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...

Studying with Bede Griffiths was an amazing experience. The experience was more than just conversations; it was a transformative journey. Here's how it unfolded:

Every evening, he would give a lecture from four o'clock to five o'clock. This would typically consist of a 45-minute talk, followed by a question-and-answer session. His responses to questions were remarkable, as they revealed the underlying theology and understanding that he had accumulated over a five-year period, which really became part of us.

In the evenings, during evening prayer, the Gospel reading for the next day's Mass was shared, specifically from the New Testament. He would then provide commentary, usually focusing on a reading from the letters of St. Paul. The next morning, he would deliver a sermon on the Gospel, skillfully connecting it to the commentary from the previous evening. This process created a cohesive spiritual experience, especially considering the mental space he provided and the overall lifestyl...

There is a saying that the family that prays together stays together. One of the gifts in our family, just Asha and I, is her dedication to prayer and her commitment to preserving an atmosphere of sacredness in our home.

The kitchen is a space she is particularly mindful of. As a result, I believe we have cultivated something of a holy life, especially after leaving the monastery. Asha and I met in the monastery when I was a monk, and she became very close to our mentor, Beat Griffiths.

Even after our marriage, we spent about six months in the ashram as a married couple. The sensitivity of the ashramic way of life has always influenced us. However, there is something more at play.

There is the essence of India itself and the Hindu tradition, which embodies a prevailing sense of the sacred. Bede Griffiths defined the spirituality of India as inseparable from its culture, using the exquisite term "a sense of the sacred."

Griffiths noted that when he first arrived in Mumbai, formerly ...

In recent Yoga of Sound trainings, we've discussed the three dimensions of our Singing As Meditation process: the aesthetic, the therapeutic and the spiritual. If we focus excessively on the technical aspects, we risk compromising the aesthetic component. It may not sound beautiful if it’s too technical. Conversely, if you aim for aesthetics without the necessary technique, the beauty won’t be embodied properly, leading to a loss of aesthetic quality. It might be conceptually great, but poor technique means it won’t be beautiful; it will just be technically sound without any beauty.

Now, what about the third component—spiritual depth and connection? As we look at aesthetics and technique, it’s crucial to realize that even if something sounds beautiful and technically correct, it can still lack spiritual depth. Many people mistakenly believe that technical and musical excellence automatically equates to spirituality. I’ve come to understand that this is not the case after 40 years of e...

Over the past four months, I have watched my beloved wife, Asha, face one of the toughest challenges of her life. As a health coach, she has focused on her well-being, making mindful choices about food, exercise, mental, and spiritual health. This disciplined and passionate approach is part of who she is year-round, but these months felt like a sprint toward a long-awaited finish line.

If you are a woman reading this, you will find many insightful takeaways in the blog post in which Asha shares many valuable aspects and decisions related to her recent engagement with our healthcare system.

I encourage you to read this account also if you are a man, as understanding how to approach health care in certain circumstances will not only help you but also equip you to care for the loved ones in your life.

Asha and I both feel as though we have been given a new lease on life, which we intend to appreciate and share with others to help improve health and well-being in various areas.

Summa...