Returning to the Heart
Jyoti's Mantra circles
For me, a mantra circle is a place to come together and simply arrive.
A warm and welcoming space where nothing needs to be achieved, where every voice belongs, and where we can meet each other through singing, listening and silence.
There is something deeply nourishing about singing together. Voices begin to meet, we listen to one another, and little by little something softens. Sometimes there is joy and lightness, sometimes tenderness or emotion. Sometimes there is simply the pleasure of being together and letting our voices fill the room. Whatever is present is welcome.
Through song, sound and silence, the circle can also become a journey inward — an invitation to come a little closer to yourself, to listen to what is alive inside and to give it space through your voice. We make that journey together. For me, that sense of connection — with yourself and with each other — is at the heart of the circle.
We sing mantras and simple power songs from different traditions, moving between stillness and energy, softness and playfulness.
So often I hear people say, “But I can’t sing.” And I understand that hesitation. But here, you don’t need to know how to sing. You don’t need to know the songs, and no experience is required. I simply invite you to let go of the idea that your voice needs to sound a certain way.
This is not about singing beautifully or getting anything right. It is about feeling your own voice, surrendering to the sound and discovering the joy that can arise when we sing together.
And just as important as the singing are the moments in between — the silence after a song, the listening, the feeling of a room becoming quiet together.
Perhaps that is what I love most about these circles: the simplicity of it all. Sitting together, singing, listening, being quiet, laughing, feeling.
A place where nothing is required and everything is welcome.
A small space to land, connect, and come home to the heart.
Upcoming circles:
Oct 9, Nov 27 & Dec 18 @ 20h
Sept 27, Nov 8 & Dec 13 @ 16h00
Nov 11 @ 11h00
Where: Oostham
Contribution: 25euro
Register by email
About Jyoti
My journey with mantra began around thirty years ago, after discovering the music of Deva Premal & Miten and during a backpacking journey through Laos.
There, I was deeply touched by Buddhist monks, young and old, reciting mantras. I remember the sound, the joy I could feel in the younger monks, and something in these ancient Sanskrit words that resonated deeply within me. I didn’t understand it with my mind — my whole being simply seemed to recognise it.
It felt like coming home.
That experience opened a door and became the beginning of a journey that has stayed with me ever since. Not long after, I started creating my own chanting circles, discovering along the way how deeply nourishing it is to sing together.
Over the years, music has become a thread running through my life. Through Soul Happenings, which I founded in Belgium, I have been bringing people together around music for many years, organising concerts and gatherings with artists from different parts of the world. Again and again, I find myself drawn to music that touches something real in us and creates connection.
But my own circles are something very close to my heart.
I am not here to teach you how to sing or to tell you what you should experience. I see myself more as someone who creates and holds a space in which we can explore together — through mantra, song, sound, listening and silence.
I love bringing people together and watching what happens when we allow ourselves to soften, to listen and to use our voices without worrying about whether they are “good enough”. When individual voices slowly find each other. When a powerful song fills the room with energy and joy. When the last note fades and nobody feels the need to immediately fill the silence.
For me, all of that belongs.
The joy and the tenderness. The laughter and the tears. Singing fully and sitting quietly. Feeling connected to the people around you while at the same time coming closer to yourself.
After all these years, I still don’t think I will ever get tired of that simple magic.
Of people gathering in a circle and discovering what can happen when we sing together.