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JP Sears, known online as AwakenWithJP, is an American YouTuber, comedian, emotional healing and life coach and businessman. Sears produces satirical videos about wellness and the American Left such as "How to Become Gluten Intolerant" To listen to the full interview please visit https://whereisyourheart.net

JP Sears

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The GuruGanesha Band is the latest project from the mind, heart and guitarof world devotional music pioneer GuruGanesha Singh. Renowned for hiswork with sublime vocalists like Snatam Kaur, Nirinjan Kaur and Tina Malia,GuruGanesha steps into the limelight with his latest musical venture, a multitalentedensemble culled from the A-list of players and singers on today'srapidly-expanding kirtan/chant/yoga music scene.

Long noted for the effortless grace and mellifluous lyricism of his acousticguitar work, GuruGanesha has turned his talents to his first love, theelectric guitar, to ignite the incandescent sound of the GuruGanesha Band.With shimmering, glassy tonalities and evocative textures, he takes thevast sonic potential of modern guitar electronics to a new and blissfulplace. Accompanying him on this musical journey are master cellist/multiinstrumentalistHans Christian (RASA, Krishna Das, Robbie Robertson, HarryManx, Jai Uttal and Donna De Lory), beguiling and unforgettable newcomerPaloma Devi on vocals, Spirit Voyage recording artist/ kundalini yoga teacherSat Kartar Singh on acoustic guitar, and kundalini bass guitar magicianGurusangat Singh (recording artist and producer of the popular MiracleMantra Series), and world music multi-percussionist Tripp Dudley on drumkit, tabla, and cajon.

"This is a project that I've had in my heart for many years," says GuruGanesha."The idea behind the GuruGanesha Band is to bring to the world music scenea group that can musically hold its own with the great guitar bands of alltime, but instead of conventional lyrics, singing mantras and divine poetryto transport audiences to a profoundly beautiful and transcendent place. Allof the spiritual and musical work I've done for the past 39 years has beenpreparing me for this."

GuruGanesha describes the GGB sound as "a unique blend of kirtan, raga,rock, and deeply meditative folk music. I will primarily be playing electricguitar and I've hand-picked the musicians not only for their musical virtuositybut also for their ability to channel the spiritual energy that the band will beserving. The vocals will be a group effort with plenty of rich two and three partharmonies though Paloma Devi will regularly step out and blow people awaywith her amazing vocal improvisations. The audience will be encouraged tofully participate, whether it be singing along, dancing or just meditating deeplyon the music." World devotional music pioneer, Spirit Voyage Records founder, distinctive guitar stylist, songwriter, singer, producer, entrepreneur, accomplished yogi and lifelong spiritual practitioner, GuruGanesha is a man of many talents. His most recent project is the GuruGanesha Band, an adventurous ensemble of mantra music all-stars born of GuruGanesha's longstanding wish to combine the profound spirituality of mantra music with the visceral excitement of a great guitar-driven band. The GuruGanesha Band's debut album A Thousand Suns takes world devotional music to visionary new realms of musical innovation with an inspiring fusion of kirtan, rock, raga, folk, blues and Latin sounds that has left audiences from coast to coast dripping with bliss and ecstatic joy.

Guru Ganesha Singh 2011

‘Organic’ is a core West Coast value. Multi-instrumentalist and producer Joby Baker embodies this quality in the best sense of the word. His relationship to music and other musicians has developed deeply and naturally over the past 20 years, and his song writing always includes something fresh and raw with a bit of good, clean dirt stuck into the fibers. Artists from around the world make the journey to Victoria, BC, so they can work with Baker and their efforts are invariably rewarded. He has produced numerous Juno and Grammy winning tracks. A formidable, dexterous producer experienced in mixing and mastering a vast range of styles, his own music veers towards grooves, particularly the soul, funk and jazz variety. These grooves have repeatedly shaken up the charts. His work on both sides of the mixing board has the power and depth that comes from an obsessive, inside and out, eat-sleep-and-breathe-it understanding of music.

This understanding starts in Baker’s DNA. He was born into a musical family and his baptism into sound was immediate. Many of his earliest hours were spent crawling around studio floors or listening to his parents’ circle of friends jam late into the night. Within a few years he was paying close attention as production greats like Phil Ramone, Chris Blackwell and Gus Dudgeon worked within mere feet of his impressionable young ears. Picking up instruments himself was inevitable, as was his fluid expansion into songwriting, composing, arranging and engineering. Because Baker does it all himself he has an intuitive understanding of what his clients need in the studio. His connection to the musicians he works with is deepened by the fact that they often stay at his home when they’ve come in from far-away places. Opening his studio and home to a such diverse swathe of the musical world is also in keeping with the character of his own production. “Music is like cooking,” says Baker. “You need contrast, this gives your palate perspective. So I’ll throw in something ugly and rough right next to something clear and beautiful.” Having emigrated to Victoria from London in the early 1990s, resonances of a sophisticated but gritty international metropolis still permeate his sound.

Interacting with so many distinct and beautiful musical personalities day in and day out has given Baker a widely recognised patience and diplomacy. This quality is perhaps most apparent in the unshakable focus he gives to the task of executing a great project, time and time again. Baker has long-since achieved the elusive balance between creativity, experimentation and passion, and consummate, dependable professionalism. It is small wonder that he is considered one of the West Coast’s top producers. His deeply-rooted career, both on the airwaves and in the studio, is set to grow at an impressive rate.

Joby Baker Feat Deva Premal & Miten's Album "A Deeper Light"

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Krishna Das has been called yoga's "rock star." With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time, with over 300,000 records sold. His album 'Live Ananda' (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category. 

Kirtan Wallah (April 2014) - With the release of his 14th album, Kirtan Wallah—one who sings kirtan, KD offers a westward-leaning album, fully embracing his American roots in rock and country and yet embodying the spirit and practice of of deeply devotional Indian chants.

Krishna Das, Kirtan Wallah-June 14

“If there was a moment when our crisis in education hit critical mass it may well have been the date Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk went up on YouTube. In just 19 minutes his wry but eviscerating presentation gave voice to what so many of us are living through: our schools are failing to recognize creativity; we’re failing to prepare the next generation for the challenges that lie ahead.”  - VANITY FAIR

Sir Ken Robinson, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources in education and in business.  He is also one of the world’s leading speakers on these topics, with a profound impact on audiences everywhere. The videos of his famous 2006 and 2010 talks to the prestigious TED Conference have been viewed more than 25 million times and seen by an estimated 250 million people in over 150 countries. His 2006 talk is the most viewed in TED’s history. In 2011 he was listed as “one of the world’s elite thinkers on creativity and innovation” by Fast Company magazine, and was ranked among the Thinkers50 list of the world’s top business thought leaders.

Sir Ken works with governments and educations systems in Europe, Asia and the USA, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations. In 1998, he led a national commission on creativity, education and the economy for the UK Government. All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education (The Robinson Report) was published to wide acclaim in 1999. He was the central figure in developing a strategy for creative and economic development as part of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland, working with the ministers for training, education enterprise and culture. The resulting blueprint for change, Unlocking Creativity, was adopted by politicians of all parties and by business, education and cultural leaders across the Province. He was one of four international advisors to the Singapore Government for its strategy to become the creative hub of South East Asia.

skr-quoteFor twelve years, he was professor of education at the University of Warwick in the UK and is now professor emeritus. He has received honorary degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design, the Open University and the Central School of Speech and Drama; Birmingham City University, the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and Oklahoma State University. He was been honored with the Athena Award of the Rhode Island School of Design for services to the arts and education; the Peabody Medal for contributions to the arts and culture in the United States, the Arthur C. Clarke Imagination Award, the Gordon Parks Award for achievements in education and the Benjamin Franklin Medal of the Royal Society of Arts for outstanding contributions to cultural relations between the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2005, he was named as one of Time/Fortune/CNN’s ‘Principal Voices’. In 2003, he received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the arts.

His 2009 book The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything is a New York Times best seller and has been translated into twenty-one languages. A 10th anniversary edition of his classic work on creativity and innovation, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative was published in 2011. His latest book, Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life, will be published by Viking in May 2013.  Sir Ken was born in Liverpool, UK. He is married to Therese (Lady) Robinson. They have two children, James and Kate, and now live in Los Angeles, California.

Sir Ken Robinson~ June 14

John Lockley is an ancestrally trained and initiated Xhosa Sangoma – a traditional South African Shaman.

According to John’s Xhosa elders in the Eastern Cape, John Lockley is one of the first white men, in recent history, to become a fully initiated Sangoma in the Xhosa lineage of South Africa – the tribe that gave us Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

A Sangoma receives guidance (through dreams and trance) from ancestors in the spirit world, in order to heal and guide the community. Sangomas are South African Shamans, meaning seers, dreamers or prophets – the traditional healers of Africa.

The Healing Through Plant Medicine Retreat is a retreat involving meditation, ceremony, plant medicine and dreaming. The Gaunt's House Dorset EnglandIt’s a time to relax and unwind at the beautiful and scenic Gaunt’s house retreat centre in the heart of Dorset, UK. Participants will have the opportunity to experience a traditional South African cleanse using safe (non-hallucinogenic), plant medicine. These plants are normally used in South Africa to help people to dream and reconnect with their spirits. The plants will be administered externally as a foot wash as well as in a tea ceremony before sleep to aid dreaming. dream workshop englandJohn will use his skills as a traditional Sangoma to take the participants on a mystical journey using plant medicine, stories, drumming, and singing. Empower your dreams, empower your spirit ! If you are tired of the rat race and you are looking for some time to rest and listen to the wind and your dreams, then come and join us for a wonderful weekend.

Non-hallucinogenic plant medicine will be used in a traditional Sangoma way to heal the soul and bring participants closer to their own ancestors, dreams and destiny. Participants will also learn how to prepare plant medicine using local plants for personal use.
Dreams are seen as a gateway to the spirit world, and a way to stay connected with ones’ vision or life path.

John Lockley July 14

This interview was recorded during a break in the 5 day london intensive Satsang. Over 700 people gathered together from all over the World to join Mooji in Satsang in London, UK. Photo courtesy of Sankari Ji.


Music kindly provided by Soham who performs at many of Mooji's events. His latest album is available here https://soham.bandcamp.com and comes highly recommended.

Anthony Paul Moo-Young, known as Mooji, was born on 29 January 1954 in Port Antonio, Jamaica. In 1969, he moved to the UK and lived in Brixton, London. Anthony worked in London's 'West End' as a street portrait artist for many years, then as a painter and a stained glass artist, and later as a teacher at Brixton College. For a long time, he was well known as Tony Moo, but is now affectionately known as Mooji* by the many seekers and friends who visited him.

Mooji is a direct disciple of Sri Harilal Poonja, the renowned advaita master, or Papaji, as his followers call him. In 1987, a chance meeting with a Christian mystic was to be a life-changing encounter for Mooji. It brought him, through prayer, into the direct experience of the Divine within. Within a short period, he experienced a radical shift in consciousness so profound that outwardly, he seemed, to many who knew him, to be an entirely different person. As his spiritual consciousness awakened, a deep inner transformation began which unfolded in the form of many miraculous experiences and mystical insights. He felt a strong wind of change blowing through his life which brought with it a deep urge to surrender completely to divine will. Shortly after, he stopped teaching, left his home and began a life of quiet simplicity and surrender to the will of God as it manifested spontaneously within him. A great peace entered his being, and has remained ever since.

For the following six years, Mooji drifted in a state of spontaneous meditation oblivious to the outer world he formally knew. During these years, he lived almost penniless but was constantly absorbed in inner joy, contentment and natural meditation. Grace came in the form of his sister Julianne, who welcomed Mooji into her home with loving kindness, and afforded him the time and space he much needed to flower spiritually, without the usual pressures and demands of external life. Mooji refers to this period of his life as his "wilderness years" and speaks touchingly of a deep feeling of being "seated on the Lap of God". In many respects, these were far from easy times for Mooji, yet there is no trace of regret or remorse in his tone as he recounts these years. On the contrary, he speaks of this phase of his life as being richly blessed and abundant in grace, trust and loving devotion.

In 1993, Mooji travelled to India. He had a desire to visit Dakshineswar in Calcutta where Sri Ramakrishna, the great Bengali Saint, had lived and taught. The words and life of Ramakrishna were a source of inspiration and encouragement to Mooji in the early years of his spiritual development. He loved the Saint deeply but as fate would determine, he would not go to Calcutta. While in Rishikesh, a holy place at the foothills of the Himalayas, he was to have another propitious encounter; this time with three devotees of the great advaita Master Sri Harilal Poonja, known to his many devotees as Papaji. Their persistent invitation to Mooji to travel with them to meet the Master made a deep impression on him. Still he delayed the prospect of meeting Papaji for two whole weeks, choosing first to visit Varanasi, the holy city.

Mooji, London 5 day intensive, Nov 14

Gregory Porter exploded onto the international music scene with his debut CD, Water in May of 2010, and has racked up a continuing stream of amazing accolades and awards. Porter’s Watergarnered a ‘Best Jazz Vocal ’ Grammy® nomination (a rare feat for a debut recording), rocketed to #1 on both iTunes and Amazon in the UK and soared onto an international array of year-end ‘Best Of’ lists for 2010 in several genres, and within a scant 15 months established him as a formidable international touring artist. Now BE GOOD, his sophomore release has gained even more acclaim, plus a GRAMMY® nomination in a crossover R&B category.

“Gregory is the real deal and a revelation in terms of new male jazz singers, but I think that his voice coupled with his songwriting may be the thing that leaves most listeners with their mouths open,” says Bacchus. “There have been many solid singer songwriters coming from under the jazz umbrella of the last 10 years that are mostly brimming with folk and country influences. Gregory is the first that I’m hearing that is squarely coming out of a real classic soul bag (i.e. Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway) as a songwriter, but with both feet firmly planted in jazz’s soil.”

A disarmingly sincere performer, with a groove that never quits, a voice of incredible virtuosity and a seemingly universal appeal as a songwriter, Porter’s lyrics often speak as dreams do, in the languages of image and emotion, to communicate thoroughly though not always directly. His objective as a songwriter, he says, is “to create a sincere message about my feelings on love, culture, family and our human joys and pain.” Even in conversation he leans toward the poetic: “Just like the song ‘Painted on Canvas’ says, ‘I’m ‘made of the pigment of paint that is put upon’ …trying to be honest and organic in my colors that I show.” Be Good clearly attains that goal, and also proves to have a wide palette of colors to show.

Porter, the youngest of a family of 6 raised in Bakersfield California by a single mother who was also a minister, offers a show stopping and inspiringly heartfelt tribute to this clearly exceptionally woman in “Mother’s Song,” emphasizing the extraordinary impact her love and fortitude has upon his life and work. “Our Love” which takes as its theme romantic love that succeeds despite the odds and in spite of naysayers, sustains the CD’s mellow mood until Porter shakes things up completely with the scat-inflected, high energy “Bling Bling.” Next, Porter delivers perhaps one of the hottest and grittiest versions ever on record of Nat Adderly’s classic, “Work Song,” a hard driving blues and jazz standard that has been recorded by vocalists as disparate as Nina Simone, Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Johnny Rivers. Porter closes the proceedings with an a cappella version of “God Bless the Child,” that is as understated as a prayer and as comforting as a lullaby.

Porter’s ascending star is viewed most brightly in Europe, especially in the UK, where he has performed on Jamie Cullum’s BBC radio program, on Later with Jools Holland, as a featured guest at the London Jazz Festival and as one of two special guests on Carole King’s 2011 BBC holiday television special. UK’s Jazz Wise magazine named Water the #1 Jazz Album of 2011 (the first time a vocal album has achieved this distinction.) and BE GOOD made the top five list for Album of the Year in 2012. Across the channel in France, press and radio have showered Porter with incredible accolades, lauding him as the new “Roi of Jazz,” and featuring him on the front cover of the mainstream magazine, L’Express, as ”the next great voice in Jazz.”

Gregory Porter

In Nothing To It, Brother Phap Hai brings his characteristic warmth and humor to explore the many different gates to transformation offered by Buddhism. A gate is a teaching, practice, or way of looking at things. Each gate is an invitation to consider a new frame of reference through which we can consider our situation, an opportunity to look at things differently. Readers who enjoyed Bhante Gunaratana's Mindfulness in Plain English will delight in this new explanation from the Australian-born senior monk of Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California. 

There are fifty-eight gates explored in Nothing To It, arranged in ten traditional groups, with one chapter exploring each gate. Based on a series of talks given by Phap Hai in 2013, the book is designed to be equally valuable when read through at leisure or used as the text for a ten week self-guided course. Each chapter includes questions for reflection, additional reading suggestions on the topic, and writing exercises. The gates can be explored in order or investigated at random. Phap Hai’s charming blend of ancient wisdom, Dharma scholarship, and contemporary applications will offer all who read Nothing To It a new way of seeing the extraordinary opportunities for transformation in everyday life. Music by Joe Reilly http://www.joereilly.org

Br Phap Hai "Nothing to it"

Finding a place of total peace within yourself is a priceless gift. From the first note, Snatam Kaur’s new release, Beloved, gives you that gift. The opening track, Amul (which is the Gurmukhi word for priceless) invites you to travel away from the chaos of this commercial world to a place of priceless peace. From there, the album builds landscapes of song that have Snatam Kaur’s voice opening up in totally new directions from her previous albums.

Snatam worked with producer Jamshied Sharifi for the first time on this album, recording live in-studio with her band, with music that has been nurtured and developed over the last few years on tour. What Snatam shares on this album is raw and rich and filled with her love and longing for the Beloved. Stuart Fuchs’ guitar brings a sweetness that translates the emotion and devotion of this music into notes and chords that you feel played on your heartstrings. Tabla player Neelamjit Singh creates a rhythmic heartbeat beneath the music that you feel your body beginning to sync with as you journey through the album. Bassist Sarah Siri Kirtan Carlisle creates the earthy undertones that pull it all together. There are also guest appearances from other incredible instrumentals including Steve Gore on Bansuri flute. Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa and Hari Bhajan Kaur Khalsa provide back-up vocals.

The range of music on this album is vast. With Amul, Gopaal and Sat Naaraa-in, long time Snatam Kaur fans will find she does it again, finding that perfect place where her voice and music takes you into a deeply blissful space. Snatam also shares a few more traditional Gurbani Kirtan tracks on this album, an ancient devotional musical style of the Sikhs from Northern India. The flawless composition and rich vocals are sure to move traditionalists, as well as people new to this style of music. The high-energy track Har Uplift has been a favorite in her concerts for the last year and her fans are sure to celebrate its inclusion on the album. Snatam also wrote a deeply personal love song to the waters of the planet, born from her deep passion for the environment and for bringing awareness to the importance of taking care of it. The Sierra Club is working with Snatam Kaur to create a music video from this song titled Water of Your Love.

In Beloved, Snatam Kaur’s musical evolution continues to take her listeners with her to higher realms. This is an album that is sure to be much beloved.

Beloved

Snatam Kaur "Beloved" album & "Original Light" book interview

ANUBHAV is the title of the album ~ Anubhav is a word Ma spoke when talking with Nina about how important it is to have a disciplined practice so it may blossom into each one’s own direct experience of the Divine, the Soul, the One. This inner knowing or perception or feeling, Anubhav, is what  guides us on the Path of Life.
Nina Rao learned traditional chants (bhajans) from her grandfather in a village in south India when she nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. For many years Nina has been Krishna Das' business manager and assistant, often touring with him playing cymbals and singing. In 2007, she recorded the track 'Nina Chalisa' on Krishna Das' CD "Flow of Grace " and in January 2013, she released her debut album, "Antarayaami - Knower of All Hearts". Nina regularly leads kirtan, chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa, and sings for yoga classes in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY and beyond. http://www.ninaraochant.com

Nina Rao "Anubhav"album

Carrie Tree's latest album "The Canoe". http://carrietree.co.uk
‘The Canoe’ is the third album by Brighton based singer-songwriter Carrie Tree. The listener is drawn into her world of mystical storytelling and sublime melody through the production and arrangements of Markus Sieber (known for his ambient acoustic recordings as Aukai). 

Created here is a spatial, delicate sound that allows Carrie’s mesmeric voice and rhythmic, ﬂuid guitar style to take centre stage, with piano and other instrumentation adding to the soundscape. 
“I was captivated by the tender yet expansive power in Carrie's voice and music,” says Markus. 
“My main focus was to bring out quiet, subtle qualities that could weave the listener gently into her evocative and mysterious songs.”
  
They worked remotely across the seas through a winter, drawing on a palette of diverse international
musicians. With Markus based in Colorado and Mexico, and Carrie in London and Sussex, they met ‘halfway’ in the spring of 2018 to complete the record in Greenhouse Studios, Iceland. 

The album title reflects the symbolic and metaphorical signiﬁcance of canoes and journeys taken on water. “In many traditions, there is the idea that we are born on a canoe (via the mother’s body) and when we die, we leave on one too,” 
Carrie explains. “A lot of the songs have birth, death, water, home and travel as their central themes, so the idea of a canoe felt like a beautiful symbol for that." One of the songs, ‘Honey Soup’, is about the body as a vessel, as a home in life, while the title track is about the gateway, fragility and power of birth.

The shell pendant used as the front cover image is also a type of vessel. “It was given to me by one of my dearest friends, who took their own life a few years ago. This is an object that links us together through the river of life and death.”

Carrie also speaks of the power of setting time aside for journeys. “As everything seems to be moving faster and faster in life, turning off the computer, returning to simplicity and recentring, feels more important than ever.” The owner of a canoe herself, she continues: “The joy of having everything I need in my boat and setting off, carried by the sea, or the river’s tide, is so nourishing emotionally,
spiritually and physically.
It is from within these moments that a lot of these songs were written.
Songwriting is my poetic approach to life’s situations; it often brings me insight, relief or understanding and through it I find honesty with myself."  
'delicate, soulful melodies with poetic lyrics, that embrace the room with waves of emotion.'
Carrie Tree is a 'phenomenal singer/songwriter’ - Carly Simon quoted in The Word Magazine
Carrie has toured and/or collaborated with the likes of Damien Rice, Fink, Duke Special, Rumer, Carly Simon, Ben Taylor, Martha Tilston - even the prog rock band Marillion! She has been a known name on the UK alternative/green festival scene for several years playing regularly at festivals like Glastonbury, Sunrise, Shambala and Buddhafields, has travelled through many parts of the world with her music and regularly tours in parts of Europe.

Carrie Tree "The Canoe" album, April, 19

Mirabai Bush was a co-founder of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and served as Executive Director until 2008. Under her direction, The Center developed its programs in education, law, business, and activism and its network of thousands of people integrating contemplative practice and perspective into their lives and work.Mirabai holds a unique background of organizational management, teaching, and spiritual practice. A founding board member of the Seva Foundation, an international public health organization, she directed the Seva Guatemala Project, which supports sustainable agriculture and integrated community development. Also at Seva, she co-developed Sustaining Compassion, Sustaining the Earth, a series of retreats and events for grassroots environmental activists on the interconnection of spirit and action. She is co-author, with Ram Dass, of Compassion in Action: Setting Out on the Path of Service, published by Random House.Mirabai has organized, facilitated, and taught workshops, weekends, and courses on spirit and action for more than 20 years at institutions including Omega Institute, Naropa Institute, Findhorne, Zen Mountain Monastery, University of Massachusetts, San Francisco Zen Center, Buddhist Study Center at Barre, MA, Insight Meditation Society, and the Lama Foundation. She has a special interest in the uncovering and recovery of women’s spiritual wisdom to inform work for social change. She has taught women’s groups with Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Sharon Salzberg, Joan Halifax, Margo Adler, Starhawk, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Vicky Noble, and other leaders.Her spiritual studies include meditation study at the Burmese Vihara in Bodh Gaya, India, with Shri S.N. Goenka and Anagarika Munindra; bhakti yoga with Hindu teacher Neemkaroli Baba; and studies with Tibetan lamas Kalu Rinpoche, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Kyabje Gehlek Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and others. She also did five years of intensive practice in Iyengar yoga and five years of Aikido with Kanai Sensei. Her earlier religious study included 20 years of Catholic schooling, ending with Georgetown University graduate study in medieval literature. She holds an ABD in American literature from the State University of New York at Buffalo.Before entering the foundation world, Mirabai was the first professional woman to work on the Saturn-Apollo moonflight at Cape Canaveral and later co-founded and directed Illuminations, Inc., from 1973 to 1985 in Cambridge, MA. Her innovative business approaches, based on mindfulness practice, were reported in Newsweek, Inc., Fortune, and the Boston Business Journal. She has also worked on educational programs with inner-city youth of color.
Mirabai has trekked, traveled, and lived in many countries, including Guatemala, Mexico, Costa Rica, India, Nepal, Morocco, Ireland, England, Scotland, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Germany, Austria, Italy, Pakistan, and the Caribbean. She is an organic gardener in Western Massachusetts and the mother of one adult son, Owen.

Mirabai Bush "Where is your Heart? " fall 2012

Featuring Anoushka’s vocals for the first time, ‘Lovable’ reveals a new direction for the artist, a shift in style and subject, which comes at a pivotal moment in her career as she signs to her new record label. The single, featuring French-Cuban duo Ibeyi, is plaintive and striking in its low-key meditation on heartbreak and loss, asking: “Am I still lovable, if you stop loving me? Am I enough, if you don’t want me?’”.
 
‘Lovable’ marks a new chapter for Anoushka, breaking with personal tradition to perform vocals for the first time, adding a soft, solitary soprano to Ibeyi’s haunting harmonies. She explains this departure: “I saw Naomi and Lisa perform live a few years back, and just fell in love. Lisa was sweet, trusting and nurturing when we wrote this song together. She encouraged me to use my voice, something I usually do at a remove, in an abstract way, through the sitar.”
 
Hailed by the Guardian as a “virtuoso sitar player”, Anoushka pushes the boundaries of how the instrument is heard and perceived. A singular figure in the progressive world music scene, her dynamic and spiritual musicality has garnered several prestigious accolades, including six Grammy® Award nominations, recognition as the youngest – and first female – recipient of a British House of Commons Shield, and a Songlines Best Artist Award.
 
Ibeyi (XL Records) are a twin sister vocal duo based in Paris who appeared in the short film for Beyoncé's ground-breaking visual album Lemonade. Their music draws on their Cuban upbringing, as well as more modern influences such as Frank Ocean and James Blake.
 
Deeply rooted in Indian music traditions, Anoushka studied exclusively from the age of nine under her father and guru, the late Ravi Shankar, and made her professional debut as a professional sitarist at the age of 13. By the age of 20, she had made three solo recordings and received her first Grammy® nomination, becoming the first Indian woman to be nominated for a Grammy® award, and the youngest ever nominee in the World Music category.
 
In 2005, Anoushka released her self-produced breakthrough album ‘Rise’, which earned her a second Grammy® nomination. Following this nomination, Anoushka became the first Indian artist to perform at the Grammy® Awards.
 
Besides performing as a solo sitarist, Anoushka’s compositional work has led to cross-cultural collaborations with artists such as Sting, M.I.A, Herbie Hancock, Pepe Habichuela, Karsh Kale, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Joshua Bell, demonstrating the versatility of the sitar across all musical genres.
 
Speaking of the singing, Dr Alexander Buhr, Managing Director of the Decca Classical Label Group, says, “We are thrilled to welcome Anoushka to our label family. I’ve been following Anoushka’s career for many years. She is one of the most courageous and ambitious musicians I’ve met, always pushing to explore new grounds and developing her writing and playing forwards. She is an artist with truly restless creativity and I couldn’t think of a better fit for Mercury KX.”
 
2020 will see Anoushka touring her new music, alongside special gala performances to commemorate the centenary of her father Ravi Shankar’s birth. It’s clear to see that Anoushka’s purpose as an artist and campaigner remain unshakeable.

Anoushka Shankar, Loveable

Paulo Coelho Preview

Sam Smith Preview

Ziggy Marley Preview

Barefoot Doctor enjoyed a mystically oriented childhood, studied Aikido, energy healing and meditation at age 11, studied yoga, Tai Chi in his late teens, the human psyche and how to approach it with RD Laing in his early 20s, shamanism living with the Native Americans for four years in New Mexico and acupuncture and Taoism in his mid- to late -twenties, returned to London in ’83, ran a busy acupuncture healing practice till 2000, while also doing experimental performance events, workshops, seminars and talks, making healing music and teaching Tai Chi and meditation.

In 2000 he went full time into book-writing, media and running this site, which has been in existence since 1998 as an informal online Taoism training school and virtual clinic (through email coaching). He spends his time writing, running the site and www.superchargedtaoist.com, making music, doing workshops, seminars, talks and musical events around the world and helping people. He also runs School For Warriors an 8-week online course in the principles of personal power.His 13th book, THE MAN WHO DROVE WITH HIS EYES CLOSED - AND MY OTHER ASTONISHING TEACHERS AND GURUS is now out, published by Hay House in the UK and in the US in January 2010 also with Hay House, under the title, SUPERCHARGED TAOIST.

Barefoot Doctor, Ibiza

Nina Rao learned traditional chants from her grandfather in a village in south India when she was nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. She is Krishna Das' assistant and tours with him, playing cymbals and singing. In 2007, she recorded a track "Nina Chalisa" on Krishna Das' CD, Flow of Grace. In January 2013 she released her own double-CD, Antarayaami - Knower of All Hearts, which includes her own expressions of kirtan, bhajan, a variety of Hanuman Chalisa chants including a brand new duet with Krishna Das. Nina is based in Brooklyn, NY with her daughter, and chants with her friends and satsang in the New York area and beyond.

www.chantkirtan.com

itunes.apple.com/us/album/antaray…1?ign-mpt=uo%3D4


Nina Rao -Antarayaami~

Kelvin Heard in his book "The healers Journey" takes us along on his very personal and bravely honest story, from chronically sick young man to trusted healer of celebrities as well as thousands of 'ordinary' people around the world. Kelvin's amazing power to heal has also made troubled homes and business premises happy and productive places. Whether you "believe" or not, you will find no religion and no 'new age' delusions here. What you will find is truth, compassion and an indefatigable sense of humour and fun. A rare uplifting read. To find out more about Kelvin's work his website is here https://www.kelvinheardhealer.com/about.html The music at the beginning of the interview is by the two time grammy winner Peter Kater; https://peterkater.com

Kelvin Heard, "The Healers Journey"book launch

Ramdesh Kaur has studied spirituality from a very young age.  She has been blessed to sit at the feet of Hindu saints, chant kirtan with Sikhs, meditate with Buddhist monks, perform ceremony with Quechuan and Shuar shamans, do penance with Catholic nuns, find the hidden Matzo with Jewish rabbis, make drums with Native American elders, and dialogue with many of the leading New Thought spiritual thinkers of our time. She practices a daily regimen of Kundalini yoga, meditation, chanting, seva, and readings from holy scriptures and enlightened texts. In adulthood, she was given the spiritual name “Ramdesh Kaur”, whichs means “One who sees God’s land everywhere and walks in grace and beauty throughout her life”.  After receiving her teacher training from Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Ramdesh taught Kundalini Yoga at Parmarth Niketan in India.  She is now a resident yoga expert and content writer for Spirit Voyage, the record label behind Snatam Kaur, Mirabai Ceiba, Guruganesha Singh and many others.  You can read more of her writing at www.spiritvoyage.com/blog and www.noordinarylight.blogspot.com.

Ramdesh Kaur

A preview of the launch of Leonard Cohens album "Popular Problems". Recorded at the Canadian Embassy in London, UK.
Hosted by Stuart Maconie
To listen to the full interview please subscribe at http://whereisyourheart.net

Leonard Cohen "Popular Problems" Preview

A preview of the launch of Ry Cooder's album "Corridos Famous". Recorded live in San Francisco over two nights.
To listen to the full interview please subscribe at http://whereisyourheart.net

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