Following on the heels of the yoga movement, kirtan is one of the fastest-growing forms of sacred music in the world. A participatory, cross-cultural music experience, kirtan is said to capture the hearts of those who love music, spiritual connections, yoga and cultural events. The first Friday Kirtan with Ragani (listed by OnMilwaukee.com as one of the 100 Milwaukeeans You Need to Know) will begin at 7:30 p.m., March 2.

Featured by FOX 6, News Anchor Ted Perry, Milwaukee’s Kirtan with Ragani is home to the largest independent, ongoing kirtan scene in the nation, drawing more than 300 people each month, including professional musicians such as Michael Kashou, Fred Bliffert, Julio Pabon, Holly Wake and others.

“Live kirtan is an incredible stress-reducing experience that allows us to begin to quiet the mind and settle ourselves,” explains Ragani. “The call-and-response-style kirtan chanting is a means of finding our way back to the core of our being, to our heart, to our connections to each other. Kirtan is open to everyone—there are no prerequisites, religious beliefs or cultural backgrounds that are needed to participate.”

Natural Awakenings readers can download the free Jaya Ganesha Live Kirtan with Ragani track by visiting RaganiWorld.com/NaturalAwakenings.html.

Cost: $10. All are welcome (except infants and toddlers). Bring cushion for floor seating (chairs also available). Location: Unitarian Universalist Church West, 13001 W. North Ave., Brookfield. For more information, email [email protected] or visit RaganiWorld.com/kirtan.html.