Sunday, December 29, 2013

HOW do you sing like THAT?



"HOW do you sing... like THAT?" I've been asked a few times.


I know they were asking more about the quality of freedom in my voice - rather than technical perfection.

Many of my favorite singers have "imperfect" or unusual qualities to their soulful voices: Nina Simone, Bjork, Tom Waits, Diamonda Galas, among others. What makes them so compelling? They have a certain creative freedom and brazen expression in their sound. They transmit the essence of a meaning and mood.

So many people yearn to sing - I mean REALLY sing - filled with passion & free from self-consciousness, self-criticism, and fear.

I came from a background of austere musical discipline since the age of 6. I was trained to seek perfection, but so-called perfection never came. I was suffered from self-consciousness and self-criticism. I became stifled and creatively barren. As a young woman, I quit music altogether for a while as practicing music had become too heart-breaking.

Then, I discovered the bhakti yoga of song and music. I discovered the realm of sacred and devotional music of many different traditions.

Devotion ate up my self-consciousness. There was simply no more room for it. I was no longer plagued by perfectionism. Music became sweet again!

I was blessed with the esoteric yogic teaching of the 4 Levels of Speech, and my voice literally and figuratively came from a much deeper place within.

People kept asking... So I created Serenading the Divine, a shamanic vocal teaching.

I hope to share the elements that helped set my voice free... We can ALL sing - if we want to.







Saturday, December 28, 2013

Bringing SERENADING THE DIVINE to CHANT FEST 2014!



I have so many treasures and treats to share in my shamanic vocal journey, Serenading the Divine.

I'm excited to bring this offering to CHANT FEST 2014 in Denver!  Hope to see you there!







SERENADING THE DIVINE
Sacred Music, Mantra, & the Shamanic Voice


FREE your voice! Sing and speak from the heart. This teaching is for those who long for a yogic, shamanic, devotional, and playful approach to vocal practice. This is especially supportive to the budding singer, performer, teacher/ facilitator, and public speaker. Awaken the Vishuddha (throat) chakra in this in-depth teaching. You will explore:

• Tantric bija mantras & esoteric principles of mantra practice
• Bhajans (devotional kirtan songs)
• Shlokas (Sanskrit hymns)
• Sacred myths of the deities
• The Classical Rasas (aesthetic flavors) of the Natya Shastra as expressed through sound
• Sacred songs of other cultures around the globe
• the Yoga of Speech (self-inquiry, visualization, mindfulness, & mantra practices)
• the 4 Levels of Speech (traditional yogic teaching)
• Nada yoga (the yoga of sound)
• Playful shamanic vocal practices







Saturday, December 14, 2013

Premier Issue of GARB Magazine: The Modern Devadasi Sisterhood





Read about the modern Devadasi sisterhood & enjoy my article 'WOMEN OF MY WORLD,' in the premier issue of Garb magazine - an amazing dance & fashion publication!


“How did you get such an incredible group of teache
rs together for this year’s Fusion Temple Dance Festival?” I was recently asked. “These are among the queens of sacred dance!”

I instantly replied, “these are... the women of my world.” In fact, in my semi-hermetic life, these women fill the altar of my mind...



 

Enjoy the full article & magazine here...

Friday, December 6, 2013

Control garden pests naturally with DoTERRA essential oils!








Aphids were destroying my humble attempts at gardening... They swarmed over my roses and completely devoured my beautiful kale...
 
I learned that garden pest control is yet another miraculous use for DoTERRA Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils... I've been able to completely rid my garden of aphids by regularly spraying them with a mixture of 20 drops peppermint oil & 20 drops wild orange oil in a 24 ounce spray bottle of water.

Then recently I learned that wintergreen essential oil actually attracts beneficial insects, that prey on the pests!

http://biocontrolbeat.wordpress.com/tag/aphids/

Excited to add wintergreen to my gardening routine...

Not to mention... It feels AMAZING to spray my garden greens with pest control that is actually GOOD to eat + therapeutic and lovely to breathe!


Remember... NOT all essential oils are created equal!

Choose Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade DoTERRA essential oils

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Study of Aromatherapy on STRESS in the Vanderbilt hospital emergency room!

That's RIGHT! 

You know if FOX NEWS is reporting on the detailed SCIENCE of aromatherapy, it's finally entered mainstream consciousness. (YAY!) 

A study of the effects of DoTERRA essential oils on stress levels in the Vanderbilt university hospital emergency room (can't think of a more stressful environment - or a more skeptical crowd!). The results are AMAZING! 

Even the lady who thought it was at first 'voodoo medicine' loved it. God bless her.



Vanderbilt University Hospital uses doTERRA Essential Oils from Discover doTERRA on Vimeo.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Welcome to my World...








From the Radiance Sutras:

112 Tantra Yoga Teachings
For Opening to the Divine in Everyday Life

A new version of the Vijnana Bhairava tantra
by Lorin Roche

First verse...



 

One day The Goddess sang to her lover Bhairava,


Beloved and radiant Lord of the space before birth,
Revealer of essence,
Slayer of the ignorance that binds us,

You, who in play have created this universe
and permeated all forms in it with never-ending truth.
I have been wondering . . .

I have been listening to the songs of creation,
I have heard the sacred sutras being sung,
and yet still I am curious.

What is this delight-filled universe
into which we find ourselves born?

What is this mysterious awareness shimmering
everywhere within it?

What are these instinctive energies
that undulate through our bodies,
moving us into action?

And this “matter” out of which our forms are made -
What are these dancing particles of condensed radiance,
Are they an illusionist's projection?

What is this power we call Life,
appearing as the play of flesh and breath?
How may I know this mystery and enter it more deeply?

Beloved, my attention is ensnared by a myriad of forms,
the innumerable individual entities everywhere.

Lead me into the wholeness beyond all these parts.

You, who hold the mysteries in your hand -
of will, knowledge and action,
Reveal to me the path of illumined knowing.

Lead me into joyous union
with the life of the universe.

Teach me that I may know it fully,
realize it deeply,
and breathe in the truth of it.



Stay tuned...