Through the Voices of Bhakti Artists: The Spirit of Yoga Mela

With reflections from:
Snatam Kaur, Deva Premal & Miten,
Mirabai Ceiba, and Jai Uttal

There are festivals built on performance, and there are gatherings shaped by something far more subtle: an intention that cannot be scheduled, marketed, or replicated. Yoga Mela belongs to the latter. From mantra and kirtan to Sikh sacred music, from Western devotional songwriting to ancient chant traditions, each artist carries a different doorway into the sacred. Yet here, these differences do not divide, they enrich.

From the perspective of some of the most beloved voices in the global Bhakti music scene Deva Premal & Miten, Snatam Kaur, Mirabai Ceiba, and Jai Uttal, Yoga Mela is not simply a festival stage. It is a shared space of consciousness, where music becomes a vehicle for something deeper: connection, devotion, and collective presence.

A Space That Holds You

Deva Premal and Miten, who were so far twice at Yoga Mela, shared that it felt less like arriving at an event but more like stepping into a field already prepared.

There is a sense, Deva Premal describes, that “you already come into a space that is prepared so that we can rise up from there… it feels like you come into a community that holds the space for everybody to be lifted up.” A harmony that is not forced, but lived. Not something created for the duration of the festival but something cultivated over time by the community itself. Miten, who felt much reminded of his time in his Master’s presence, noticed something rare: a genuine softness in people. A lack of tension. Smiles that were not performative, but natural.

This underlying atmosphere, Deva felt, allows both artists and participants to go deeper—to “dive deep and fly high.”

And in that shared openness, music becomes something else entirely. Not a performance, but a transmission.

Beyond Performance: A Shared Source

What emerges again and again through the artists’ voices is a quiet but powerful truth: Yoga Mela is not about consuming music, it is about participating in it.

Geli from Mirabai Ceiba describes the experience as a weaving:

Each artist brings their own lineage, their own sound, their own devotion but something happens when these expressions meet.

There is no hierarchy between traditions. No separation between practices. Chanting, yoga, silence, music they are not separate offerings, but different doorways into the same shared presence.

And from that, as Geli says, “another realm is opened.”

A Sacred Space to Access Something Deeper

For Snatam Kaur, who has performed across the world, Yoga Mela stood out not because of scale—

In many festivals, she notes, there is a sense of busyness—movement, pressure, exhaustion. Here at Yoga Mela, there is space. Indeed there is space to connect. Space to breathe. Space to be both artist and human being. This spaciousness changes the way music is shared. It allows something from within to emerge more fully to be “magnified,” as she describes it.

Even the relationship between artist and audience softens. “There’s a kind of general love and respect that people seem to have for each other… and people coming here are invited into that space.” There is less distance, less demand. A shared respect that allows everyone on stage or off to simply be part of the same field.

Music as Union, Not Separation

Jai Uttal, a pioneer of kirtan in the West, speaks to a deeper philosophical thread that runs through Yoga Mela.

Here, the spiritual path is not something removed from life it is life. Music is not separate from devotion, and devotion is not separate from daily living.

This is what he recognizes in Yoga Mela and the community that holds it: a lived expression of unity.

“It’s not like the spiritual path and the worldly path are two separate things.”

Even the concerts reflect this. Or rather, they transcend the idea of “concert” altogether.

And in that celebration, something dissolves the line between performer and participant, between giving and receiving.

A Festival That Feels Like Family

Across all voices, one feeling returns again and again: belonging. Artists speak of being “held,” “welcomed,” “taken care of.” Of walking into a place where people feel like family almost instantly.

Mirabai Ceiba describes arriving and being embraced not just by nature—but by people who carry a genuine warmth.

Jai Uttal echoes this: “very personal, very intimate… the warmth from everyone is very touching.”

Even for artists accustomed to global stages, this intimacy is rare.

And it is perhaps this quality more than any lineup or setting that defines Yoga Mela.

A Living Tapestry of Traditions

What makes Yoga Mela so unique today isn’t just the artists it brings together, but the depth and diversity of where they come from. What emerges is something living a tapestry shaped by many traditions, gently meeting each other. Not compared, not placed side by side, but shared. Music isn’t performed for an audience here. It’s offered into a space that everyone is part of. And the sacredness doesn’t stay on a stage, it moves through everything, carried in the atmosphere, in the people, in the moments in between.

The Beauty of What Emerges Together

In the end, what these artists point to is something difficult to define but unmistakable when experienced.

A field where people arrive “thirsty,” as Miten describes it and discover that the water is already there.

A place where each person contributes to something greater than themselves.

A festival that feels less like an event and more like a temporary village of shared consciousness.

Or, as Geli gently express it:

About the Artists

Deva Premal & Miten:

Among the most recognized voices in modern mantra music, Deva Premal and Miten have helped bring sacred chanting into a global context. Blending ancient Sanskrit mantras with contemporary musical sensibility, their work has touched millions worldwide. Deeply rooted in the path of devotion, their music carries the essence of community, presence, and shared spiritual experience.

Snatam Kaur:

A leading figure in the global Bhakti and Kundalini Yoga music scene, Snatam Kaur is known for her deeply meditative and heart-opening chants rooted in the Sikh tradition. Her music bridges ancient Gurbani with modern audiences, offering a pathway into stillness, healing, and devotion across cultures.

Mirabai Ceiba

Mirabai Ceiba weave together influences from Latin American folk, mantra, and sacred chant traditions into a unique and gentle musical expression. Their work reflects a spirit of unity and devotion, inviting listeners into a shared space of love, presence, and connection beyond cultural boundaries.

Jai Uttal

A pioneer of kirtan in the West, Jai Uttal has been instrumental in bringing devotional chanting into contemporary spiritual culture. With roots in Indian devotional traditions and a background in diverse musical forms, his work embodies the essence of Bhakti: a path of love, connection, and joyful participation.

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