Getting out of our own way: Singing from the Heart at Magnolia Grove
- kristina jacobsen
- Feb 25
- 4 min read
When I lived in the Appalachian mountains, I would sing gospel songs from the 1930s with my friend Debbie Chandler in a mountain Baptist church on the North Carolina/Tennessee border, where her husband, Harlon, was the preacher. Singing in that church, with Debbie at my side, I learned to get out of my own way and focus on the offering we were giving to the people in the chapel at that moment in time. I could see and feel the impact of the singing on their bodies, faces, and spirits. It wasn’t about being “good,” or remembering the chords I”d practiced the day before, or delivering a perfect performance. It was about staying grounded and centered in the gift we were giving and staying connected to that feeling, in the spirit of serving something greater. In this sense, whether I identified as Christian or not was irrelevant; what mattered was that I wanted to connect with others, through music and through my offering.
When I performed on Saturday as part of a “music meditation” at Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, MS, a Mindfulness Practice Center founded by Zen Master and engaged Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh, it was a similar feeling. The retreat was called the “Sound of Zen,” and I attended as both a participant and as a workshop leader, leading daily workshops on “Writing Your Own Gatha” for the 60+ participants. As part of my musical role, I was asked by one of the monastics, Sister Can Tu, to learn a song that accompanies the 16 exercises on Mindful Breathing. She airdropped a video version of the song being performed by three monastics to me–she grew up in a monastery in Vietnam, but is much more technologically savvy than I am–and a three-day period of intensive learning and coaching began. Sister Can Tu decided she would read a guided meditation between the verses; she knew this song intimately, and loves it as a song. So we sang it together, over a period of days, where she would correct my melodic lines and pronunciation, and I would hope and pray I could learn the chords in time, enough so that it became “mine” and I could perform it from the heart.
And so it went, up until the moment of performance, on Saturday night, leading up to a Plum Village style open mic called a “Be-In.” Seventy people, eyes closed, seated on meditation cushions in a circle around me and Sister Can Tu, in the Rising Tide Meditation Hall with only candlelight to light our faces. Listening fully, and listening intently. And so we played (apologies for the noisy recording-there are some serious air vents in the meditation hall, which my recorder joyously picked up on!).
“The Sixteen Exercises of Mindful Breathing” (Words from the sutra “Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing” (Anapanasati Sutta, MN 118,), Music by Sr. Trang Hieu Duc
‘Breathing in a long breath, I know I am breathing in a long breath. Breathing out a long breath, I know I am breathing out a long breath.
‘Breathing in a short breath, I know I am breathing in a short breath. Breathing out a short breath, I know I am breathing out a short breath.
‘Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body.
Breathing out, I am aware of my whole body.’
‘Breathing in, I calm my whole body. Breathing out, I calm my whole body.’
‘Breathing in, I feel joyful. Breathing out, I feel joyful.’
‘Breathing in, I feel happy. Breathing out, I feel happy.’
‘Breathing in, I am aware of my mental formations.
Breathing out, I am aware of my mental formations.’ .
‘Breathing in, I calm my mental formations. Breathing out, I calm my mental formations.’ .
‘Breathing in, I am aware of my mind. Breathing out, I am aware of my mind.’
‘Breathing in, I make my mind happy. Breathing out, I make my mind happy.’ .
‘Breathing in, I concentrate my mind. Breathing out, I concentrate.’ .
‘Breathing in, I liberate my mind. Breathing out, I liberate my mind.’
‘Breathing in, I observe the impermanent nature of all dharmas. Breathing out, I observe the impermanent nature of all dharmas.’
‘Breathing in, I observe the disappearance of desire. Breathing out, I observe the disappearance of desire.’
‘Breathing in, I observe the no-birth, no-death nature of all phenomena. Breathing out, I observe the no-birth, no-death nature of all phenomena.’
‘Breathing in, I observe letting go. Breathing out, I observe letting go.’
Thank you to Sister Can Tu for the invitation to learn and share this song, to Sister Tri Nghiem for the mentorship throughout the retreat and invitation to offer workshops for the “Sound of Zen.”
#soundofzen #musicmeditation #gettingoutofourownway #magnoliagrove #ethnographicsongwriting #singersongwriter #practicesongs #plumvillage #mindfulbreathing
Hej Kristina!
You almost get out of breath from this beautiful meditation song :-)