Today Rick Rubin’s Book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being releases through Penguin Random House.

The exquisite 432 page hardbound may finally answer some of the questions hungry musicians, aspiring record execs, and spiritual seekers have been asking the enigma for years. Questions like, “How can I make it in the industry…?” “What exactly do you do…?” And most recently, “How do you listen to a feeling…?”

And then again, it may not.

The Daoist presenting prose ensures readers that the answers are both inside of them, and from the cosmos…and that it’s possible to create the causes and conditions for the two to meet. It is an infinitely wide view refined over 40 years of mythologized creative and commercial success.

Gotta Serve Somebody; Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La Recording Studio, Malibu. Courtesy of Showtime

A Way of Being

Rick Rubin famously launched Def Jam recordings from his Weinstein Hall dorm room at NYU. He learned messaging from wrestling villains like the Four Horsemen and used the technique to design The Beastie Boys’ epic explosion onto MTV.

In the decades since then, the legendary producer has become known for creating a sacred space, connecting to the collective unconscious, and inspiring an artists’ most distilled work. Lucky Angelenos have reported receiving pith instructions from the American Recordings founder while milling around the local farmers market, standing in line for a smoothie at SunLife Organics, and by posting up in the old Bodhi Tree Bookstore on Melrose.

Of course, for yogis Rick provided a portal into another world by producing the Krishna Das classic, Door of Faith.

In The Creative Act, Rick Rubin invites the artistic adventurer on a journey within.

From The Creative Act: A Way of Being, by Rick Rubin;

On Receptivity-

 “Creativity is not a rare ability. It not difficult to access.
Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human.
It’s our birthright. And it’s for all of us.”
-Rick Rubin

On Accepting The Assignment

I Need A Beat; Rick Rubin at the Def Jam Office (1133 Broadway, NYC) – Dharma Mittra’s 908 Yoga Posture poster behind 1986 c. Rick McGinnis

“If you have an idea you’re excited about and you don’t bring it to life,
it’s not uncommon for the idea to find its voice through another maker.
This isn’t because the other artist stole your idea,
but because the idea’s time has come.”
-Rick Rubin

On Gestation 

It’s The New Style; The Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Slayer +  Rick Rubin 80s. Source; Unknown

“At this point in time, it’s helpful to think of the work as bigger than us.
To cultivate a sense of awe and wonder at what’s possible,
and recognize that this productivity is not generated by our hand alone. “
-Rick Rubin

On Manifestation

It’s Yours;  Rick Meditative. Courtesy of Showtime

“Talent is the ability to let ideas
manifest themselves through you.”
-Rick Rubin

On Timing

The Great Surrender; Public Enemy signs with Rick + Def Jam Records 80s. Source; unknown

“Patience is required for crafting a work that
resonates and contains all that we have to offer.”
-Rick Rubin

On Doing

Whoooo’s Hoooouuussseee….?; Rick as himself in the feature film  Krush Groove 1985. Courtesy of Warner Brothers

“Do what you can with what you have. Nothing more is needed.”
-Rick Rubin

On Synchronicity

Legend Has It; Rick + Run The Jewels source; Broken Record Podcast

“When you’re working on a project, you may notice apparent
coincidences appearing more often than randomness allows—
almost as if there is another hand guiding yours in a certain directions.
As if there is an inner knowing gently informing your movements.
Faith allows you to trust the direction without needing to understand it.”
-Rick Rubin

On Support

Walk This Way; Rick Rubin and his partner Mourielle Herrera arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party c. Getty

“When the clues present themselves,
it can sometimes feel like the delicate mechanism of a clock at work.
As if the universe is nudging you with little reminders that its’
on your side and wants to provide everything you need to complete your mission.”
-Rick Rubin

On Habits 

By The Way;  Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers + Rick talk of their 30+ year friendship in the Showtime Series Shangri-La.  Courtesy of Showtime

“If you make the choice of reading classic literature
everyday for a year,
rather than reading the news,
by the end of that time period
you’ll have more honed sensitivity
for recognizing greatness from books than from the media.

This applies to every choice we make.
Not just with art, but with the friends we chose,
the conversations we have, even the thoughts we reflect on.
All of these aspects affect our ability
to distinguish good from very good, very good from great.
They help us determine what’s worthy of our time and attention.”
-Rick Rubin

On Intuition

Takin’ The Long Way Around;  The Dixie Chicks, David Lynch + Rick  c. Getty

“It’s not always easy to follow
the subtle energetic information the universe broadcasts,
especially when your friends, family, coworkers,
or those with a business interest
in your creativity are offering seemingly
rational advice that challenges your intuitive knowing.
To the best of my ability,
I’ve followed my intuition to make career turns,
and been recommended against doing so every time.
It helps to realize that it’s better to
follow the universe than those around you.”
-Rick Rubin

On Deep Listening

Everyone I Know Goes Away In The End; Rick with Johnny Cash c. Getty

“Our work embodies a higher purpose.
Whether we know it or not, we’re a conduit for the universe.
Material is allowed through us.
If we are a clear channel,
our intention reflects the intention in the cosmos.

Most creators think of themselves as the conductor of the orchestra.
If we zoom out of our small view of reality,
we function more as an instrumentalist
in a much larger symphony the universe is orchestrating.”
-Rick Rubin

On Intention

The Last Waltz; Rick reflects             courtesy Showtime

“With the objective of simply doing great work,
a ripple effect occurs. A bar is set for everything you do,
which may not only lift your work to new heights,
but raise the vibrations of your entire life.
It may even inspire others to do their best work.
Greatness begets greatness. It’s infectious.”
-Rick Rubin

On Trust

Rolling In the Deep; Adele wins 7 Grammys for her “21” album produced By Rick at Shangri-La c. Getty

“In an abundant world,
we have a greater capacity to complete
and release our work. When there are so many ideas
available and so much great art to make,
we are compelled to engage, let go, and move forward.”
-Rick Rubin

On Eternity

It’s Time To Move On; Tom Petty + Rick in the studio on “Wildflowers” c. Robert Sebree

“As human beings, we come and go quickly,
and we get to make works that stand
as monuments to our time here.”
-Rick Rubin

Amy V Dewhurst

To Check Out Amy’s Work Go To; Sense + Color, You Can Reach Her At IG:  Amy_V_Dewhurst  + AmyVDewhurst@SenseAndColor.co #PutYourGoodWhereItWillDoTheMost

www.senseandcolor.co

The post Rick Rubin; Sacred Spacekeeper appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo by Steffen Hoffman. Parashakti wears the Visionary & Dreamweaver designs by Kabartsy.

In the heart of the bustling jewelry district in Downtown Los Angeles, a passionate craftsman sits bent over his sander, polishing away at the wings of a silver Eagle pendant. This passionate self-taught jeweler is Varouj Khatchikian, CEO and Founder of Kabartsy Jewelry, as well as the creator and designer of my Winged Ones sacred jewelry collection.

Our paths crossed by pure happenstance, but there’s no doubt destiny had this partnership in mind from the very start. In alignment with my trademark practice of Eagle Medicine, Khatchikian’s first name, Varouj, directly translates to “Eagle flying above the clouds.”

And Khatchikian lives up to this name. Much like the Eagle, there is an essence of grace, humility, and serenity in his mannerisms. Soft-spoken and with a glimmering kindness in his eyes, he offers a refreshing reprieve from the occasional harshness of the urban Downtown district. 

Flanked by his two Visionary associates and self-proclaimed “it girls”, Nanar Joulhayan and Rita Najarian, he makes Kabartsy Jewelry a force to be reckoned with. 

“I feel like we all manifested each other at the same time,” says 19-year old Joulhayan, who is the younger cousin of Najarian. “When I was still in high school, I had this dream of joining Rita in the work she was doing with Varouj. He encourages expression, freedom, and creates such an amazing energy in the workspace.”

Bringing Consciousness to Creation 

Khatchikian’s arrival at creating spiritually-inclined jewelry seems to have been written in the stars for him since the very beginning. One doesn’t have to dig far into Kabartsy Jewelry’s website to discover the company’s history. Descended from a long line of jewelers, dating back as far as the 1800s in the Middle East and Europe, Khatchikian began this work in Beirut at the mere age of 14. 

“It took me about 7 years to learn the craft,” Khatchikian reflects. “About 17 years later, I finally felt like a jeweler. About 28 years later, I finally felt like a designer. And about 38 years later, I feel like I’ve finally realized myself and am ready to put all these ideas out into the world.”

It has been a winding journey for Khatchikian, indeed. In fact, what brought him to his current vision as a jeweler are his experiences at Burning Man and in the mindfulness community. 

“Before 2010, I was just a jeweler, I wasn’t even calling myself a designer,” Khatchikian says. “ I did wholesaling, retailing, manufacturing, and had contracts with many major companies. But then, once we got involved with this community, it was different. I remember going to Burning Man and my first memory is seeing this giant statue made out of screws and loose parts. It made me realize I had to think bigger.”

He was so inspired by the experience, he designed 67 jewelry pieces in two months. From there, the current state of Kabartsy Jewelry came to be. 

In fact, it was through these festivals, gatherings, and Conscious workshops that our paths crossed. Knowing Varouj was a talented jeweler, it was natural that he became my first point-of-contact for the launch of my sacred jewelry line based on the likeness of the Eagle. 

From left to right: Rita Najarian, Parashakti, and Varouj Khatchikian.

“For us, this connection with Parashakti is so special, because she brings a whirlwind of energy into the workshop with her,” says Najarian, the senior associate in the office and Khatchikian’s longest-standing employee. “She shows us what’s important and never shows up empty-handed, we love doing cacao ceremonies together.”

Najarian reminisces about our first meeting, which was undoubtedly a date created by fate. My initial visit to the Kabartsy Jewelry offices sent me into reflection about the numerology behind this chance encounter. Seeking deeper guidance, I decided to add up the numbers of their office address. Serendipitously, when calculated together, it broke down to the number “1” — which is also the token digit of the Eagle. 

I knew from this moment that I had found the perfect team to bring my visions to life. 

Infusing Designs with Divinity 

One look at The Winged Ones and Kabartsy’s own signature collection, and you can see the great care that goes into giving these pieces divine meaning for the wearer. This dedication to mindfulness is not only represented in the finished product, but in the process itself. 

Khatchikian describes the jewelry-making process as highly meditative, his opportunity to dial into introspection and lose himself in a world of his own. 

“When I design, I go to a different place,” Khatchikian says. “It’s like a movie plays in my head. Before I carve, design, and shape it, my hands already know the movements. It’s a similar state to when people chant, participate in ceremonies, and meditate. It’s like a ceremony in itself because you tune into what’s within, especially amid the craziness of Downtown.”

The workshop itself exudes a vibe of sacredness and devotion to integrity. Occasionally cleansed with sage and adorned with healing crystals, the team undoubtedly practices what they preach. 

This familiarity also ensures Kabartsy makes only the best decisions for their clients, especially when it comes to gemstone selection. When it came to choosing stones for my own jewelry line, Rita personally sat down with me while I analyzed various stones and the vibrations they put out.

The stone selection and sacred jewelry creation process is so individualized. Each piece is created around the stone that accompanies it and not the other way around. This can require reshaping, resetting, and resanding.  These are all testaments to the individual problem-solving process with each piece. Much like its wearer, each one goes through its own journey, struggle, and story.

“What’s beautiful about these gemstones is that they’re imperfect, and their beauty is the imperfection,” says Najarian. 

The handmade, customized process is why people come to Kabartsy, and why Kabartsy thrives among the spiritual community. 

Khatchikian likens the process to the custom computer his son recently built. It’s a smattering of parts coming together, and if even one component is off, the end result won’t function properly. 

“Those precious gemstones represent us and are going to represent the customer’s story,” says  Joulhayan. “They’re the essence of this company and how it started. Varouj’s ambition grew us into our Spirit potential.”

The type of sacred jewelry Kabartsy creates has evolved from diamonds, and the commitment to naturally acquired (as opposed to lab-grown) stones make it that much more personalized. 

“The end result is so satisfying, heartwarming, and fulfilling,” says Najarian. “You go through all this hardship and this imperfection that takes so long to fix and put together. When all that is done, you have something to appreciate for its beauty.”

From Colleagues to Family 

The energy the trio exude is unmatched. It’s familial, warm, and loving — and there’s no doubt the positive connection between these three is at the core of Kabartsy’s success. Khatchikian sets the tone with his welcoming and open-hearted demeanor. 

“What I wanted to create was a family,” he reflects. “That’s why I don’t hire individuals, I hire their hearts.”

When Khatchikian started the company, he was committed to independence and individual success. However, he realized eventually that success wasn’t possible without the support of others — advice he learned from many of the Conscious entrepreneurs he followed. 

In his search for someone to assist with day-to-day operations, he came across many people who weren’t the right fit, or with whom he couldn’t connect. One day, he was looking out the window of his Downtown office and extended a request to a Higher power, asking for someone who could handle his weak points. 

With the intention out in the universe, it was only a matter of time. Just a few weeks later, Najarian walked through the door.

From left to right: Varouj Khatchikian, Nanar Joulhayan, and Rita Najarian.

“I was looking for someone who would really trust me with their operations,” she recalls. “I knew I could handle that work and that was a manifestation on its own. So, I walked into this office and this feeling overtook me.” 

To date, Najarian approaches her job with the same sense of novelty and awe. 

“The benefit of being part of this team is that we can be ourselves to the fullest capacity. We hug our customers, we form friendships with them, we are authentic. We don’t dress a certain way, we don’t change the way we act. Varouj doesn’t tell you what to do, he just tells you the end goal and lets you achieve it in your own way. You’ll connect with that goal and a collaboration will form.”

Joulhayan is now the newest member of the team, but she emanates the energy of a veteran in the field. 

Between the three of them, there is a remarkably intuitive workflow. According to the team: the clients bring the magic, Khatchikian elevates it to conception, Najarian perfects it, and Joulhayan publicizes it.

Khatchikian lends the entire process an air of wisdom and significance, which is wholly absorbed by his team.

“The difference between the jeweler and the designer is the designer has to create his own tools,” he says. “Whatever you need, you make it as you go. And ask yourself: ‘Why do you want to make this piece? What’s the importance? What do you envision?’ It’s important to know the application of the jewelry before it goes out into the world, to meditate on its intention.”

An Advocate of Craftsmanship through Sacred Jewelry

Khatchikian’s entrepreneurial nature and self-taught abilities have inspired him to speak to the talents many are afraid to embrace. He’s a strong believer in the “Whatever Your Mind Can Conceive and Believe, It Can Achieve” mentality.

Not only is he consistently working on evolving his collection to feature more pieces that speak to him personally, but he is spreading wisdom to fellow skilled creators who are afraid to manifest their talents into livelihood.

He has created a podcast, audiobook, and various YouTube channels to help people realize their potential in the sphere. At the heart of his success and our partnership lies one important facet: the commitment to uniqueness and conscious craftsmanship.

“We’re in Downtown LA, so you have thousands of manufacturers,” Najarian says. “What makes our jewelry stand out is the presence of intention. There’s no 9-to-5, no constant routine, no monotony. The only type of jewelry we make is special stones, special cuts, special sizing. Everything is one-of-a-kind, like the people who wear them. The vibrations of the workspace — our love, our heart, our positivity — come through in the final product.”

To learn more about Kabartsy Jewelry, visit their website: https://kabartsy.com/.

You can also shop The Winged Ones collection, designed by Kabartsy.

Varouj runs a number of YouTube channels, including Develop Your Mindset, Bella Divina LA, Kabartsy Jewelry, and VJools, which focus on goal fulfillment and skill mastery. His book, “The 10 Stages to Skill Mastery” is available now.

Parashakti

Parashakti’s shamanic healing work is born of more than two decades of experience facilitating workshops, trainings, and retreats around the world, in Los Angeles, New York, Mexico, Bali, Guatemala, Indonesia, Israel, and Greece.  As a lifelong dancer, her path as a healer followed a severe injury – a period of what is often called shamanic dismantling, after which her mission shifted towards healing. Over the last 20 years, Parashakti has developed the Seven Foundations and the Dance of Liberation™, as maps for her spiritual practice, living and breathing these foundations in daily ritual. Dance of Liberation™ has been practiced by over 10,000 dancers around the globe. It’s was born of a mission to help people experience ecstasy – without taking it.
Above all, Parashakti is dedicated to serving community and creating a sacred container where people feel safe enough to experience their deepest essences, honor their voices, and shine their brightest light. Join her on the Dance floor: www.parashakti.org

parashakti.org/

The post Wear Your Intentions with Sacred Jewelry from Kabartsy appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Los Angeles-based tattoo artist, painter, and entrepreneur Dillon Forte has a thing for nature and his wanderlust that takes him around the globe. We’re not speaking of cruise ships and lounge chairs, this is the type of travel that involves being fully immersed in nature, connecting with the earth, and discovering parts of the planet that lack wi-fi and coffee bars. It’s the kind of effort that really helps one tap into the universe, and having his feet planted on the ground in places like Morocco, Nepal or Egypt is just the beginning of the journey. “These are the places I travel to and truly connect with my creativity and the roots of our entire existence,” says Forte.

Forte gained notoriety internationally and in the Los Angeles area from his sacred geometry style of tattooing and ultimately the deeper meaning that his clients seek from his work. Not only is there beauty and an obvious level of talent in his art, but to those who lean into spiritual practices and beliefs, his art helps further express their appreciation for the universe and principles that connect every element around us. This is where knowledge from books and research is often not enough for people like Forte and many in the Yoga and spiritual communities. “It’s about the real-world experience, being there in the moment, and expressing your gratitude and connection in your own way. Each time I tattoo a client I often hear a story about why they want this piece of art and it usually goes way beyond the design being pleasing to the eye.”

Although Forte doesn’t like to sell himself on anyone specific he’s worked with, with a few keyboard clicks we found he has inked some household names including Usher, Chris Hemsworth, Kehlani, Kat Von D, and others. Whether these clients are subscribers of the metaphysical or even practitioners of Yoga and meditation, we can safely assume there is something deeper these people are seeking when choosing to express themselves with Forte’s work. This is proof that just like one’s yoga or spiritual practice, a tattoo is such a personal experience and the reasons are as unique as their journey. This is what is so exciting about a tattoo, not only is it a great ice breaker when meeting new people, but they often have a story to tell that can be a window into their soul.

Sacred Geometry Design and Roots

So what is the big deal with sacred geometry anyhow? We see the designs everywhere in nature, architecture, and even on your favorite yoga mat. Yes, break out your yoga gear and you’ll see what we’re talking about. We asked Dillon about this to get his perspective on the topic.

“Sacred Geometry is a term coined to comprehend the mathematical laws that govern the structure of reality. It commands cells to divide, determines the radial patterns in a flower, and births symmetry. It’s been proven that the human brain registers symmetry as satisfying or beautiful. In scientific studies, symmetrical faces were even concluded to be perceived as more attractive. Perhaps in our seemingly chaotic world, our subconscious finds comfort in structure. This sense of comfort is possibly why so many religions utilize sacred geometry in their houses of worship and art. It is what makes Sacred Geometry “Sacred”. The idea that there is a plan. A blueprint.

I have been tattooing sacred imagery for the past 13 years, each day further affirming the interconnectedness of all things and people. Have you ever noticed the veins in your body resemble the roots of a tree? Or that a spiral galaxy mirrors the nautilus shell? These anomalies are actually not anomalies at all. They are rules of geometry that reflect the golden ratio. My fascination with geometry has been my greatest muse, with the human body as my primary canvas. I find that in tattooing, our natural symmetry in combination with sacred geometric imagery makes for a powerful and cohesive aesthetic.”

The latest with Dillon Forte

Dillon Forte currently lives on the West Side and is in the process of putting final touches on an incredible new art gallery and workspace in Venice. The street-facing location is hard to miss, and simply has “FORTE” as a header sign and through the windows, one can see beautiful sculptures and a calming entryway that leads to his space. Forte has upcoming plans to showcase his canvas art and sculpture collaborations in a series of events later this year and those interested can learn more via his website and Instagram pages.

Last year, he also unveiled Forte Tattoo Tech, which is his line of eco-friendly tattoo supplies that other artists and tattoo studios globally can take advantage of. He saw an opportunity in the industry, where most tattooists were likely throwing away difficult to recycle tattoo supplies, including wrap, ink cups, and razors that typically end up in landfills. These new plant-based products biodegrade quickly and tie in with Forte’s dedication to the planet, and likely helps him sleep better at night. For anyone who loves mother nature like most of us do, this is an added contribution to the world alongside his beautiful art and design work.

Learn more about Dillon Forte at www.DillonForte.com or visit Forte Tattoo Tech at www.fortetattootechnology.com.

Staff Writer

The post LA Artist Dillon Forte Talks Sacred Geometry, Spirituality and Tattoos appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Nicholas Petricca at Kundalini Yoga By The Sea. Photo by Samir Janjua.

WALK THE MOON’s frontman Nicholas Petricca talks death, breath, and his new studio Kundalini Yoga By The Sea

You might recognize the lyrics and the catchy dance tunes of massive hits including “Shut Up and Dance” (“She said, ‘Oh oh oh, shut up and dance with me”) and “Anna Sun” (“This house is falling apart”). These songs by the band WALK THE MOON became quintessential Songs of the Summer in recent years. In addition to inspiring us to dance, Nicholas Petricca, lead singer and lyricist of the band WALK THE MOON, is a straightforward, authentic fan of Kundalini Yoga.

Photo of WALK THE MOON by Brian Ziff.

Since 2011, Nicholas has experienced fame and the chaotic rock-and-roll touring with WALK THE MOON, averaging 300 performances a year.

And since 2016, Kundalini Yoga has been his go-to practice, helping him transition from overnight sensation to long-term hitmaker, with a new album and a new outlook. His impassioned transformation has led Nicholas, just 31 years old, to become co-founder of Kundalini Yoga by the Sea (KYBTS), a neighborhood studio in Santa Monica.

When did you start practicing Kundalini Yoga?

At different points in my life, I had heard about yoga, trying Bikram and Hatha yoga. I always appreciated it, but it never personally resonated. Then in November, 2016, a dear friend was training to become a Kundalini instructor, and I was fascinated. I went to (now closed) Golden Bridge and experienced such joy. I was just grinning, feeling connected in this joyous way: I liked the fast, repeated motion connected with breath, the chanting, the singing. In yoga, began to learn more about my chakras and connected with them for the first time. In one class, Kundalini Yoga awakened a new energy in me.

Kundalini Yoga By The Sea

Instantly, I became a member of the studio, going every week. My band moved to LA temporarily to write and record. I found out three months into my Kundalini practice that Golden Bridge was closing its doors, and my favorite teacher Dharam Dev Khalsa mentioned she was looking for a new studio. I knew I could do something, and I expressed interest in making the new studio a reality. She was intrigued, introducing me to Kia Dharam Atma and Lisa Arshawsky, and the ball got rolling. I strongly felt the call to keep this community going and to create a space for the community. Kundalini Yoga by the Sea (KYBTS) opened in June, 2017.

Dharam Dev Khalsa, Nicholas Petricca, and Kia Ancilotto. Photo by Samir Janjua.

Becoming involved in KYBTS was serendipitous, synchronistic. At the time, I was in middle of a transformation. My band had reached global success with “Shut Up and Dance.” We had toured continuously for five years. One tour covered 25 countries on five continents in just two months. We were on the verge of burnout, my father was sick, and I was searching for a path to inner peace.

I don’t come from a yogi community or family, and I still feel like a newcomer. I’ve been shown something that not everyone has seen, the Kundalini community and experience. Kundalini Yoga is a bit of a hidden gem. In Kundalini, I love the emphasis on the inner teacher.

Nicholas Petricca and Students at Kundalini Yoga By The Sea. Photo by Samir Janjua.

Tell us about your transformational year…

In the summer of 2016, my father’s Alzheimer’s Disease was getting worse. The band reluctantly cancelled our tour, and I went home to be with family. It affected me emotionally and artistically. My dad’s disease brought me in touch with darkness, depression, and tragedy. It shifted the depth with which I approached my music. My family found that, in the darkest moments of Dad’s condition, music was one of the few ways we could still connect and smile together. I know that whatever came next for me creatively would be transformative.

We began writing and recording in LA in November, 2016, with me going back and forth to Ohio. I was actually in the studio at end of January when I got the call that my father was in bad shape and I headed straight home. He passed in early February, 2017.

I came back to LA after his funeral. I returned to my yoga class and felt his presence with me and I didn’t want to let him go. At the end of that first class, Dharam Dev Khalsa played a song with the lyrics, “My love embraces you long after we have said our goodbyes. And I will be with you. I will be with you. And I will be with you.” (From “With You” by Jai Jagdeesh.) Pretty amazing.

Nicholas Petricca at Kundalini Yoga By The Sea. Photo by Samir Janjua.

How has your yoga practice changed your life?

Kundalini lessons shift how I approach daily life, moment to moment. I have a sense of stillness and trust in my inner teacher, recognizing myself reflected in the world around me. I am finding that oneness and sameness of the spark of life within me and around me, trusting the flow.

My yoga practice has also improved my relationship with my bandmates. Only through loving communication could the band approach our demons and then make the best album we’ve ever written (What If Nothing, released in November, 2017).

Photo of WALK THE MOON by Dustin Kessler.

What does yoga do for your lyrics?

The message in my music, I’ve found, runs parallel to the themes of empowerment and transformation in yoga. Our latest record (What if Nothing) is by far the most emotionally raw and vulnerable, more than any before. The lyrics are pretty autobiographical. On our first single “One Foot,” the refrain repeats “One foot in front of the other,” and that’s the only way we’ve made it through this process. I would say the song “Sound of Awakening” is the autobiography of my personal transformation. It was written as my dad was dying, and in a way it’s a love song for my mom.

The distance
And the difference
Between us
Is just illusion

How does the breath used in Kundalini practice affect your singing?

Breath is consciousness. Historically, even Biblically, breath is associated with spirit. With that understanding, breath shifts how I look at what I’m doing. When I focus a laser beam of breath into a microphone in front of thousands of people, I’m sending out this soul message, a spirit shockwave. The vibration of my voice carries the words connected to my experience and the melody that has come through me. This vibration carries all this, let’s say, spirit juice. Breath is the vessel through which people are receiving my art. Nowadays, I view myself as a rock and roll shaman, ha.

How do you practice on the road?

My KYBTS partners have lovingly set up me up with links and videos to Kriyas I can practice on tour. Unfortunately, it’s definitely a challenge to find any private space at all on the road. The tour bus sleeps 12 people, all living in a shared space. We temporarily get a dressing room at each venue, but then suitcases and gear are always coming in and out. As a group, the band works together creatively, and we live together as roommates, business partners, best friends, and performers. We never get to check out of the office. So I tend to practice yoga when I get a hotel room to myself on days off, once or twice a week.

What is special about Kundalini Yoga by the Sea?

Number one, I love the community. I am really connected with the vibration of the community being so kind and committed to everyone’s personal growth.

Kundalini Yoga By The Sea. Photo by Samir Janjua.

Visit Kundalini Yoga By The Sea

We want to extend our invitation to check it out. There are weekly classes, special workshops, and events, as well as opportunities to hang out, like the Chant and Chai Evenings. We have regular events that include Dance Soulsa, New Moon and Full Moon Sound Baths, Healing Circles, Reiki Trainings, and KRI Certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training Levels 1 & 2 Intensive Weekends.

First Class Free: Nicholas Sent Me!

Let it be known! If readers of LA YOGA Magazine come into the studio and tell them, “Nicholas sent me,” they can have a free first class. Sat Nam!

Kundalini Yoga By The Sea in LA YOGA

Read more about Kundalini Yoga By The Sea

More Information about WALK THE MOON

For more information about WALK THE MOON, including the band’s current touring schedule, visit: WALKTHEMOONBAND.COM. You can catch the band this summer at The Forum in Inglewood on July 19.

Kundalini Yoga By The Sea

For more about the Yoga studio Kundalini Yoga by the Sea, visit: kundaliniyogabythesea.com

 

Karen Henry

Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!

The post Nicholas Petricca: Rockstar Yogi appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Los Angeles Events: Classes and Workshops

Accessible Yoga

 
Learn how to make classes welcoming to everyone and to approach students in a trauma-informed way with Accessible Yoga Founder Jivana Heyman.
Details
7-10 Sep 9am-5pm $550
Spiral Path Yoga, 3115 Foothill Blvd, Suite F, La Crescenta
 

Transformation with Kyle Cease

NY Times Bestselling Author and Comedy Central headliner, Kyle Cease, uses his 25 years of performing, creating, and letting go of what other people think to help people move past anxieties, limitations, and self-doubts into a new vision of what is possible.
Details
9-10 Sep $199/adv
Alex Theater, 216 N Broad Blvd, Glendale
 

The Wisdom of Ayurveda

Carry Kim shares the intuitive wisdom of Ayurveda to teach us how to understand nature through our five senses to learn to heal and nourish ourselves.
Details
9 Sep 12-2:30pm $45/adv; $50/door
Lotus 7 Yoga & Pilates, 22521 Avenida Empresa, Ste 116 & 117, Rancho Santa Margarita
 

Shamanic Trance Dance

Transformational Trance Dance experience led by Siberian Shaman Ladamira and Medicine Women Sarah Eaglewoman.
Details
10 Sep TIME $50LOCATION Malibu
 

Yoga and 12-Step Recovery

 
Nikki Myers shares how to combine cognitive and somatic approaches to recovery from addiction using yoga and the 12 steps.
Details
15-17 Sep $550
Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 1:30-8:30pm, Sun 12-8pm
YogaWorks, 740 S Allied Way, El Segundo
 

Core, Floor and More

 
Sarah Court addresses the relationships of the abdominal diaphragm and the pelvic floor and everything in between, using the soft Coregeous ball.
Details
16 Sep 2-4pm $50
Yoga House, 11 West State St, Pasadena
 

Find Your Voice

Belgian sound therapist Annika Vandevelde teaches people how to develop awareness of their own and others’ voices.
Details
17 Sep 2-5pm $50
Goorus Yoga Studio, 15327 W Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades
 

One Day Detox Retreat

A comprehensive day-long rejuvenative detox includes superfood juice smoothies by ??????Juice Served Here, detox elixirs and juices, signature detox soup by Soupure, led hike in the Santa Mountains, detox yoga classes, Restorative Yoga and I AM Meditation. Third Sunday. Full or half days available.
Details
17 Sep $115 (half day) $195 (full day)
Aziam Yoga, 13050 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 202, Brentwood
 

Ecstatic Dance LA at Aziam Yoga

World-class DJs and free-form movement.
Details
22 Sep 7:30-10:15pm $15/early; $20/door
Aziam Yoga, 13050 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 202, Brentwood
 

One Day: Access to the Best of Your Life

ONE DAY is for women 35+ to discover new ways of being, create practices for a vibrant, integrated self that has you lit up in a new way of life. By Soul Bella Retreats.
Details
23 Sep 10am-6pm $175Calamigos Ranch Resort, 327 Latigo Canyon Rd, Malibu
 

FREE mini yogis yoga for kids class!

A fun and engaging introduction to yoga for children ages 4-8. This class is totally free and totally cool, incorporating meditation, breath, and asana in a uniquely kid-friendly way.
Details
24 Sep 9:30-10:30am FreeISKF Santa Monica, 1218 5th St, Santa Monica
 

Accessible Yoga Conference

Noteworthy workshop leaders address topics related to allowing yoga to be accessible to a diversity of populations.
Details
6-8 Oct $395City College of SF Mission Center, San Francisco
 

Los Angeles Events: Spiritual Teachers and Teachings

Sri Prem Baba

Sri Prem Baba makes his first teaching trip to LA. Talks include relationships “Love and Be Free” (Sat Sep 2), purpose “Finding Your Place” (Sun Sep 3) and “A New Way of Living Life” (Fri Sep 1). Sign up for the entire weekend or for individual workshops.
Details
1 Sep 6:30-9:30pm $20, 2 Sep 10am-6pm $125, 3 Sep 10am-6pm $125Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club, 1210 4th St, Santa Monica
 

Sattwadharman Benefit & Art Auction

Enchanting evening of art and culture, featuring a healing Ayurvedic dinner and silent auction of sacred Indic art. Keynote address by Himalayan monk Swami Vidyadhishananda. Support heritage-revival projects of the nonprofit Self Enquiry Life Fellowship.
Details
9 Sep 4-9pm $125/ticket, sponsorships availTemple Emanuel, 300 N. Clark Dr, Beverly Hills
 

Kriya Yoga Program

Phil Goldberg, Craig Marshall, and Marydale, owner of Param Yoga Healing Arts Center, host a rare visit by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, spiritual leader of Kriya Yoga International, in honor of Paramahamsa Yogananda and his 125th birth year. This is an evening of spiritual discourse, wisdom, insight, and music.
Details
11 Sep 7pm FreePoverello of Assisi Auditorium, 1519 Woodworth St, San Fernando
 

Navaratri

Celebrate the nine nights honoring the various forms of the energy of the goddess–the Divine Mother with pujas (ceremonies), meditation, chanting, and community.
Details
21-30 Sep Times Vary Sivananda Center LA, 13325 Beach Ave, LA
 

Los Angeles Events: Yoga on the Pier

Yoga on the Redondo Pier

Bring your mat for an outdoor yoga class on the Octagon.
Details
9 Sep 10-11am Free Redondo Beach Pier, 500 Fisherman’s Wharf, Redondo Beach
 

YogaWorks 30th Anniversary

Desi Bartlett and Sean Grey teach Silent Disco yoga classes (via headphones). Cohosted by The Xanadu Life and Bender. Post-class socials with snacks and giveaways. Bring your mat.
Details
10 Sep 2pm Check in for level 1 w/Desi Bartlett $454pm Check in for Level 2-3 w/Sean Grey $45Santa Monica Pier
 

ROGA on the Santa Monica Pier

Arrive early for the 8am run (drop off your mat and it will be delivered to the yoga class site) or come for the 9am all-levels yoga.
Details
Fall series Sep 9-Oct 21. 16, 23, 30 Sep; 7, 14, 21 Oct 8am run, 9am yoga, Free Santa Monica Pier
 

Los Angeles Events: Food

California Vegetarian Food Festival

 
Food samples, meals for purchase, educational displays and program, live entertainment, and family-friendly activities focused on a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Details
16-17 Sep 10am-5pm $20/dayRaleigh Studios Hollywood, 5300 Melrose Ave, LA
 

Los Angeles Events: Special Events

Bhakti Fest

Kirtan, yoga, workshops, ceremony, community, vegetarian and vegan food in this transformational family-friendly event.
Details
7-11 Sep $325 full festival (discounts for military, seniors, and kids)Joshua Tree Retreat Center, 59700 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree
 

Bhagavad Gita Convention

Learn how the Bhagavad Gita is a historic document and universal guidebook on achieving balance in the art and science of living beyond religion or philosophy.
Details
9-10 Sep; Sat 8am-6pm; Sun 8am-2pmCrystal Cove Auditorium, Student Center, 311 W. Peltason Dr, UC-Irvine
 

LMU Yoga Day

This free celebration of the traditions, experience and expressions of yoga is suitable for all levels with asana classes, meditations, workshops, and music. Concert at 7pm is Phoenix Rising: A Mantric Journey of the Heart by Yuan Miao.
Details
16 Sep 9am-9pm Free LMU Campus 1 LMU Dr, Los Angeles
 

Los Angeles Events: Music and the Arts

Simrit Kaur

 
Sacred music artist and Kundalini Yogini Simrit Kaur and her band will share mantras infused with energy, musicality, and devotion.
Details
30 Sep 7pm $25-40Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre, New Roads School, 3131 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica
 

Tzu Chi

Thousands of Helping Hands Healing Arts Performance features the Disabled People’s Performing Arts Troupe. Funds support the international spiritual nonprofit Tzu Chi’s charitable programs.
Details
1 Oct 7pm (doors at 6) $58-198Microsoft Theater, 777 Chick Hearn Ct, LA
 

Los Angeles Events: Books and Authors

Gretchen Rubin and Daniel Siegel

Best-selling author of The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin discusses her upcoming book, The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles that Reveal How to Make your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better Too).
Details
19 Sep 8pm $20-40Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre, New Roads School, 3131 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica
 
Daniel Goleman on Benefits of Meditation
Bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence, unveils new research that shows what meditation can really do for the brain in his new book, Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body.
Details
27 Sep 8pm $20-95Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre, New Roads School, 3131 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica
 

Los Angeles Events: Fashion

ActiveWear & Lifestyle Trade Show

Discover the latest in fashion-forward and functional activewear and lifestyle clothing. Meet designers and participate in special events.
Details
9-11 Oct Free for qualified buyers California Market Center, 110 East Ninth Street, LA
 

Felicia M. Tomasko

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.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Los Angeles Events: The Best of September 2017 appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Jon offering sound healing at The Beloved Festival

“The gong is the first and last instrument for the human mind. It is the basic creative sound. To the mind, the sound of the gong is like a mother and father that gave it birth. The mind has no power to resist a gong that is well played.”  ~ Yogi Bhajan

The breadth of the Bridgetown sprawl has rendered the topography of Southwest Portland, Oregon unrecognizable since my last visit in 2007. That said, Jon Reinschreiber hasn’t really changed much since then. He looks pretty much the same: with long white Merlinesque hair and beard and sporting a tribal print T-shirt. Reinschreiber is a shamanic sound healer and fixture in the larger Portland healing community who sold his house on Craigslist and followed the medicine path around the world before returning back home to Portland.

Twelve countries and five continents later, with a wealth of collected instruments and esoteric knowledge of vibrational healing, Reinschreiber has meticulously fashioned a fusion of traditional healing styles from techniques imparted by indigenous healers to create his modality. In short, he showed up, got the downloads, and put them to practice.

Over the last decade he has toured extensively leading meditations and facilitating performances from Burning Man to The Beloved Festival as well as for a long list of yoga studios, churches, and even prisons.

“Everything just blended together to create the harmonics that I was looking forward to creating,” he says while sitting in his Shamanic Vibrations Temple in South East Portland. The Temple is spacious loft with red walls and trippy ambient lighting effects. Here he sets up large chrome gong racks in preparation for this evening’s meditation.

Among his extensive collection of sacred musical instruments are Himalayan and crystal singing bowls, Chinese wind and Chau gongs, Javanese temple gongs, bells, whistles, flutes, drums, rattles, shakers, and a few rare healing instruments including bird quill pan pipes, Peruvian Chimu water whistles, and Peruvian flutes.

“People need to be practicing radical self-care,” Reinschreiber says. He’s operating on this simple premise, “If sound and vibration can create, they can heal,” he says. “Each human body has it’s own natural harmonic resonance.” He cites disruptions in that resonance as the cause of disease and imbalance. “Gongs, singing bowls and other instruments can create a harmonic field that restore the body’s natural vibratory resonance to vibrant health,” he says.

Watch the video of Jon Reinschreiber and his Gong Medicine.

Gongs have the capacity to create deep complex harmonics that suspend linear time, allowing chaos and order to co-exist beyond the mind’s reactions. This induces a creative meditation where internal blockages, conflicts, and traumas can be resolved, dissolved, and healed.

Yogi Bhajan said about this process, “The mind has no power to resist a gong that is well played.” That is exactly what happens in Reinschreiber’s meditations.

“The gongs are great for shutting down the monkey mind,” he says. A few minutes after he strikes the first gong, everyone in attendance has gone deep. An hour later it takes a little time before they begin to integrate the work.

Later Reinschrieber reflects as he packs up his tools, “I get what the people are willing to receive.” With gratitude he says, “I get to work in the energy of people doing deep healing work.”

You can sit in Jon Reinschreiber’s gong meditation series in Portland where he also offers everything from private healings to a variety of workshops ranging from introduction to master circles. You can also connect with him on tour and download recordings on CD Baby or on his site Shamanic Vibrations.

And Silver Fox said to Coyote, ‘Let us sing the World’ and they danced and they sang until the earth was created.”
~ Miwok Creation Legend

Sam Slovick

Award-winning journalist, documentary director and long-term LA Yoga contributor Sam Slovick is the director, writer and producer of the Radicalized documentary, currently working on the Kirtan Road Dogs documentary.

samslovick.com

The post Gong Medicine appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Nahko Bear photo by Daniel Jung.

A story of family origins, music, and activism.

From the West, from the North, from the East, from the South, the medicine tribe is gathering. They are rising up in unity, in resilience, and with the intention of creating new paradigms on the planet. They’re a group of young people being awakened into action by the music of a messenger. The messenger’s name is Nahko Bear and if you haven’t heard of him yet, you will.

Nahko Bear sang in support of candidate Bernie Sanders for a rally during his 2016 presidential run in San Diego. He marched for Climate Change with the 400,000 who could not be silenced outside of the United Nations. Nahko was part of the digital revolution that saved the sanctity of the Hawaiian Volcano Mauna Kea. He cleared passage ways for salmon to swim up the California Coast. And Nahko stood in solidarity with the thousands camped at Standing Rock to block the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Sacred missions may be in his bloodline.

Portrait of Nahko Bear by Daniel Jung

Nahko’s paternal grandfather was a Filipino lawyer who successfully protected a local village from Shell Gasoline pillaging it. Two days after the agreement was reached, he was shot and killed. Nahko’s grandmother fled to safety. Her sons were already serving in the Philippine Navy. One of them met an indigenous woman in a bar in San Diego, California. That woman arranged for her fourteen-year-old daughter to be in relations with the sailor for two weeks. Nine months later, baby Nahko was born. His name has been changed as many times as his family structure, but even when adopted by Caucasian Republican Baptists he kept the middle name Nahkohe-ese. It means “Little Bear” in native Cheyenne language. Its abbreviation, “Nahko” is now chanted by the medicine tribe at protests and concerts from coast to coast.

“It took me years to tap into tribal community. I searched for many summers just looking for native people to connect with,” recalls Nahko. After 17 years spent outside of Portland, Oregon, being raised “in the irony of what I didn’t like about America,” Nahko took to the road. He traveled from Alaska to Hawai’i, California, Washington, Idaho, the Dakotas, and Minnesota. He soaked in hot springs in national parks, and slept under the stars with his guitar.

“As I drove around, I was learning the history of the country by exploring it, and as I did that, I was writing a ton of songs, and gaining my own ideals of the United States…. The first elder that really saw me was Winona LaDuke. I was a fan of her work for a while, and she was the first person to take me under her wing, who saw me for who I was, and accepted me into her community.”

LaDuke, the revered environmental activist and executive director of Honor the Earth, is a native Anishinaabe of the White Earth Reservation. She successfully stopped the Sandpiper [Enbridge Oil] pipeline and is now firmly footed at Red Warrior Camp outside Standing Rock. Nahko is enamored by how she harnesses her heroism saying, “One of the most beautiful things I feel right now, is that you see these amazing, empowered women who are stepping up and really reminding us young men, and men in general, that our role is to let the women lead, and yet, we’re their protectors and we stand side-by-side, but the women are supposed to lead with their hearts.”

Shifting out of the patriarchy and into a maternal “equal and free” society is something Nahko hopes to be a part of in his lifetime. On concert stages in front of thousands and in private conversations alike, he refers to God with the pronoun “She,” makes a point to do a daily ceremony to Mother Nature, and relies on a management and tour staff of badass women. In addition, Nahko’s personal council of elders includes the aforementioned Winona LaDuke, Chief of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe Caleen Sisk, and “Auntie” Pua Case, founder of  Hawai’i Warrior Rising.

Chief Caleen Sisk’s Winnemem Wintu Tribe’s territory is along the McCloud River watershed in Northern California. They are committed to protecting the cleanliness and availability of water, clearing passageways for their “relatives” the salmon, and maintaining indigenous spiritual life.

Pua Case guided the #WeAreMaunaKea movement that protected the Hawaiian volcano, Mauna Kea Mountain from being desecrated from a proposed 1.4 billion dollar telescope to be built in the name of tourism and technology. The would-be demolition and construction site was planned on ceremonial land where native Hawaiians worship Wakea; Sky Father and where they dance, chant and commune with their ancestors who are buried there.

Winona, Caleen, Pua, and Nahko first stood side-by-side in New York City, of all places, at a fundraiser in the home of Peter Yarrow. Peter and his 60s supergroup, Peter, Paul & Mary were known for their flower child fight song, “We Shall Overcome.” That evening in Manhattan, Nahko became known for singing solo on a piano. From his track, “The Wolves Have Returned” his velvety, symphonic sound filled the philanthropists’ living room:, “Spruce tips and cedars now free up them rivers / the salmon will run / no dam can hold / Uniting the nations/ it’s gonna take some patience /so unzip your sheep skins the wolves have returned.”

Portrait of Nahko Bear by Daniel Jung

It was a prophetic performance that would inform Nahko’s ongoing path to protect the planet. He describes the scene saying, “Everyone was crying. It was the most beautiful moment, and I realized I wanted to go work with Caleen somehow.” He was soon called to California’s Mount Shasta to be in ceremony with the chief. Within the wise woman’s smokehouse, they hatched a plan to unblock local waterways in service of her beloved upstream swimming salmon.

September, 2016, after a hectic festival season tour schedule and significant time spent at Standing Rock, Nahko, Caleen, Pua, Pua’s daughter Hawane, and a group of indigenous water-keepers began a 300-mile trek titled RUN4SALMON. This two-week active prayer forged a clear current for salmon to swim from the Sacramento—San Joaquin Delta to the Winnemem’s McCloud River. In addition, it raised awareness about Big Ag’s irrigation plans to further thirst the California Coast by building another dam in the area, depleting natural resources and those that depend on them.

Nahko reflects soberly, “I’ve dropped into a deeper way. It takes a lot to change. To be accepted into ceremonial life, especially because I didn’t grow up in a tribal community. They’ll look right through you to see if you are ready or not. Being able to come into that walk, and let go of a lot of other things that are going on, so I could actually show up in a way that was humbled, stripped of my ego, and be able to just be of service.”

A big part of this sheepskin-shedding came when Nahko felt compelled to confront the circumstances of his conception and to clear his familial line. After re-establishing a relationship with his birth mother and his indigenous grandmother who trafficked her, Nahko sought out his biological father. Like his Filipino lawyer father before him, Nahko’s dad died by the gun. He was murdered in California, on Christmas Eve 1994. A few years ago, the man who hazily pulled the trigger was up for parole. Nahko was asked to testify at the hearing; to remind the judge of all he had lost without a father figure to lean on and learn from.

“My uncle called me, he’s like, ‘Hey the guy who killed your dad is going up for parole for the first time in 19 years. Do you want to go with us? What happens is usually we write letters, and then we testify, and then it puts him back into jail’.”

Nahko contemplated the impact that could have, and realized, “I’m not necessarily even mad at this guy, because I believe so strongly that everything happens for a reason.” He began researching the possibility of an in-prison visit. “I knew my family would not be down for that, but maybe that’s what I need to do for me, because I was a different part of the story.”

It was Thursday of Fourth of July weekend, and Sunday he would be leaving on a rock n’ roll tour with Xavier Rudd.  Nahko thought, “You know what, I’m just going to go.” By Saturday, he was standing in the visitation line at San Quentin State Penitentiary. The governmental staff who hadn’t responded to his visitation application online were far more accommodating in person. A kind-hearted guard noticed “Hawaii” on his ID, assumed he had traveled a long way, and knew he had only this one day. She worked the system, and granted him a pass. Moments later Nahko came face-to-face with the man who had murdered his father. A man of similar facial features, whose first words were, “Whoa, are you my long-lost brother?”

Nahko said, “Yea kinda, but not really,” and thought, “Fuck it, here we go.” He says, “I started from the beginning of how I was born. That when my uncle met me, he told me that somebody had shot and killed my dad. Homie was so calm and zen, and then his whole thing changed, he was like ‘Oooh….you’re his son,’ and then he started crying, and I started crying, and he just kept saying, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry for taking your dad away from you,’ and I was like, ‘That’s why I’m here, I’m here to tell you that you are forgiven’.”

It wasn’t a premeditated move, but an outcome that lifted the heaviness of that lineage. The inmate went on to express the hardships of prison life, the daily death-toll, and his shock that he had lasted in there, unharmed for so long. He vocalized that if his destiny was to die in San Quentin, then so be it.  However, if he were to be released, he would return home to the Philippines to ask for forgiveness from his own dying father, whose body was filled with cancer and whose heart was filled with his son’s shame.

Some of the final words the prisoner said to his very first visitor were, “If I ever get out of here, I want to take you fishing because you never got to do anything with your dad. That’s what I would do with my dad.” Nahko responded in kind, “Well, I don’t know what’s going to happen when you go face my family next month, but I encourage you to speak from your heart.”

A few weeks later, Nahko’s aunt called. Though some in his family were furious, the story had resonated with his biological brothers and sisters, who, at the parole hearing, pardoned the prisoner. Exactly 20 years after the shooting, on Christmas Eve 2014, the man was released and deported back home. When asked about this before a show in San Luis Obispo, Nahko cheerfully chirped, “I’m hoping he’s alive and well because I want to go find him and go fishing.”

While freedom can be found in forgiveness of the living, it can be more challenging to make amends with those no longer walking the Earth. Nahko felt his backstory included a few more people to make peace with. The healing came in the form of a phone call from a stranger who is able communicate with those who have crossed over. She said, “I talked to your dad, and he’s really sorry for what he did. I talked to your [indigenous] grandma and she’s gathering the nations for you. It is written don’t push your destiny. Just let it happen.”

Nahko Bear and Medicine for the People. Photo by Daniel Jung.

And it is happening. In each state where Nahko Bear and his band Medicine for the People travel for concerts, they are greeted by the state’s own “medicine tribe.” These tribes have come together by a love for Nahko and his music, yet there’s more to it. As Nahko explains, “Every state has a Medicine Tribe page on Facebook, and they’re basically taking the community aspect of the music outside of the band’s interest. They’re really creating alliances among themselves. They’re saying, ‘Let’s have a community meeting and share.’ That’s super special and I had nothing to do with that. They had their own festival last year in Indiana and 900 people came. We’re just planting the seed and everybody is just doing what they’re doing with it. I don’t have to question [our message] being sustainable because I can see the fruits of the labor being grafted.”

With each new tour and album, their message is becoming clearer. The latest LP is entitled Hoka, the Lakota word that Crazy Horse would cry out before going into battle. Essentially, it means “a call to action.” True to its title, the album contains tracks with names like “We Shall Overcome,” “All Can Be Done,” “We Are On Time,” “Build A Bridge,” and recent fan favorite “Make A Change.”

Nahko Bear and his band of musicians Medicine for the People. Photo by Daniel Jung.

Nahko is backed by one of the hardest-traveling bands in the conscious music movement: Justin Chittams, Patricio Zuniga, Tim Snider, Chase Makai, and Max Ribner round out the reggae-inspired, ancient, tribal, rhythmic, revolutionary, rap, and rock n’ roll sound. This group of guys are more than simply bandmates; they are true brothers, supporting a massive mission. Across the globe they step on the stage and sing, “I can make a change.” The audience responds by chanting the same. Soon groups of thousands are saying, and shouting, and thinking and believing in themselves, reaffirming, I CAN MAKE A CHANGE. The energy is always palpable, leaving each individual inspired to do their own work in the world.

Nahko clarifies, “Even though right now you could look around and go, ‘Shit is so bad’ with the distractions corporate media creates to alter our focus, the election, our water crisis; whether it’s a drought or our polluted drinking water, or bottled water companies owning rivers, or military policing and protecting corporate interests, I still look at it in a way where it’s actually a really exciting time, because not only do smart conscious people thrive in this environment, but it’s getting so bad that we are actually collecting more people to wake up to the reality of the situation. We’re getting more people from a neutral place, or a passive space, into an active space, and that’s cool because they’ll arrest Hollywood actresses, or [film director] Josh Fox, or they’ll try to silence reporters, like [Democracy Now’s] Amy Goodman, and they think it’s going to deter people from sourcing information, or showing up and standing there. However, it’s only going to create more opportunity to make the world aware. Because sooner than later, ‘we the people’ will take back Turtle Island and reclaim it as a free and equal society, bound by our watersheds and bioregions.  We will reclaim democracy as the Iroquois meant it to be.  I believe in those good things coming.”

Nahko Bear and his band Medicine for the People. Photo by Daniel Jung.

Nahko’s beliefs have radiated into the bodies, minds, hearts, and voices of the thousands globally who have been woken up by the “Little Bear” who came to the planet in this time, in this way, with this diverse backstory to serve this mission. “Something that I had to come to terms with at Standing Rock was believing in myself, and believing that I am here for a greater purpose,” reflects Nahko.

It is written.

For more information about Nahko

For more information on Nahko Bear, his music, and his activism, visit: nahko.com

Read Alisha Shakti’s review of Nahko Bear’s album My Name is Bear.

Amy V Dewhurst

To Check Out Amy’s Work Go To; Sense + Color, You Can Reach Her At IG:  Amy_V_Dewhurst  + AmyVDewhurst@SenseAndColor.co #PutYourGoodWhereItWillDoTheMost

www.senseandcolor.co

The post Nahko Bear; It Is Written. appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Nathan Sykes Solo Artist

Nathan Sykes is following in the footsteps of Justin Timberlake and Nick Jonas. Artists who made the not-so-easy transition from massively successful boy bands (NYSNC and the Jonas Brothers, respectively) to heartthrob solo artists.

Many have tried and failed, but Nathan will not fall into that category. Born with an incredible musical talent, he started singing when he was six years old. By the age of 10, he was winning local competitions including the Cheltenham Competitive Festival of Dramatic Art. He joined the British boy band The Wanted when he was 16. I had the pleasure of working with the band for a few years during which we shared a lot of fun memories (including adventures in London, NYC, LA, San Diego and Las Vegas). They achieved notable success.

The Wanted and The Wanted Life

The Wanted’s first single, “Glad You Came” went all the way to #1 in the US. They had a reality show on E TV, The Wanted Life. I watched as they went from being unknown in the US to heartthrobs.. I remember walking through The Grove with the guys while being chased by girls and the paparazzi. When The Wanted performed on the Tonight Show, the girls rushed the stage. It was chaos and an all-time first for Jay Leno and crew.

Nathan Skyes and Unfinished Business

Nathan launched his first solo project with the powerhouse team of Global Entertainment behind him. I’m excited to work with Nathan on his US radio campaign. We had so much fun while he was part of The Wanted and I look forward to achieving another #1 hit together. His first single is a fun uptempo song called “Kiss Me Quick.” His album, Unfinished Business, is available.

Nathan Sykes and Health and Fitness

Being an international star requires a busy travel schedule. I was able to grab a few minutes with Nathan to talk about his healthy secrets. The first thing he told me is, “I’m a bit weird,” and of course, we laughed. He continued to tell me the most important change he made after vocal cord surgery to remove a polyp: He stopped drinking soda. Instead, he drinks plenty of water and loves juicing. His favorite juice is the classic lemon and cayenne blend.

When it come to exercise he said, “I love walking.” I find a lot of artists either run or walk because at the same time they exercise, they can sightsee and enjoy the views of nature or the city they’re visiting. While walking, Nathan loves to listen to artists including Amy Winehouse, Miguel, and Frank Ocean. He wants to try yoga and his sister swears by it (I told him I swear by it as well). He tries to eat as healthy as he can when traveling and is a pescatarian (when he cut out all meat except fish, he noticed a drastic improvement in his skin).

Be sure to purchase his incredible hit single “Kiss Me Quick.” Nathan Syke’s long-awaited debut album Unfinished Business. Download it here: nathansyk.es/UnfinishedBusinessDeluxe

You can find more information at: nathansykesofficial.com.

Lori Rischer

Lori Rischer is a music business promotion and marketing executive. In addition, she is the health & fitness spokesperson for KIIS-FM, a yoga teacher and certified yoga therapist. Rockstar Health & Fitness shares the healthy secrets of celebrities. Check out her blog at KIISFM.com keyword Rockstar or LoriRischer.com and listen to her workout playlist on icHeartRadio iheart.com/original/Rockstar-Health-Fitness.

loririscher.com

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Harry Hamlin discusses finding the grounding influence of meditation through his role in feature film, The Fourth Noble Truth.

Meditation is increasingly a topic of news stories and a part of popular culture. Meditation is even part of the subject of an entertaining feature film, The Fourth Noble Truth. The film’s star Harry Hamlin inspires on screen. A recent conversation with the talented actor gave me a powerful hit on inspiration when we discussed the power of practicing meditation.

Harry Hamlin and the film The Fourth Noble Truth

In The Fourth Noble Truth, Harry plays Aaron. Aaron is a narcissistic movie star who gets in trouble (the kind of trouble that involves handcuffs) because he can’t maintain his cool. In order to impress the judge, Aaron’s lawyer sends the misbehaving actor to a series of classes with the judge’s meditation teacher, who is played with sincerity by Kristen Kerr.

Once I heard the name of the movie I was immediately intrigued. The first lesson that the Buddha taught beneath the Bodhi Tree was the lesson of the four noble truths. Life is suffering, the cause of suffering is desire, there are methods for reducing suffering, and the method for reducing suffering is to live by the principles of the eightfold path. The Bodhi Tree was also the place where the Buddha sat and attained enlightenment. I visited that very location in India and sat under the Bodhi Tree. It was a highlight of my travels.

As Harry and I spoke about the film and what drew him to the role of Aaron in The Fourth Noble Truth, my interest in the film, in Harry’s story, and in meditation grew. Harry decided to take on the role of the reluctant meditator Aaron because he was looking for a grounding influence in his own life in the midst of chaos. He found a welcome and fun challenge in the idea of playing a self-obsessed movie star who is handed a somewhat unconventional punishment for road rage.

Harry Hamlin and his Personal Practice of Meditation and Fitness

Harry began his personal practice of meditation in 1976 during his classical acting training at one of the top drama schools in the country—the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. He studied Transcendental Meditation (it was part of the school’s curriculum) and was given a mantra. When he is regularly practicing meditation, he says that he find his life runs like a well-oiled machine. Everything works and flows more efficiently. “The way you react is different, you sleep better and have an overall sense of calm,” Harry said. He continued, “When you step back and look at the big picture life is better, more enjoyable.” His meditation practice helps him step back.

In addition to meditation, Harry has a number of other healthy habits. These include hiking (his favorite outdoor activity is climbing mountains), weight training, and stretching. Healing from a recent foot injury required him to wear a cast and change up his routine. So he added daily 30 to 120-minute rides on a stationary bike in place of his customary hikes. And while Harry used to enjoy a regular yoga practice, an injury sustained during his stint on Dancing with the Stars led to placing his practice on hold to avoid forward folds per doctor’s orders. After the herniated disc he experienced has healed and Harry is looking forward to resuming his yoga practice.

Harry Hamlin and Food and Health

When it comes to food and health, Harry favors healthy and organic. He became vegan for a year after reading The China Study. During that year, his spine healed faster and more completely than the doctors thought possible. While he is not currently a vegan, he remains conscious about his choices.

The two of us had fun sharing meditation stories. If you have not yet tried mediation….go for it, it’s worth it. I promise you your life will improve. Just ask Harry.

The Fourth Noble Truth

The Fourth Noble Truth stars Harry Hamlin and Kristen Kerr. It opened in Los Angeles on June 5, 2015, at the Laemmle Royal (laemmle.com).
For more information about the film, visit: thefourthnobletruth.com

Lori Rischer

Lori Rischer is a music business promotion and marketing executive. In addition, she is the health & fitness spokesperson for KIIS-FM, a yoga teacher and certified yoga therapist. Rockstar Health & Fitness shares the healthy secrets of celebrities. Check out her blog at KIISFM.com keyword Rockstar or LoriRischer.com and listen to her workout playlist on icHeartRadio iheart.com/original/Rockstar-Health-Fitness.

loririscher.com

The post Rockstar Health and Fitness: Harry Hamlin appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.