Morning Rounds: Opening Up the World of Bhakti Through Japa Meditation
In short, Morning Rounds is: How to make the most of our most important practice.
Like a doctor making rounds to support healing, Morning Rounds is about tending to the soul. Through the chanting of the Holy Names, we gradually quiet the mind, soften the pull of the ego, and reconnect with our deeper spiritual nature.
Drawn from our weekly japa meditation gatherings at Upbuild, these reflections offer a few minutes of inspiration to support your meditation and begin your day with greater clarity, humility, and joy.
In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna describes japa, the chanting of the Holy Names, as the highest form of sacrifice. This timeless practice has the power to transform our consciousness through the simple act of returning, again and again, to the sound of the Holy Names.
Whether you are new to chanting or have an established practice, these reflections are an invitation to deepen your relationship with the maha-mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Through consistent practice and the support of community, we begin to experience a deepening sense of joy and connection that arises simply from hearing and chanting these sacred names.
Morning Rounds: Opening Up the World of Bhakti Through Japa Meditation
Introducing Morning Rounds
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Welcome to Morning Rounds, a podcast to accompany and deepen your japa meditation practice.
In this introductory episode, Hari Prasada shares the heart behind Morning Rounds and the purpose of these daily reflections. Together, we’ll explore how chanting the Holy Names can quiet the mind, uproot the ego, and awaken our relationship with Krishna.
Throughout this podcast, we’ll draw from the Bhagavad-Gita and other sacred texts of the Bhakti tradition while also offering practical guidance on cultivating a meaningful and transformative japa practice.
Whether you are just beginning your journey or have been chanting for many years, our hope is that these reflections inspire you to approach each round with greater intention, humility, and love.
Join the live version of this program Tuesday mornings: https://www.upbuild.com/morning-rounds
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Our heartfelt thanks to Jahnavi Harrison for graciously allowing us to feature her recording, "Divine Maha Mantra," in our intro and outro. Learn more about her divine music: https://www.jahnavimusic.com/.
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In short, Morning Rounds is: How to make the most of our most important practice.
Hare Krishna Hare. Krishna. Krishna. Krishna Hare. Welcome to Morning Rounds. These are short 5 to 15 minute episodes from our weekly Jeppa meditation program with the Upbuild community, offering guidance and inspiration for your chanting practice. Rooted in years of monastic training, the study and teaching of the Phagavat Gita, coaching, and our own spiritual practices, these teachings are meant to support you in the most important journey there is: the journey from the ego to the true self. You can also join us for the live version of this program by visiting upbuild.com forward slash morning-rounds. Welcome to Morning Rounds. This is Hari Prasad. I'm very honored to be your guide in how to make the most of our most important practice. This podcast derived from our live sessions together, where I give guiding inspiration and we chant a round of japa together, which is the chanting of sacred names, the Mahamantra, the great mantra that helps to deliver our mind, reconnect us with the soul, and uncover our divine relationship with God, Krishna, from the Bhagavad Gita and all sacred texts of the Vedic tradition. So we focus our lives on this one practice of chanting Japa and the reveals that it brings. And we have this time of morning rounds together to really, really penetrate the depths of what this practice truly is, what it means, and how to approach it for the maximum benefit. We all stand to gain limitlessly. The gain is infinite. We cannot conceive of it. It is spiritual, it's from another dimension. And this is the time to forge ahead and to actually make the most of our most important practice, which Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, he literally is of all practices. This is the best one. Japosmi. I am this. This is my heart and soul. And there's so many different verses across sacred texts that underscore this and bring out more. We'll be exploring sacred texts, we'll be exploring different techniques, we'll see what are the fundamentals, how to do it very, very pragmatically, and especially what is the mood for this practice and how, again, to turn it into a lifestyle that reaps the fruits that it promises, namely, pure love of God and full self-realization, seeing who I am, seeing who God is, and sparking a relationship that is boundlessly heartfelt and ecstatic in its love. I can't wait for us to be more and more together in this way through morning rounds. Thank you for listening to this podcast. I pray that it serves you from the bottom of my heart to the fullest. Upbuild is a leadership and spiritual development organization that offers courses, workshops, coaching, and other services to help you on the path toward being your best self. Free from the shackles of the ego. Please join us for the live version of this program by visiting upbuild.com forward slash morning dash rounds.