Notes From the Road

The Celebrate Peace Band being peaceful...kind of... with Shiva Singh and Shabad Kaur of Spirit Rising Yoga of Chicago. Hey, that's my violin!!!

We are very grateful to the love and energy that Shiva Singh and Shabad Kaur and all of the folks at Spirit Rising Yoga put into our beautiful weekend together... November 10,11, and 12. We had a great children's program, taught two workshops on the technology of Kundalini Yoga and inner peace as taught by Yogi Bhajan, had some wonderful dining experiences, and were treated with love and care.

Check out their website at: www.spiritrisingyoga.com

A friend recently asked me how I keep the music alive if I’m doing it day in and day out. I thought to write about it in this blog.

When we set up for our concerts we have the same back drop, the same stage equipment, the same instruments, the same everything. When I’m on tour I bring a set of outfits for the whole week… so as you can imagine after four weeks of being on the road there are some repeats. Same, same, same.

Yet with the tour we have a vast amount of variation. Sometimes we are in large expansive cathedrals, at other times in small yoga centers. Sometimes the audiences are large crowds who are singing along with great enthusiasm. Sometimes people have never heard our music and we are met with quiet stares for a good portion of the concert until what feels like a miracle happens and people open up and sing with us. Sometimes the crowds are small. And sometimes there are no crowds at all… when I’m home… and the music continues. My husband and I enjoy playing together especially at the end of the day.

The combination of the “sameness” of the tour, and the vast amount of variation that we experience could actually drive someone insane! Because of my commitment to peace on the planet… starting with peace in my own heart I have stayed the course. The process has lead me right to what I feel is the most important place of growth, and that is within. I learned a long time ago from my teacher Yogi Bhajan to sing from the seat of my soul to God and Guru and nothing else. Through these concerts I have been given the same lesson again.

So in answer to my friend’s question of how to keep the music alive, I do it by connecting with my soul and singing to the God within from my soul’s voice. I find that the more I can do that, the more people seem to hear what I’m singing. Somehow, I am singing to the God within them as well. I don’t know how it happens, and I don’t expect to ever know. I just know that there is a vast universe of learning right within each of us, and the deeper we make the connection with the Divine inside, the deeper we will be able to connect with everyone and everything in our lives.

I once played with a tabla player named Sat Nam Singh Ramgotra who said about himself, “If I’m not enjoying playing the tabla and the sound of the music, what is the use?” So, I often ask that question of myself. Am I enjoying this? Is it connecting with me, my own heart, and my own soul? If the soul’s enjoyment is not there… then it is time to shift something. It can be a little shift in a note, or a combination of notes. It can be a shift in my thoughts or emotions in relation to the music. It can be a shift in my breathing to be more in tune with the music. It can be a large shift like taking music lessons and expanding my knowledge base. All of these shifts that I have mentioned are from self experience and are a part of my growth as a musician.

As a good friend of mine Guru Kirn Kaur said to me the other day, “If you find out what your soul wants, and set the intention to fulfill the soul’s longing, there will be signs from the universe and a pathway to fulfillment will manifest.”

Let’s leave it at that beautiful quote. Until next week.



May Peace Prevail on Earth
Over and Out.