Blog
What's the difference between a Mantra and an Affirmation?
I can't tell you how many people have asked, "What's the difference between a Mantra and an Affirmation?" It's such a great question, since the terms Mantra and Affirmation commonly get used synonomously when in fact they're distinct.
The word "mantra" has been appropriated for different usages. For instance, saying "I can do it" or "I'm good enough, I'm okay just as I am" are affirmations. These affirmations, when repeated, have a mantra-like effect as they help protect you from negative thinking or self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors.
However, the uniqueness of...
What defines "Sacred Sound"? What's the best way to start?
When asked about the best way to start or the most powerful approach, I believe cultivating listening is something anyone can do.
Listening awareness is Sacred...
Top 10 Unpopular Insights into Sound Yoga Therapy, Mantra, Kirtan & Sound Healing
Yep, you read that right! Here's a collection of some of my slightly shocking, radically empowering views on the current state of all things sound and mantra, kÄ«rtan and nÄda yoga, vibrational sound healing therapy etc.
1. Radical analogy about Sanskrit anatomy (and why you don't want to miss out!)
2. Why I don't play the guru card?
3. Is kīrtan a cringy word for you?
4. My mantra "OH S*^T!" moment that changed my life
5. I am not the Sanskrit police but I DO want YOU to FEEL the SOUND
6. 50 years of chanting and a Sanskrit PhD but never had a mystical connection...
Sound Yoga Therapy: Interview with Anandra
Recently I had the pleasure of doing a video interview with Daniel Aaron from The Art of Vibrant Living, and we got into some wonderful topics.
Sound and Mantra Therapy Conversation Topics:
- Sound yoga therapy and nervous system self-regulation
- Sound and music as a path of self-expression vs. sound as self-inquiry
- Defining the interoceptive approach to sound yoga therapy, mantra therapy
- What's the most interesting, powerful, effective way of using sound or being with sound for transformation...
Reflections on Patriarchy, Pushing & Neck Injuries (vs. Being with What Is) in the Nepal India Yoga Scene
Are you feeling called to study yoga or chanting in India? Ever wonder what the yoga scene is actually like in international hotspots for yoga & spirituality, like Pokhara Nepal, Rishikesh India, or Dharmshala India?
Dear Katey Justice wrote this diary entry a while back about her experience taking yoga classes in Pokhara. Have a read, and get a feel for what a common experience of travellers and yoga students is these days. We hope it helps you discern what to look for in a teacher, so you can get the outcome you desire.
Pokhara Yoga Diaries, by Katey Justice
I...
Empower Your Leadership Voice: Smash the Patriarchy Sound Yoga Therapy FREE Experience!
What if your voice rose from your belly, shimmering with natural power and grace?
What if you felt both safe to feel and free to express yourself exactly as you are?
What if you savored the pleasure of harmonious vibration surging through your body?
For me, that is what we all lose in patriarchal, hierarchical power dynamics (regardless of which gender you identify with).
I've been on a not-so-secret mission to untangle the not-so-subtle restrictions of a patriarchal system on my own voice for years now, and it's a thread of conversation we often weave throughout...
10 Tips on How to Avoid Yoga Teacher Phishing Scams
Have any other yoga people gotten this (likely) phishing scam?
(According to a conversation amongst my FB friends this is very common and a LOT of people have lost real money on it!)
Read on to see how it came to me, and learn to spot a wellness industry targeted phishing scam before you get trapped in it.
Dear Anandra,
Apologies for the late reply. I was recently on a business trip.
I'm interested in booking private yoga sessions for my sons, Dennis (18) and Lukas (20). They are both amateur footballers, and I came across your profile as you...
Dark Chocolate Brownie Recipe for Singer's Vocal Health
Melt in your mouth fudgy brownies that are dairy-free, sugar-free (almost) & gluten -free & oil-free!
If you know me, you know I love to bake!
I am mostly plant-based, gluten free, and I don’t like to eat very much sugar or dairy because I try to keep inflammation down. (I feel better when I don't and my voice is MUCH clearer and more resonant to practice nÄda yoga with!) My boyfriend should avoid saturated fats (for heart health), and I like to bake…
So my latest experiment has blown my mind with how “more-ish” it is (my favorite...
A mantra and nada yoga chant retreat on Kaua'i is for you ifā¦
Calling all chant lovers!
We’re gathering on Kaua’i, my home island of 27 years, to retreat into the Heart of Sound.
This retreat is for you if:
you feel like you’ve lost touch with what it feels like to be perfectly tuned and in a good rhythmic flow
you want to reconnect with your love of sound, music, mantra and singing for your pleasure (not for anyone else)
there’s a dissonant gap between your potential and the life you’re living, and you want to bring it into harmony
you crave a space and time for yourself to listen deeply to your...
The more you know, the more you know you donāt knowā¦
The more you know, the more you know you don’t know…
Is there any realm in which this is not true?
People.
The longer you know someone, the more you realize that you have no idea what is really going on for them deep inside. They hold multitudes of mysteries, complex trauma, perceptual, differences, patterns, and habits built on foundations that you can never understand fully, because you have not lived at yourself.
Mantra.
Are used to think that learning how to chant, more mantras, sing more songs, do more complex, and longer chance meant that I...
