This month, as we return to Singing As Medicine, I would like to invite each student to choose a singing project that develops their devotional voice. I especially recommend Bhaja Govindam so that we can create another tapestry project together, although you are, of course, free to choose any piece that inspires you. You might find something that touches you in the Singing For God, Kirtan Masterclasses or Singing As Meditation modules.

However, we also introduce something new, which is consciously integrating the Kundalini experience into our Singing As Medicine journey. With that in mind, we will begin introducing the chakras into our work by drawing from our Chakra Immersion. We will also begin integrating the Tantric path through The Mystery of Ganesha, gradually weaving these dimensions into our singing process.

We meet for both Singing As Medicine and the Creative Collective on August 15. Since everyone is quite involved with developing their 60-day Mantra Practice, I suggest li...

When Your Practice Becomes Fragmented

There comes a point on every spiritual path when another teaching, another book, another mantra, or another meditation technique no longer satisfies us in the way it once did.

This isn't a sign that something is wrong.

It is often a sign that something deeper is trying to emerge.

When we first begin our spiritual journey, everything feels new. We are delighted by each discovery, inspired by every practice, and nourished by every glimpse of something greater than ourselves. We collect experiences much as children collect treasures, each one opening another door.

Over time, however, something changes.

Our library grows.

Our courses accumulate.

Our understanding expands.

Yet our daily practice often becomes smaller.

Many sincere practitioners find themselves surrounded by extraordinary spiritual resources—not to mention the vast amount of spiritual material now freely available on the internet—while struggling to maintain a consistent relati...

There is a subtle danger that accompanies every sincere spiritual journey. 

It doesn't arrive at the beginning. It usually arrives years later.

After we've attended the retreats, read the books, practiced meditation, chanted the mantras, prayed the prayers, and explored the world's wisdom traditions, something unexpected can happen.

Our spiritual life becomes familiar.

The practices remain. The vocabulary remains. The understanding remains. Yet somewhere beneath the surface, the freshness that first drew us to the spiritual path begins to fade.

The danger isn't that we stop practicing.

The danger is that we stop growing.

A tree that is alive continues to grow. A healthy relationship continues to deepen. A living faith continually reveals new dimensions of itself. Why should our spiritual life be any different?

Many people assume that growth comes from learning another technique.

A new meditation.

Another mantra.

Another retreat.

Another book.

There is certainly value in al...

Most people think of mantra as a single practice—a sacred phrase repeated in meditation, prayer, or yoga. Yet within the authentic Yoga of Sound tradition, mantra is far more nuanced. Just as different medicines serve different purposes, different mantras awaken different dimensions of our being.

Three Paths, Three Functions

In the Yogic Mystery School, we study three primary streams of mantra: Vedic, Tantric, and Bhakti. Each has its own purpose, method, and transformational effect. Learning to recognize these distinctions can completely change the way you experience mantra practice.

Vedic Mantras: Aligning with Higher Consciousness

Vedic mantras are among humanity's oldest sacred sounds. Traditionally chanted with precise tonal patterns, they are designed to align the individual with cosmic intelligence and universal order.

Rather than expressing emotion, Vedic mantras cultivate clarity, steadiness, and higher awareness. They invite us beyond the personal mind into a state of pr...

Most people encounter a mantra only after it has become a finished recording, a polished chant, or a sacred song. What is rarely seen is the creative journey that unfolds before the final version ever reaches the listener.

Recently, I shared a video called Inside the Creator’s Studio, drawn from one of the many exploratory sessions that eventually contributed to my recording of Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu. While the finished track may appear seamless and inevitable, the reality is that sacred music often emerges through a process of listening, experimentation, questioning, and discovery.

This creative process is one of the things we explore together in the Creative Collective.

Beyond Repetition: The Creative Life of Mantra

Many people think of mantra as something fixed and unchanging—a sacred formula to be repeated exactly as it has been handed down. While there is certainly a place for preserving traditional forms, there is another dimension that is often overlooked.

Once a m...

This past Saturday, we gathered on Zoom for our first Singing As Medicine training. Rather than beginning with songs or melodies, we began with something much simpler—and, in many ways, much more profound: a single sustained tone.

For many people, voice training means learning scales, improving technique, or developing confidence in singing. In the Yoga of Sound tradition, however, the voice is also a doorway into awareness. Before we concern ourselves with expression, we learn to listen. Before we seek beauty, we seek presence.

This is why the practice begins with one note.

Returning to the Foundations

One of the interesting discoveries I've made over more than three decades of teaching is that even advanced students often benefit from returning to the fundamentals. As we learn more sophisticated methods, it becomes easy to lose touch with the simple practices that quietly support everything else.

Working with a single tone develops much more than vocal ability. It invites us to ...

There is a way of singing that is not performance.

I often call it “Singing For God.”
This reflects its origins in Carnatic music, where composers sang in the temples of India—the very places we visited on pilgrimage.

At the same time, I understand that the word “God” can create distance for some.

So there is another way of entering this same process—
one that focuses on the inner experience that arises through musical knowledge and technique.

This is what I mean by Singing As Meditation. 

It is not about becoming a better singer.
It is about becoming transparent enough
for something deeper to move through the voice.

It is a way of entering.

A way of allowing sound to shape consciousness
rather than using sound to convey something outward.

What Happens When Singing Becomes Meditation

When singing is combined with spiritual practice,
something begins to shift.

You are no longer “producing” sound.
You are participating in it.

And in that participation:

• Breath begins to orga
...

Maha Shivaratri unfolds in a tapestry of multiple symbolisms. At their core, they invite us to transcend the shadow side of our souls and rent the veils of our spiritual ignorance. It is a sacred night dedicated to achieving profound inner stillness and an immersive depth in meditation. This is the night when the divine energies of consciousness and vitality—the sacred union of Shiva and Shakti—dance together in harmonious embrace. Would we be willing to enter their whirlwind of intimacy, beauty, and depth this night?

This year, our focus is on the mesmerizing cosmic dance of Shiva, the Tandava, urging us to join in the dance of life itself. Personally, confronting this idea is daunting; the mere thought of swaying to music in public fills me with dread, leaving me acutely self-conscious. Eleanor Roosevelt once wisely suggested that we should embrace something that terrifies us each day, a mantra I am striving to embody. Would I rise to the occasion? Well, the night is young.

Shiva's...

During the vibrant harvest festival of Pongal, the air in Tamil Nadu buzzes with excitement as a rich tapestry of local events unfolds, celebrating the deep spiritual heritage of the region. Amidst the joyful festivities, one highlight stands out: a mesmerizing dance performance that brings to life the powerful deities of Shiva and Shakti, captivating audiences with its grace and fervor. Devotion to Shiva as a personal God as well as being identified with the Absolute Reality has endured in this part of India from the earliest of times.

Tamil culture is one of the oldest living traditions in the world, boasting a remarkable history that may stretch back between 2,500 to 3,000 years or even further, as suggested by compelling archaeological evidence. Ancient artifacts hint at a heritage that could be even more venerable, resonating with the echoes of a civilization that has thrived through the ages. The culture cannot be separated from its spirituality, nor spirituality from its cultur...

For some, Christmas is a time of fun, festivities, and family gatherings. For others, it can evoke feelings of sadness, loneliness, or frustration. The season is often accompanied by Christmas carols playing everywhere— in stores, malls, and elevators. If you love these carols, that's great; however, if you don't, it can be quite challenging. Some of the new arrangements can feel excessively busy, but the melodies themselves are timeless and beautiful.

Today, on Christmas Eve, I want to offer you something special: a music meditation featuring the well-known Christmas carol "Silent Night." This rendition includes no lyrics, only the melody played meditatively on a double-reed harmonica with a soft piano accompaniment. For our meditation practice, we will focus on maintaining a quiet mind, using the music to guide us into an even deeper silence within ourselves.

In Eastern spirituality, a silent mind invites holiness. This is one way to spend Christmas Eve—becoming quiet and still wit...