Music Selections by Hot Nude Yoga and Aaron Star!
Many students and people often ask me what music we play in our classes. Well here is the list and it is long over due. I hope it helps you in building a stimulating yoga library of music.Some of more popular music has always been the sultry music of Wah.
Wah! has a spent a lifetime immersed in music, studying in the US, India
and Africa. She accompanied the Arthur Hall Dance Ensemble to Ghana
and Nigeria (1978), lived in a shaman temple in Africa (1978), composed
and danced professionally for the Angela Caponigro Dance Ensemble in
NYC (1983-1989), and made various trips to in India (1989-1992). Her
music reflects her travel and spiritual experiences from many parts
of the world. In 1995, Wah! moved to Los Angeles, where the band performed
for celebrities, opened for Hole (Courtney Love), and built a local
following. The band performed on VTV Vancouver Morning Television in
1999. In September 1999, Wah! began touring with Krishna Das (Triloka
Records), playing bass, violin and back-up vocals. For three years Wah!
managed and performed with Krishna Das. The WAH! band reformed in 2001
and toured in support of chant CDs Hidden in the Name and Savasana.
2002 brought the release of Opium, produced by Herb Graham, Jr. and
supported by Macy Gray musicians and Alanis Morrisette bandmembers.
Opium introduced soulful English songs to WAH! audiences. Wah! went
on to produce Jai Jai Jai and Lokaha, weaving devotion with hip production
and industry talent.
Music By Amrit Kirtan
Sacred Circle is classically-trained vocalist Amrit Kirtan's musical debut. An introspective album, Sacred Circle carries you on a gentle Meditteranean breeze with its warm vocals, rolling instrumentals and whispering flute.
There is an intimate feel to these chants that evokes a sense of deep harmony with the self. The arrangements have a light Mediterranean influence, featuring guitar, gentle rhythms and keyboard ambience. Thomas Barquee is featured on the album as both the producer and keyboardist, accompanied by Girish on percussion and Domonic Breaux on flute.
Krishna Das
Sharing his heart through music and chanting is the basis of Krishna Das' own spiritual work;his way of serving the Divine within himself and others.
In the winter of 1968, Krishna Das met Ram Dass, who had just returned from his first trip to India. After living and traveling with Ram Dass in the U.S., and hearing Ram Dass' many stories about Maharaj-ji, Krishna Das traveled to India, where he was blessed to meet and stay with this extraordinary guru.
While living in India for almost three years, Krishna Das' heart was especially drawn to the practice of Bhakti Yoga—the yoga of devotion. Fanning the flames of his inner longing, Maharaj-ji led him deeper and deeper into the practice of kirtan—chanting the Names of God. As an appointed pujari (priest) for the Durga temple in Maharaj-ji's ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas, Krishna Das immersed himself in the worship of the Divine Goddess.
Krishna Das spent as much time as possible with Maharaj-ji over the years in India, opening himself to the flow of Grace and purifying his heart. Early in 1973, he was asked by Maharaj-ji to return to America.
Krishna Das says,
'At what would turn out to be my last darshan of Maharaj-ji's physical body, I was petrified with fear about returning to the U.S. after so many years. I hadn't worn a pair of jeans or shoes for such a long time that I couldn't imagine what it would be like. I didn't want to ask Maharaj-ji what I should do in America, but all of a sudden I blurted out in anguish, 'Maharaj-ji! How can I serve you in America?'
'He looked at me with mock disgust and said, 'What is this? If you ask how you should serve then it is no longer service. Do what you want.' I couldn't believe my ears. How could doing what I wanted to do be of service to him? I didn't have that kind of faith. I just sat there, stunned. Then after a minute or so he looked over at me, smiling sweetly, and asked, 'So, how will you serve me?'
'My mind was blank. It was time for me to leave for Delhi, to catch the plane back to the States. He was looking at me and laughing. I bent down and touched his feet for the last time and when I looked up he, he was beaming at me, 'So, how will you serve me in America?' I felt like I was moving in a dream. I floated across the courtyard and bowed to him one more time from a distance. As I did, the words came to me, 'I will sing to you in America.'
Soon afterwards, during the full moon in September, Neem Karoli Baba left his body. Now he had to be found within. The chanting, the meditation, the puja and all the wonderful time spent with Maharaj-ji turned out to be seeds that he himself had planted in my heart... seeds that would keep growing and blossom by his Grace.
Over the years Krishna Das has made numerous pilgrimages throughout India, meeting teachers and saints of many spiritual traditions on his quest to open and purify his heart. Living in jungles, in ashrams, and in holy places throughout India, he has had an opportunity to absorb the ancient truths that have been held by the Indian culture for thousands of years. He has studied Buddhist meditation practices with Anagarika Munindra and S.N. Goenka, and has been initiated into Tibetan Buddhist practices by lamas from various lineages.
Krishna Das has been chanting on a regular basis in yoga centers all over the world. He has taught with Ram Dass and sung for many saints and yogis here and in India.
For years, I have been playing Anugama, and it has definitely been
some of the most sought after music from my own collection. Anugama
is a gifted multi-instrumentalist who has been publishing his music
for the last 16 years. His music covers a wide spectrum of expression:
from tribal rhythmical Dance music, to shamanistic music of power and
peace, to uplifting, lyrical melodies that make the spirit soar, to
flute music derived from a wide variety of cultures of the world. He
creates the ethereal music of vastness and silence that let the listener
explore their own inner expansion and stillness. His special strength
lies in the exceptional feeling, sensitivity and skill which pervade
his compelling and alive rhythms that are the heart of his music. AnugamaÕs
music creates an environment of uplifting support, confirmation and
nourishment for heart and soul.
Wade Imre Morissette was born in Ottawa, Canada, just minutes before his twin sister Alanis. The twins took to music at an early age; Wade studied piano as a child and took on guitar and djembe in his teens, but their paths diverged when Wade began to study yoga.
From the time he was a small child, Wade was in search of a practice that would help him connect to his spirit, trying everything from karate to tai chi. It wasn't until Wade's college roommate handed him a book by the name of The Mystic Path To Cosmic Powers that he decided to dedicate the next decade of his life to learning and teaching yoga, but his musical background would soon resurface.
During one of Wade's many visits to India, he began to travel on the path of Devotional Yoga and started chanting, a process that stills the mind, dissolves worries, and opens the heart. "It's a natural way to tune into the frequency of love," says Wade.
He realized he could combine his two passions--yoga and music--to create his own original blend of indie rock/pop music with Sanskrit and English chants. "My first concerts were in India, and people would come up to me and say that my music touched their hearts. I decided to take my music to different yoga studios across the world," Wade explains.
In 2004, Wade was asked to be an ambassador for Lululemon, the popular yoga-inspired athletic apparel company. At the same time, he had self-released his debut album, Sargam Scales of Music. Wade quickly developed an idea for a world tour to promote both his album and the clothing line; Lululemon immediately signed on as a sponsor. The Lululemon Yoga Pilgrimage kicked off in 2005 and took Wade to Tokyo, Hong Kong and 32 cities in North America and continued on through early 2006 with stops in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. At each stop, Wade spread his message of optimism, well-being, consciousness, and community through Vinyasa Flow workshops, chanting, kirtan (call-and-response singing), and bliss dance.
In the midst of Wade's world traveling, Nettwerk Music Group CEO and yoga enthusiast Terry McBride kept hearing Wade's music in yoga class in Vancouver, but couldn't find the album. The two connected in late 2006, and Wade signed on with Nettwerk Records to release his second album, Strong as Diamonds: Om Vajra Kaya Namaha. While Wade's debut release explores a sense of longing and self-discovery, Strong as Diamonds: Om Vajra Kaya Namaha is less introspective. "This release is more about celebrating, gratitude and lifting one's spirit," says Wade. "It has a lot more energy and it's sunnier, but it's still soulful."
Already making appearances at yoga conferences, retreats and studios around the world, Wade will tour North America this summer in support of the album. At each performance, he begins with bliss dance and ends with a kirtan. Wade, on guitar and harmonium, sings out a phrase; the audience responds until the musicians and audience mesh. He also performs several of his own songs for those who prefer to listen and observe.
Wade has been practicing and teaching yoga for 13 years. He has completed Iyengar, Classical Ashtanga and Ashtanga-Vinyasa yoga teacher training. He has studied Vinyasa, Viniyoga, Anusara, and Kriya yoga, as well as zazen, Vedic Chanting, and active movement and sound meditations with some of the best-known teachers in Canada, North America, and India. He is also a Reiki master, certified Phoenix Rising yoga therapist, and Viniyoga Therapist. He leads teacher trainings, workshops, retreats, and music-dance evenings internationally. He is currently working on his first book, Living Your Joy, and planning a series of motivational seminars.
With features in Yoga Journal and Macleans Magazine and appearances on Entertainment Tonight Canada, BCTV and Toronto's Yoga Series, CTV's E Talk Daily Canada, and CBC Radio in Canada, Wade has established himself as a sought-after yoga instructor and talented musician. He has also been covered by the Vancouver Courier, The Province, Globe and Mail, The Sun and Shared Vision in Vancouver, and his music is heard often on SacredSoundsRadio.com
Every single time I play B-Tribe's music, everyone wants to know what it is and where to buy it. Well you are now in the secret. Dramatic flamenco guitar, ambient synthesizer tonalities, and moody, wordless vocals evoke a windswept plain, or the ocean at dusk. It's music as mood. Mood as music. It's the aural atmospher that will soon be providing the soundtrack to your life. It is B-Tribe.
This music is some of the most beautiful, healing soulful music I have ever heard. For one who is going through some hard periods in their life, or just needs something to sooth their "weary soul" then Snatam Kaur's voice will take you where you need to go.
Biography
Snatam Kaur personifies the meaning of her name: universal, nucleus, and friend to all. These themes have expressed themselves in a variety of ways throughout her life, and are particularly present in her music. The sincerity and depth of commitment that this artist brings to her music is firmly rooted in a life of devotion. Soon after her birth in 1972, in the beautiful mountain town of Trinidad, Colorado, Snatam’s parents turned to the teachings and lifestyle of the Sikh tradition and became students of the renowned Kundalini yoga master, Yogi Bhajan. Snatam heard Yogi Bhajan’s teachings at her parents’ side and a close relationship developed between the venerated teacher and the very young pupil. One day, before she was even two, Snatam began to chatter away in the middle of class; Yogi Bhajan stopped speaking, looked over at her and said, “You’ll have your turn soon to teach, little one.” Indeed, Snatam has fulfilled this forecast, teaching yoga, chants, and meditation to both children and adults.
Playing kirtan in Sikh temples with her mother was a constant part of Snatam’s teenage years. She also played violin in the school orchestra, learned to play the guitar, and settled more deeply into songwriting. After performing her song “Save Our Earth” at a school assembly, Snatam and ten of her friends, coached by Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead performed the song for 70,000 people at an Earth Day concert in San Francisco.
Best known for her top-selling chant albums THE ESSENCE and LOVE IS
SPACE, Deva Premal, joined by her partner Miten, expresses the ancient
wisdom of mantra through a contemporary musical voice. "Over the
past 10 years we have devoted our lives to the expression of love and
gratitude through music," says Miten. "Our music is not intended
as entertainment. The true purpose is to awaken a longing in the heart
for that which is omnipresent: the experience of silence and meditation."
Planetary musicians who spend their lives touring the world, Deva Premal
& Miten have performed in the US, Japan, Europe, Asia, Brazil and
Australia.
German-born Deva Premal, is a classically trained musician and gifted
singer who grew up in an atmosphere of mantras and eastern spirituality.
Her first two albums, THE ESSENCE and LOVE IS SPACE topped New Age charts
and popularity polls in yoga centers all over Europe, Australia and
America. Her highly-anticipated third album, EMBRACE, is due for release
in May 2002.
Miten, originally from Britain, began as a singer-songwriter-guitarist
in the 70's opening for such groups as Fleetwood Mac and Ry Cooder.
He then discovered the power of meditation and left the world of rock
‘n' roll behind. Miten has a number of albums of original songs, including
STRENGTH OF A ROSE, TRUST THE SILENCE and BLOWN AWAY.
Something more Light...
Multi instrumentalist John Adorney is not just capable of playing several instruments but is also very capable of playing them well. With the ability to perform competently on the guitar, keyboards and cello, along with his knack for a melody would suggest a long and prosperous musical lifeline for this rising star.
They reached their namesake year, but unlike Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey or George Orwell's 1984, the group 2002 never offered great expectations. Across an Ocean of Dreams sounds pretty much like their last several albums, which means lots of women's choirs oohing and aahing in celestial bliss, Enya-esque pizzicato strings, and meandering melodies. 2002 aspires to a quiet classical grandeur, but at a sluggish pace that makes Yanni sound as if he's on an adrenaline high. Wrapping you in faux-velvet gauze, they muffle the very air coming from your speakers. Late in the album, "Lady of the Moon" almost cuts through with a plaintive mix of acoustic and electric guitars, a bit of Renaissance recorder, and a breathy woman's chorus. But by then, you've been smothered to death. --John Diliberto
Product Description
What does the ocean dream? Glimpse into the depths of jeweled waters
and the fantasia within. Surrender to the siren call. Come! Be transported
under the waves, flowing with 2002's delicate strings, guitar, flute,
keyboard and distant voices of angels of the deep. 2002 - Favorites
on Billboard's New Age Chart for the past five years!
