Christmas and New Year Unity in Diversity Symposium

The Christmas and New Year Unity in Diversity Symposium is a spiritual gathering at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island, Bahamas. It is held over the Christmas and New Year season, and its theme, unity in diversity, is one the leading kirtan singers Radhika Das and Snatam Kaur both speak to in their work: devotional chanting shared across faiths and backgrounds.

Anyone drawn to kirtan, mantra meditation or a yoga retreat setting over the holidays will find something familiar in the company of these two musicians and teachers.

About Radhika Das

Radhika Das is a London-born kirtan singer and mantra meditation leader who carries the devotional practice of Bhakti Yoga into contemporary spaces. Born Ravi and raised in London, he was drawn as a teenager into the company of monks and Bhakti practitioners, whose chanting and stillness stirred a longing he could not shake.

Over more than a decade of practice, small gatherings grew into mantra meditation nights in London, New York, Mumbai and beyond, where thousands chant, sing and dance together across every faith and background. With a devoted band of musicians, he has shared kirtan at venues including the British Museum and London's Union Chapel. He is widely regarded as one of kirtan's rising voices, has a following of over a million, and is the author of a best-selling book.

About Snatam Kaur

Snatam Kaur is a Grammy-nominated devotional singer, touring musician, teacher and author, known for the luminous quality of her voice and the depth of her music and teachings. For 25 years she has traveled the world sharing sacred chants and songs drawn from her own experience and practice, helping audiences encounter the power of mantra.

Her current tour, By Thy Grace: 25 Years of Mantra, honors the path from her first album, Prem, to her most recent release, Heartflow. It is also a bow of gratitude to the mantras themselves and to the global community of practitioners who have brought them into their homes and daily practice.

The Setting

The symposium takes place at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, a yoga retreat center that provides the grounds for the gathering.