Ancestors offers Guidance and Courage
“Take your shoes off, my child. Touch the sacred earth with your hands. Listen to our voices guide you through the realms of time. With open eyes, bring your courage to this life.”
Sukhdev Jackson sings these lines to open Aykanna’s release “Ancestors”. Poet, singer-songwriter, and storyteller Sukhdev is one half of the duo Aykanna, along with her husband, medicine man, Grammy-nominated percussionist, and Kundalini Yoga teacher Akah. Their soulful song and video offer a sense of solace—that our ancestors are truly guiding us with their voices through the realms of time.
“Many of us long to feel connected to what is beyond this world, especially to the Soul group that we come from,” Sukhdev says about her process with this particular piece of music. She says that the song came from a prayer. A prayer for healing, for finding the medicine in music.
Connecting to Spirit and Family through Song
This healing was part of the process of Sukhdev connecting with the spirit of her brother Jerome Drossart, after his death. She says, “When I lost my brother just two years ago, I deeply longed to connect with him from the other side. Even before I knew he had passed, I felt his presence. We had grown somewhat distant in the physical form, but as soon as he crossed over, I began to tap into his presence and hear the messages.”
In “Ancestors,” Aykanna evokes this feeling through song. “Although I may not see you with your eyes, I can hear you. Close your eyes, get quiet within. They [our ancestors] are much closer than you think.”
The video shows Sukhdev and Akah, with their dog and daughter, in beautiful and expansive settings, that express how deeply we are all part of the great mystery of the natural world and our connections with each other—in physical form as well as the connections we have in spirit. At this time, their message is one of power. May we get quiet within and listen to the messages that are guiding us. Invite in the process of listening. Practice listening. Through this powerfully lyrical and inspirational song, Aykanna is offering a meaningful spiritual teaching. It is a message that offers us solace and even solutions to soften our isolation. I’ve put “Ancestors” on repeat.
Jerome Drossart
Learn More about Aykanna
Learn more about Aykanna, their music, and their retreats at: http://www.aykanna.com
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.