Frequently Asked Questions

Mike Cohen & The Shakti Groove is a professional ecstatic chant band that has been creating transformative musical experiences together since 2016. We combine ancient Sanskrit mantras with contemporary musical sophistication, offering a practice that bridges devotional tradition and modern musical excellence.

Our events are participatory experiences where you're invited to engage as deeply as you choose—chanting, harmonizing, dancing, or simply being present in the energy of the event. The format is accessible for anyone regardless of musical background, while maintaining depth and integrity for experienced practitioners.

Ecstatic chant is the practice of call-and-response sacred singing, rooted in the ancient Kirtan tradition but adapted for contemporary Western practitioners. It's a form of musical meditation that engages body, mind, and spirit through sound.

The practice works through repetition and immersion. Sacred Sanskrit mantras are called out by leaders and responded to by the group, creating waves of collective sound and energy. The effects are both immediate and cumulative: mental clarity, emotional release, physical vitality, and access to expanded states of consciousness.

No prior experience is required. The call-and-response format makes participation intuitive, and you can engage at whatever level feels appropriate—from active vocal participation to quiet receptive presence.

The Shakti Groove brings together accomplished musicians with deep backgrounds in both professional music and spiritual practice:

Mike Cohen (vocals & harmonium) – Former professional saxophonist with over 25 years of chanting experience. Mike has studied in the Indian spiritual tradition under renowned guru Sri Kaleshwar since 2007 and founded the Kirtan Leader Institute to train the next generation of chant leaders.

Dawnia Dresser (vocals & harmonium) – Established folk-rock artist and Anusara-inspired yoga teacher with two decades of professional music experience in Los Angeles. She released her debut Kirtan album 'From the Soul' in 2019.

Michele Heaphy (vocals & harmonium) – Lifelong musician and music educator whose original chants have been moving audiences since 2015. Her work bridges deep musical understanding with genuine spiritual devotion.

James Hoskins (cello & percussion) – Multi-instrumentalist known for his work with Boulder's Sherefe, bringing world music expertise and improvisational mastery. His cello work adds distinctive harmonic depth to our sound.

Bill McCrossen (bass) – Veteran of the New York City jazz scene with expertise spanning jazz, world music, and R&B. His solid bass lines provide grounding for the energy work we facilitate.

Ken Matarazzo (percussion) – Master frame drummer who studied under Glen Velez and has practiced Afro-Cuban percussion since the mid-1990s. His rhythmic expertise creates the foundation for our sound.

Together we've released four full-length albums and two EPs, all produced with Grammy Award-nominated producer Ben Leinbach or Grammy-winning producer Jeff Ciampa.

While we honor the vibrant Kirtan community in Colorado, our approach has several distinctive characteristics:

Rooted in Authentic Lineage and Transmission

Mike has been initiated into an Indian spiritual tradition since 2007, studying under renowned guru Sri Kaleshwar. This represents a profound path of direct transmission and ancient practices—not surface-level spiritual tourism.

Through intensive practice and study, Mike developed a 'Dattatreya approach to Kirtan'—a framework that integrates individual and collective awakening, spiritual and worldly life, and masculine and feminine aspects of Divine reality.

What distinguishes this approach is its emphasis on Shakti—Divine energy channels—not merely Bhakti (devotion). We work consciously with energy transmission, opening and activating specific Shakti channels to transmit potent mantra energy. This is ancient yogic science applied to contemporary practice. The effects are tangible: energy shifts, altered states of consciousness, and genuine transformation in your subtle body—not just emotional catharsis.

Grounded Practice Without Spiritual Bypassing

Our gatherings are grounded, real, and substantive. We create space for the full spectrum of human experience—not just the pleasant aspects. We don't use sacred sound to avoid difficulty; we use it to work through it, metabolize it, and transform it.

This is deep, embodied spiritual work focused on genuine transformation rather than temporary elevated states. Our practice helps you integrate the spiritual and mundane so you can function more effectively in actual life—not just during sacred gatherings.

Professional Band with Deep Musical Partnership

We're a cohesive professional band, not a rotating cast of musicians or spontaneous jam session. We rehearse together regularly and have developed deep musical partnership over years of playing together. This creates unified consciousness in how we work with energy and guide the experience.

Our dedication to musical excellence comes from decades of professional experience. We bring polish and skill developed over lifetimes—not as ego or performance, but as offering our finest abilities in service to transformation.

Original Compositions with Artistic Merit

While we respect traditional Kirtan, we primarily offer original compositions infused with Shakti—Divine feminine creative energy - and Bhakti, or deep devotion . Our chants are designed as accessible entry points into profound states, blending sacred Sanskrit with contemporary musical sophistication.

Our compositions balance accessibility with musical depth. They're simple enough for anyone to participate immediately, yet sophisticated enough that musicians and music lovers find genuine artistic merit. Beautiful melodies, unexpected harmonies, and nuanced rhythms coexist with accessible call-and-response structure.

NOTABLE: Mike's track 'Om Shanti Om' has been streamed over 800,000 times on Insight Timer, becoming a companion for practitioners worldwide during meditation, yoga, and challenging life moments.

Established Presence in Boulder's Conscious Music Scene

For nine months we hosted a monthly Kirtan series at the renowned eTown Hall—a venue known for world-class conscious music that broadcasts to over 300 radio stations nationwide. This represented a sustained commitment to creating consistent sacred space for our community, and we continue to gather there regularly.

National and International Experience

While Boulder is home, Mike and the band have shared sacred song widely—at major festivals including Bhakti Fest (2010-19), Hanuman Festival, Sedona Yoga Festival, Telluride Yoga Festival, and Toronto Yoga Conference. In 2014 Mike opened for Krishna Das at Bhakti Fest Midwest. This broader experience enriches what we bring to our local community.

Spiritual Practice, Not Performance

Though we bring professional musicianship and crafted compositions, our intention is to practice with you, not perform for you. This isn't a concert with an audience—it's a circle where your participation is essential.

We don't approach Kirtan as a jam session for musicians to showcase skills, or as dry and solemn religious ritual that feels inaccessible. We work in the intersection of reverence and vitality, devotion and joy. It's spiritual practice that honors the sacred while remaining engaging and accessible.

Substantive Communication and Teaching

When we speak between chants or teach about the practice, we offer genuine insights grounded in direct experience. We discuss the reality of energy work, the mechanisms of transformation through sound, and what it means to have spiritual experience while inhabiting a physical body.

Mike, Dawnia, and Michele each bring depth of practice and understanding earned through years of study and realization. This isn't vague spiritual rhetoric—it's practical wisdom shared with clarity and precision.

Comprehensive Teaching Institution

Through the Kirtan Leader Institute, founded by Mike in 2010, we've trained thousands of students at all levels—from complete beginners to advanced practitioners who've gone on to tour, teach, and release albums. Dawnia, Michele, and Ken serve as senior teachers.

Some Kirtan leaders in Boulder began their journey at KLI. We recognize that leading Kirtan with depth requires both musical skill and spiritual maturity developed over time. Our commitment is to the highest integrity in how we hold space, honoring both technical excellence and devotional depth.

SUMMARY: We offer a rare integration: authentic lineage and transmission, grounded practice without bypassing, professional musicianship, artistic sophistication balanced with accessibility, substantive teaching, and proven commitment to developing this field. This depth of offering distinguishes our work in the Colorado Kirtan landscape.

We host monthly Rocky Mountain Kirtan™ events in Boulder, Colorado, at venues including eTown Hall, Congregation Nevei Kodesh, The StarHouse and other respected local spaces. These gatherings have become an established practice for those seeking consistent access to this work.

In addition we share Kirtan several times a year in Denver and/or Colorado Springs. 

Throughout our history we've performed at major North American festivals and venues, as detailed above. This broader engagement informs and enriches our local offerings.

Our collective discography includes four full-length albums and two EPs. All produced with Grammy Award-nominated or Grammy-winning producers Ben Leinbach (Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Deva Premal) or Jeff Ciampa.

Mike Cohen's Albums:

• Om Dattatreya (2009) – Establishing the foundation

• Soul Contact (2012) – Deepening the transmission

• Illumination (2016) – Exploring light and shadow

• Chants for Challenging Times (2020) – Meeting difficulty with practice

Dawnia Dresser: From the Soul EP (2019)

Michele Heaphy: Series of singles (2022-present)

Mike's 'Shakti Gayatri' won the Pop/Electronic category in ArtPrize 2012.

In addition, Mike, Dawnia and Michele has a number of unrecorded original chants that we share at our live events. 

"Mike's brand of Ecstatic Chant is unlike any other I have encountered. His albums and live performances blend East and West via funky beats, sacred vibrations, beautiful melodies and pure unadulterated joy."

— Christopher Hill Hargrove

"Mike Cohen's music blends Eastern and Western musical accompaniment with a tendency to take the spirit to ecstatic levels of play."

— LA Yoga Magazine

"While listening to Mike Cohen's 'Soul Contact' I can feel my mind, my emotions, the subtle dancing of my body, all being pulled into this groove. Is it the divine names pulling me in? Or the enticing production and soulful singing? Both."

— Daniel Tucker, Kirtan Central

"Mike Cohen's 'Om Dattatreya' CD blew me away when I first heard it, and it still continues to do so. The musical arrangements are beautiful, interesting, complex, and funky and the interplay of Mike's chanting with talented female vocalists makes it sublimely sacred."

— Blake Tedder, Full Lotus Kirtan Show

"There are nine chants on Mike Cohen's 'Soul Contact' release, and they're each unforgettable and unique, mysterious, techno-enhanced mantras from the heart of Dattatreya Kirtan. Soul Contact rises to the challenge of presenting the essence of the heart in this digital modern age."

— Debi Buzil, Yoga Chicago Magazine

No prior experience is required. The call-and-response format makes participation intuitive. You don't need to know Sanskrit, play instruments, or have musical training.

Simply show up with willingness to engage. We guide everything. The format is designed to be immediately accessible while maintaining depth for experienced practitioners.

Events typically run 90-120 minutes and feature a curated journey through various chants and energetic states. We move through different qualities of experience—from contemplative and introspective passages to ecstatic, high-energy crescendos.

The atmosphere is focused yet welcoming. People of various backgrounds and traditions gather to engage in this practice. You might find yourself chanting along, harmonizing, moving or dancing, sitting in meditation, or experiencing emotional release. All forms of engagement are valid.

Many people describe effects that persist beyond the event itself: greater clarity, emotional equilibrium, energetic vitality, and access to perspective that helps them navigate life more effectively.

Mike founded the Kirtan Leader Institute (KLI) in 2010 to train aspiring Kirtan leaders. Since then we've worked with thousands of students worldwide—from complete beginners to advanced practitioners.

KLI's approach is distinctive: students learn to play harmonium and lead chants without requiring Western or Indian Classical music theory background. The curriculum covers musicianship, spiritual development, energy work, community building, and chant composition.

Dawnia, Michele, and Ken serve as senior teachers. Twenty KLI students and alumni have released professional recordings—evidence of the program's effectiveness in developing serious practitioners.

Learn more at www.KirtanLeader.com

Our music is available on all major streaming platforms: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Insight Timer.

We've created a 'Greatest Hits' playlist featuring select recordings from Mike, Dawnia, and Michele—an effective introduction to our work. Links are available at www.mikecohenkirtan.com

Sign up for our newsletter at www.mikecohenkirtan.com to receive updates about monthly gatherings and other offerings. You can also follow us on social media and check our website for the current event schedule.

We host monthly events in Boulder and welcome both regular participants and first-time attendees.

Rocky Mountain Kirtan™ is the name we give our flavor of ecstatic chant events held in Colorado. These gatherings have become an established element of the local spiritual landscape, providing consistent access to high-quality Kirtan practice.

Set in the context of Colorado's natural beauty and progressive spiritual culture, these events reflect both traditional devotional practice and contemporary Western integration. Whether you're local to Boulder or visiting, these monthly gatherings offer reliable access to this transformative practice.

This practice offers several valuable elements:

• Access to genuine lineage and transmission from authentic tradition, not superficial Western adaptation
• Professional musical excellence that serves the practice rather than ego
• Grounded approach that works with reality rather than bypassing difficulty
• Community of serious practitioners committed to genuine transformation
• Practical methods for working with energy, consciousness, and embodied spiritual development
• Integration of individual development and collective field
• In an era of superficial spiritual offerings and performative practice, we offer substantive work grounded in lineage, developed through decades of dedicated practice, and delivered with professional excellence. This combination is rare.

If you're seeking genuine spiritual practice that integrates ancient wisdom with contemporary application, that honors both tradition and innovation, and that serves actual transformation rather than temporary elevated states—this work may be relevant for you.