Debra , I am stoked to hear that you have enjoyed the Yin practices. Sister, I hear you. Yin has helped me through some of the roughest waters of my life. Stay strong. Stay the course. Even when you don't know what the course is....love love LOVE. Sending cosmic high fives your way, Brave Yogi Sister. ~ Kate

How sweet! Thank you for sharing this magical moment in time! How are you enjoying motherhood (and fatherhood!)? : )

Why are you adding an "ah" sound to each bija? The pronunciation is key I"m told by an Indian friend and changing the sound changes the impact and meaning.

Viv, I asked my teacher the EXACT same question. Adding the extra sound is truly just an aid to singing the bijas. I sang in a choir quite a bit as a young adult so this made sense to me. Words are often sung differently than they would be spoken. This difference allows for a better flow. If you chant the bija sounds, there is a natural transition at the end of each sound and you can hear yourself add the "um" or "ah". My teacher (based on the teachings of his teacher) simply added the extra sounds to help the bija sounds flow together during chanting. These sounds certainly can be taken out. I did that at first, but found them helpful in the long run for me personally. I agree that pronunciation is important, but I always hold in my heart that intention is key in chanting. I was actually told this in a lovely class at the Ojai Yoga Crib by Anuradha Choudry. She is another teacher on Yoga Anytime that I would definitely recommend checking out! Abounding LOVE to you, Kate

Kate Smith thank you for the informative answer to Viv's question. I was curious about this myself : ) 

this short video is so sweet and exactly what I have needed recently,. thank you so much

Kelsey W what a lovely comment to receive. My husband's birthday is on Valentine's Day and we were sitting by the fire with our 3 year old daughter when this comment came through on Sunday. It was such a nice comment to receive and warmed our hearts on a rainy, cold day. Thanks for taking the time to reach out. I send LOVE to you and yours...I'm glad to hear the practice was what you needed.

this is special

Thank you, Rita M ... it felt very special to us at the time. Our now 4 year old daughter was in my belly. It still feels special to us....thanks of sharing with us. Thank you for taking the time to comment :)

Oh, so much love here. So good to read. I loved the chanting, and if you told me at the start of my cosmic journey that would be the case, I would have laughed. Makes sense it was here—given all of our cool and heartfelt dialogue. So nice to see my Jedi teacher Lydia was here too. All in the family. I feel like I am double of your husband, albeit when my hair grows out I resemble Greg Brady. So it's good to know I have a brother and sister here. I have these melodies stuck in my head. Want to practice this again, and hopefully Christine (my partner) will join me in the future. A big heartfelt peaceful warrior back to you. I have no more Kate Smith practices left I think. Bummer.