underlying statement of most of the chants is peace and love within the self. These are universal concepts and are aligned and accessible to any person or type of belief. Kirtan/Yoga Dance is for everyone.
“I got my first certification in 2018, and then this past year did another recertification including Kirtan/Yoga Dance too. Ever since then I’ve been incorporating it into my teaching a lot more. It’s always been engraved into my soul but I got the tools this past year to bring that experience to others as well,” Driver said.
Driver hopes to give students the ability to be themselves and to be open. She emphasizes the importance of being vulnerable and expressing oneself as they choose. The class includes time to sing and dance, free of judgment. Driver also teaches a power yoga flow class on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays where she incorporates what students need after listening to their energy.
