Business & Tech

Spreading the Kirtan Love

Yoga instructor Sal Annunziato, an East Haven native, is helping to give a centuries-old practice getting a local marketing boost.

Branford’s beloved yoga studio founded by Sally Noel is now finally marketing something unique that they have been offering for years.

Called Kirtan or devotional chanting and singing of the divine names of god(s), is introducing Kirtan Lovel Central. The first thing you can do to get involved is “Like” their new Facebook page Raven’s Wing Kirtan Love Central, then mark your calendars for Friday, May 18, 8 p.m. when Girish comes to the studio for a Kirtan session. 

Yoga and Kirtan instructor, Sal Annunziato — an native who now lives in Branford — explains that Raven’s Wing, the state’s most well-known Kirtan supporter, has long been home to the biggest names in the spiritual practice, like Wah, Bhagavan Das, David Newman, Shubal, Girish, Love Tribe Vibe, and Eddy Nataraj. 

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“We’re doing and have done what no one in the area has done with these big Kiritan Wallahs. We’re now marketing the fact that here’s what we’ve done, we have this experience, we have this history and we’re really looking to expand it and turn on more people to what Kiratan is.”

Having offered Kirtan for more than six years at Raven’s Wing, Annunziato said of the recent focus to promote the art, “The time is totally right. People are craving it.”

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In addition to building an online community for Kirtan through the Facebook page, Annunziato said there are plans to host Kirtan sessions in Raven’s Wing new outdoor space at their Main Street studio here in Branford as well as hosting large Kirtan events at the through a developing partnership.

So what is Kirtan and how did Annunziato, the CEO of NextGen, a public safety software company, get involved?

Annunziato said he came to the general practice of yoga in the late 90s when he was looking for an escape from the stress of owning his own software company. Prior to joining NextGen, a company founded by former Chief and Lee Wezenski, current partner of the company, Annunziato earned his experience starting a Branford-based software distribution company called DataByte. The company, which started with a $25,000 inventory of computer chips, grew to be a $15-million venture and the parent company of DBI, a personal computer product.

“The reason why and how I got into yoga, was the stress of the technology company… wait a minute, I’m not so happy right now…” commented Annunziato. “I’m reaching for the golden ring and as far as being successful and material things and making money and running a business, I was there but I wasn’t happy.”

Annunziato said he was about five years too late with the software business and DataByte went from a 25-person company to belly-up by the late 90s. It was then that he said he picked up the book The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation and then strolled into Barnes & Noble to purchase a yoga video.

His interest in yoga led him to Raven’s Wing where Annunziato said he met studio founder, Noel, and really took to the art of the peaceful practice of yoga.

Noel then introduced Annunziato to Kirtan, a musically-based chant, something she knew he’d be interested in given his background as a guitar player – Annunziato plays with local band Red Hill Rockers.

Of Kirtan, he said, “The whole concept is, when you really start to sing, after five to ten minutes, you are really out of your head and you’re not thinking anymore and it becomes an ecstatic thing where everyone is singing together. It’s incredible.”

Kirtan is something one should experience so Annunziato encourages the novice to the experienced, to stop by Raven’s Wing and give it a try. For a sneak peek, you can watch the attached Kirtan YouTube video of Annunziato  with partner Vanessa Soto at Guilford-based Watering Pond Yoga.


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