An evening with the beautiful sounds of Edo and Jo, followed by an early morning meditation and chanting on the beach, lazy breakfast and morning off....I am floating. I have to admit the first time I experienced kirtan music (chanting typically in sanskrit) I was just a little weirded out. It as not my thing to close your eyes and sing foreign words whilst swaying to the sound of a drum and harmonium. But wind the clock forward, I am up there, singing my little heart out, without a care in the world what anyone else thinks as I drift away whilst the melodies of the ancient chants wash over me. I can feel the vibrations throughout my body and for the first time my heart truly swells and I feel connected to the music, to the people around me and to myself - in this moment I can understand the beauty of chanting and bhakti yoga (yoga of devotion).
Music can often invoke feelings of joy, feelings of sorrow and sadness, and for me it is often connected to moments in time the recreate memories. I even have a sound track from my travels that is a collection of songs that have had specific meaning at certain times throughout the year. Whether it be a song that is playing in the background of a time that is memorable, a song that has created a memory (think "Love Generation" by Bob Sinclair from iPods and Apple Pies) or perhaps it is tunes that have been stuck in my head for no apparent reason but are permanent fixtures for the duration of an event (Vipassana I had the entire Akon album in my mind - not exactly what you would expect but it reminded my of Mcleod)
I can live without a tv, but I am not sure I could live without my iPod - my music has been with me through countless hours on the bus, at lonely airports, of times when I needed a pick me up and times when I feel the song has been written about me (funny how that happens). I love sound and I love music from all genres - I even have been listening to traditional Tibetan nomadic music lately. It reminds me of people special to me. My sound track for this year takes me instantly to the Himalaya's where I danced to Bob Sinclair, to the hotel room in Kathmandu where Coby Grant kept me company, "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver and I am reminded of a late night phone call from a friend, Akon and I am dancing with my friends in Mcleod, Adele and I am sitting watching a volcano in Guatemala, "Sometimes" by James and I am again trekking in the mountains, "Om mani padme hum" and I am awaiting the arrival of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya....the list grows and is a beautiful way to keep the memories alive. And now I have another one to add to the list, "Om Shanti" by Edo and Jo. Check out the film clip that was actually shot on Mark's training last year.
Music can often invoke feelings of joy, feelings of sorrow and sadness, and for me it is often connected to moments in time the recreate memories. I even have a sound track from my travels that is a collection of songs that have had specific meaning at certain times throughout the year. Whether it be a song that is playing in the background of a time that is memorable, a song that has created a memory (think "Love Generation" by Bob Sinclair from iPods and Apple Pies) or perhaps it is tunes that have been stuck in my head for no apparent reason but are permanent fixtures for the duration of an event (Vipassana I had the entire Akon album in my mind - not exactly what you would expect but it reminded my of Mcleod)
I can live without a tv, but I am not sure I could live without my iPod - my music has been with me through countless hours on the bus, at lonely airports, of times when I needed a pick me up and times when I feel the song has been written about me (funny how that happens). I love sound and I love music from all genres - I even have been listening to traditional Tibetan nomadic music lately. It reminds me of people special to me. My sound track for this year takes me instantly to the Himalaya's where I danced to Bob Sinclair, to the hotel room in Kathmandu where Coby Grant kept me company, "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver and I am reminded of a late night phone call from a friend, Akon and I am dancing with my friends in Mcleod, Adele and I am sitting watching a volcano in Guatemala, "Sometimes" by James and I am again trekking in the mountains, "Om mani padme hum" and I am awaiting the arrival of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya....the list grows and is a beautiful way to keep the memories alive. And now I have another one to add to the list, "Om Shanti" by Edo and Jo. Check out the film clip that was actually shot on Mark's training last year.
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