Forget About “Respect”-Teach From The Heart

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I’d rather it affect my career than water down my soul.

~Jai Uttal

I first saw Jai Uttal play this past February at my beloved Yoga Studio and it was a life changing experience.  From that point on, I kept tossing around the idea if I should go to his Kirtan Camp or not.  A week long retreat?  Could I really escape from the “realities” of my life for a week? And the price?  How could I make that happen?

So, like anything I want–I put it out there for the Universe to do what she wishes with.  And after oracle after oracle and things working out perfectly–I signed up and purchased a flight to San Francisco!

But, the one thing that really, really hooked me into going was an interview I read with Jai.  In the interview he talked about how he knows he has the ability to sell out larger venues and make more money–but he chooses to play smaller places–such as festivals and at yoga studios.  He chooses this because he really wants to connect with the people who come.

I remember that.  I remember at the beginning of his performance in February–right before he started–he took a long moment to look at everyone and say hello.  I fell in love right there.

Reading this about him, I knew I had to go.  Not just because I wanted a week to sing my heart out–or to fully immerse myself in Bhakti Yoga–but so I could learn from this person, whom I feel is a great leader–and obviously puts his heart and soul before anything else.

My week at Kirtan Camp was life changing.  There is so much I gained and learned and transformed from this week–but one of the things I took away the most is on how to fully teach with your heart.  How to lead with your soul. How to let the Universe work through you completely.

Jai totally embodied this the entire week.

For one thing, our second day there we were handed a kirtan camp manual just filled and filled with stories about the deities we chant about….and we were handed a huge packet of hand written music.  Jai’s hand written music.  All there–for us.  Songs and songs and songs and songs–exactly how he plays them.  Exactly how he records them for his cd’s.  And he told us–practice them, play them, share them with others.

I knew I was home than.

This man so obviously co-creates directly with Creative Source.  His generosity is proof.

For months I was sadden by all the hooplah happening online over “copyright”, “stealing”, “respect”–and all this other fear driven jargon that was rushing through the online art community like cancer…and still is.  People pointing fingers–telling others what’s morally right and wrong–hoarding information as if it was the last piece of food on earth.

I don’t subscribe to that one bit.

Ask any of my FEARLESS™ Painters–from day one of BIG–I tell them I give you all of this–so you can share.  So you can go out and take what I give you, transform it into your voice–and touch others.

Why?

Because the work I do comes directly from Creative Source.  It is not mine.  It belongs to the universe–to the greater workings of love and healing and truth.  My workshops–my art–my writing–my teaching–it is all a direct expression of Creative Source.  Not little ol’ me. I have very little to do with it.

So all that week and ever since, daily I have been practicing and playing Jai’s music.  Does it sound like him?  Does it provoke the feeling like his music does?

No.

Is it becomes I’m simply a newbie at harmonium–unexperienced at playing kirtan?

No.  It’s because I’m not him.

I’m a totally different instrument–a completely different vessel for Creative Source to work through.  The notes and the order of the notes are simply leaves that fall off a tree–but they are not the tree itself.

It is pure magic to be in the presence of someone whose work and teaching is a direct expression of Creative Source.  Even without words–his actions–such as the hug he gave to his son thousands of times that week—taught me more about being a true Artist and Teacher–than my years and years of college classes.

On my one year anniversary of being self employed–I asked the Universe where are my teachers?  Who can I look to for guidance?

The dear heart of the Universe, she always take care of me….not long after I asked…she delivered me to Jai.

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