word of the day: chakra

The word of the day is chakra:

any of several points of physical or spiritual energy in the human body according to yoga philosophy (merriam-webster.com)


"In the minutes before Junoon's set, Raubeson was in the passenger seat of the S.U.V., softly chanting the sounds of the chakras with Ahmad."

 - Ian Parker, "The Band Played On", 28 July 2014 The New Yorker


Is it possible he meant "mantra"?

word of the day: tabla

The word of the day is tabla:

noun

1. a small drum or pair of drums of India tuned to different pitches and played with the hands. (dictionary.com)

"Ahmad was preparing to go onstage at the first Louis Armstrong International Music Festival, to play guitar and sign with his band, Junoon - although this was not quite the Junoon with which Ahmad found fame, in the nineteen-nineties, in South Asia.  That band - Styx, in Urdu, with tablas - broke up in 2005."

 - Ian Parker, "The Band Played On", 28 July 2014 The New Yorker


No, I don't get it.