Every year, thousands descend upon Los Angeles in the quest to follow their dreams, some of which manifest on a yoga mat or behind a harmonium. These were the dreams of Ashley Wynn, who was a heartfelt part of the LA scene until she moved away to open The Grateful Yogi, her own yoga studio in Las Vegas.
Early on, Wynn studied and taught at Bhakti Yoga Shala and opened her home to friends for ongoing “Share-tan” or informal call-and-response kirtan sing-alongs. She returns to SoCal to continue to be a joyous participant at Bhakti and Shakti Fests. In this, her debut album, she collaborates with a number of her LA-based teachers, mentors, and fellow practitioners whose voices and sounds weave together with a sense of smooth devotion.
The tracks on the album alternate between traditional Sanskrit mantras, such as “Aum Namo Bhagavate” and “Namah Shivaya,” and the English-language “Love is the Answer.” The commonality they all share is Wynn’s slightly breathy, yet deeply loving, voice that reveals her dedication to the practice in its subtlety, melody, and unabashed charm.
In “Loka,” an arrangement of the traditional Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu mantra, Wynn and friends break into a chorus of “I’m so grateful for my friends,” a sentiment echoed by many of us who share our practice with others. Wynn’s release, Love is the Answer, expresses this beautifully and abundantly.
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.