Hein Braat

The first acquaintance

Twenty years ago Hein got into touch with mantra singing through a teacher in kriya yoga. Although he couldn’t totally find himself in the yoga doctrine and the content of the mantra lyrics, it was the inspiration with which this teacher sang his mantras that appealed to him most. Thus his interest was aroused, and driven by his musical constitution, he wondered what kind of technique and mechanism was behind it all. The rest of the yoga he more or less put aside and decided to focus all his attention and energy on the art of chanting mantras. By experimenting and constant practice, Hein managed to open many doors within himself. In order to widen/deepen his understanding of mantras he also studied Sanskrit for one year (the language in which the mantras were originally written down). Compared to Dutch he finds Sanskrit a much richer language with a wide spectrum of sounds that involve the entire body in pronunciation. And that he finds essential for reaching unity. Just like an instrument, all tones are utilised to reach an integral sound that unites everything together. The mantra does the same thing: the singer uses his own body to tune himself to his Higher Self, Soul, Life essence or whatever name you wish to attach to it.

Nevertheless, in Hein's opinion reciting mantras does not just belong to the field of yoga or meditation practitioners. In the west there are also mantra singers that approach the old traditions from a western angle, even though these are hard to find. Hein himself is one of those singers that shed a surprising new light on this old auditive art. After more than twenty years of selfstudy of the wonderous effects of mantras he knows from personal experience what he is talking, or rather, singing about. He didn't follow a special Mantraschool but composes his art according to his own wisdom, backed up by his 40 years career as a musician. Chanting mantras to him is an experiental science, so by frequent performing and experimententing he developed his own way and vision. With this approach he deviates from the classic Indian Mantra schools which he generally finds too strict and disciplined.

In Hein's experience mantra reciting is usually easier for people with a profound musical experience because they already possess a profound musical feeling. Just like serious musical performances mantras are also about frequent and consecutive repetitions in order to improve the quality of the sound and develop a bigger sensitivity to the subtle influences of sound on the body and soul. With mantra reciting all tones are utilised to reach an integral sound that unites everything. And that makes it a holistic art because it unites the higher and lower self, body and soul, temporal and eternal. Hein's own definition of a mantra is the aiming of sound in order to open up a specific door. A door to the higher consciousness. That may sound simple at first, singing yourself to heaven. But just like with all arts it is a matter of technique. The essence of reciting mantras is to get into contact with your natural sound. And that is also the hardest task. Singing well and naturally means singing with your entire body and not just with your throat. It is singing with all of your soul until you no longer need to think about it.