One of my all-time favorite books is "The Velveteen Rabbit", and getting to "real" has been a personal & professional goal.    Sometimes it's a moving target.  The practice that grounds me in what is really real is meditation.  There is a quiet cente

If you're a podcast listener, you know that I work as a voiceover actress.  I like to sing to warm up my voice before I start work, and this week I've been using the creativity chant from Deva Premal's "Mantras for Precarious Times".  It's just the righ

My morning routine usually starts with a cup of something hot & the New York Times.  When I started producing the podcast I added kirtan listening to this routine--except it's not working anymore.  It has become impossible for me to read the news & list

Last week I mentioned a new CD I found by Deva Premal called "Mantras for Precarious Times".  It’s a selection of seven mantras chosen specifically to support us as we move through challenging times.  The tracks are very simple, but that just serves t

I've always loved the imagery in the song "There Is A Secret One Inside".  Based on a poem by Tagore, it helps me to remember there is someone bigger than me who has a plan.  My job is to breathe, be the "salt within the tears of the eye of God" and hav

It's a great new day--I've started a kirtan band and life is good.  The band has two guitar players, several different kinds  of percussion, a harmonium/keyboard, an autoharp (me), and a cello (sometimes).  Mostly everybody sings harmony.  We've had

After a wonderful trip to the East coast (my second home) it feels very good to be back in Oregon where we are having an amazing Indian summer.  This is my favorite season no matter what coast I'm on. As I mentioned in the podcast, here's the link to th

If you've been following my updates on Twitter then you know I've been on a very busy vacation.  Though it hasn't been entirely relaxing, it is still so good to get away & see different things.  It has been a wonderful trip filled with connection to fam

It's time for me to take a little break, my friends.  It has been an emotional several weeks, and it's time for me to ground out for awhile on the East coast.  There will be a golden oldie podcast next week while I'm away from my studio, and I'm lookin

Every once & awhile a chant will follow me around for weeks, and sometimes it suggests a theme for the podcast.  The chant haunting me lately is "Amma" from Larisa Stowe & Shakti Tribe's "Reaching In".  Amma means mother--and it's especially poignant fo