Michael Franti embodies the connection between Yoga and music, both through the messages and melodies and his upbeat songs, his collaborations with yogis like Seane Corn, and his avid personal pursuit of the practice. His newest album is The Sound of Sunshine, and he says this about music and the album: Music is sunshine. Like [...]
Stay Strong For the past seven years, David Newman (also known as Durga Das) has been traveling the world with his wife Mira and other band members (including beloved LA-based musician Philippo Franchini) sharing the art of kirtan (call-and-response devotional singing) live and with albums like Lotus Feet and his newest, titled To Be Home. [...]
Feature Film About Shaman, Yogi And Artist Heyoka Merrified Premieres In Ojai The burning sweet grass smoke wafting from the Earth and Sky Temple (honoring the sacred masculine and feminine spirits) begins Heyoka Merrifield’s day. He lights his peace pipe (based on the tradition brought by White Buffalo Woman) which he hand-carved from pipestone from by [...]
Exploring The Divine In A Dive Bar “I just wanna melt away in all Its grace, drift away to that sacred place where there’s no more you and me, no more they and we, just unity” soulfully wails Trevor Hall on his single, “Unity.” This positive, hopeful and mystical perspective echoed in every Trevor Hall [...]
MC: You don’t like to speak publicly. You like to stay home and write and cut films. Why are you here? DL: What brought me here? I think it was last year that it suddenly dawned on me that the David Lynch Weekend was an annual event. The Third Annual David Lynch Weekend, Exploring the [...]
Far below the cloud forests of the Peruvian Andes, downriver from the place where the Ucayali and Marañón converge to form the headwaters of the Amazon, Orlando Chujandama Huazanga is calling the spirits to The New Rising Sun, a humble compound in a small village called Llucayanacu on banks of the Huallaga River where he [...]
An Interview With Andrew Hahn, The Kirtan Rabbi Rabbi Andrew Hahn, known as the Kirtan Rabbi, has been facilitating Hebrew bhajan (sacred song) over the last several years. His goal is to create a cross-fertilization of song and wisdom by bringing Jewish teachings to the Yoga world even as he presents bhakti (devotion) to the [...]
Kirtan Master Jai Uttal Speaks About Music, Love and Addiction From the banjo picking of Appalachian influences to Brazilian rhythm and classical Indian cadences, Jai Uttal’s release Thunder Love is a foot-stomping, hand-clapping ode to love and longing in all its forms. Amidst a busy touring schedule, Jai Uttal paused to talk to LA YOGA [...]
twins find resolution through ritual onstage "This has long been a dream of mine," rock star Alanis Morissette announced to a theater full of fans. Her dream? To sit side-by-side with twin brother Wade Imre Morissette, who is himself a recording artist and renowned kirtan (Sanskrit call-and-response) singer as well as a talented yoga teacher, [...]