Start here
A one-off session, usually a couple of hours, layered onto a venue's regular schedule. The right starting point if you've never tried it.
More sessions added as venues confirm dates. Run one? List it here.
Go deeper
Several days of it, usually alongside yoga, with accommodation and meals built in.
No retreats listed yet.
More retreats added as venues confirm dates. Run one? List it here.
Go pro
A certification to learn to hold sessions yourself — a different product and price bracket, not a deeper version of a session.
No facilitator training listed yet. Run one? List it here.
At a glance
Computed from what's actually listed above — not a fixed estimate, so this updates as real venues confirm dates and prices.
| Single session | USD 10 |
| Multi-day retreat | Not yet listed |
| Facilitator training | Not yet listed |
Take it further
The modality only gets you halfway — here's where on the island it's actually concentrated, so you can pick a place before you pick a listing.
Kirtan — call-and-response devotional chanting, usually with harmonium, drums, and a room repeating a mantra back to a lead singer — has real, if seasonal, presence on the south coast. It shows up as a beach bonfire session at yoga retreats, a weekly satsang at a shala, or a scheduled evening inside a yoga teacher training program, rather than a year-round daily offering. In season (roughly November–April, when most retreats and trainings run), it’s genuinely easy to find one.
Kirtan is participatory group chanting, not a performance to watch — you’re expected to sing along, however roughly. If you want something more passive, our sound healing guide is the better starting point. Take our 5-question quiz and we’ll match you honestly.
Most kirtan on the island isn’t a standalone drop-in class — it’s a beach bonfire session woven into a broader yoga retreat’s evening schedule, a weekly satsang night at a shala, or a session built into a yoga teacher training curriculum with a visiting musician leading it. Availability tracks the main retreat season closely, so outside November–April, standalone sessions are much harder to find.
A lead singer (often with harmonium) introduces a call, the group repeats it back, and the chant builds in tempo and volume over 20–40 minutes before winding back down — closer in feel to a group meditation set to music than a concert. No singing ability or prior experience is expected.
Do I need to know the words or the tradition? No — chants are call-and-response, so you repeat what the lead singer sings. No Sanskrit or prior devotional background required.
Is kirtan religious? Do I need to believe in anything? It has roots in Hindu bhakti (devotional) tradition, but most sessions on the south coast are framed as an open group practice rather than a religious service — you’re welcome whether or not you engage with the spiritual framing.
Can I find a kirtan session outside of a retreat or training? Occasionally — some shalas run a weekly open kirtan night in season, but it’s much less common than finding one bundled into a retreat or teacher training’s schedule.
Ready to find a session? Take the quiz or browse venues directly.
Take our 5-question quiz and we'll match you honestly, not just push you toward the nearest listing.
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