I went for Bhajan Therapy. I didn’t expect to forget the world.
Have you ever lost direction, and then somehow, something happened that quietly guided you back? Ever walked into a place and felt like you had somehow entered a completely different part of the galaxy? Ever forgotten everything around you so completely that, even if God came and said, “Chalo, mere saath,” you’d probably say, “Yes… but can I stay here for a little longer?” Ever wished a moment would… not end?
Yes! I experienced all of this in just 90 minutes.
Impossible? I thought so too.
A little late, but here’s my experience of a Bhajan Therapy event organised by Ananda Sangha Gurgaon.
A Little Context
Ananda Sangha is a global spiritual movement based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, with a focus on helping people live in joy and move towards Self-realisation. If you’ve heard of the Autobiography of a Yogi, you’ve already encountered Yogananda’s work.
Paramhansa Yogananda was an Indian spiritual teacher who brought the teachings of yoga and meditation to the West. Autobiography of a Yogi, first published in 1946, went on to become one of his best-known works.
Ananda was founded by Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Yogananda. Kriyananda encountered the Autobiography of a Yogi in 1948 and later became his disciple.
And somewhere along that lineage came this evening of music, chanting and meditation that I experienced.
So, What Exactly is Bhajan Therapy?
The simplest way I can describe it is:
Devotional music + collective chanting + meditation = an experience that makes you feel lighter.
But honestly, reading about it and experiencing it are two very different things.
My Experience
The moment I entered, the entire space was vibrating with the sound of AUM. The blue and warm lights created this almost immersive atmosphere. The visuals playing on the LED screen felt less like something I was watching and more like a portal into another world. Each chant had a corresponding image of a God or Goddess. And there were moments when the combination of the music, visuals and chanting was so powerful that it genuinely felt like they were right there in front of us.
Then the chanting began. And that’s when something changed. The people leading the chants had this incredible calmness on their faces. They weren’t trying to perform. They looked completely immersed in what they were doing. And somehow, that calmness travelled through their voices and into the room. When the chants went higher, you could feel the energy of the entire room rise. And when the voices slowly came down again, it felt like someone was gently telling your mind:
“Okay… now breathe.”
But The Most Interesting Part Was The Audience
Everyone was completely immersed. No conversations. No phones. No checking the time. Just people sitting together, singing, clapping, closing their eyes, swaying slightly… And forgetting everything else for a while. For those 90 minutes, nobody seemed to care about what was waiting outside that room.
No deadlines. No unanswered messages. No overthinking. No tomorrow.
Just that moment. And somewhere between those chants, I realised why I had felt like I was in another galaxy.
Because for a while… I wasn’t thinking about my life. I was just experiencing it. And maybe that’s what we sometimes need.
Not another answer. Not another piece of advice. Not another motivational video.
Just 90 minutes where the mind finally becomes quiet.
I walked in carrying my usual hundred thoughts. I walked out feeling…lighter.
I don’t know if I’d call it therapy in the conventional sense.
But if music can make hundreds of people breathe together, feel together and forget their individual worlds for a while…there is definitely something powerful about it.
And that stayed with me.
Maybe finding your direction doesn’t always require you to move.
Maybe sometimes, you need to become still enough to hear where you’re being guided.
You can explore Ananda Sangha India and its work around meditation, Kriya Yoga, Satsangs and Teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda here:
– Yashi Goel
