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Cultivating a Musical Response to Divisiveness and Existential Fear
Cultivating a musical response to the symphony of dissonant notes screaming for attention in our world right now is not a distant, poetic idea. Itâs a tangible, practical skill. Uncomfortable, yes. Difficult, yes. Full of the mess of aliveness, yes. A swift and tidy spiritual bypass would be much easier. But leaning in to listen deeply, to feel whatâs truly alive in us, can also make this moment resonant with hope and possibility.
Have you been tempted to write off someone in your life who has (or hasnât) adopted a particular conspiracy narrative with the pandemic?
D...
The Healing Power of Voice
In this interview by Jeff Greenwald for The Nine Gifts, Anandra speaks about the Healing Power of Voice.
Jeff Greenwald:
We begin to control the sounds we make when we are babiesâbut when and why do we actually start singing?
Anandra George:
That's a wonderful questionâbut not being a developmental child psychologist or child linguist, I can't answer that with any kind of authoritative stance. But I can answer from my own perspective.
When I was a child, my mother told me that I was humming to myself all the time. She would always ask me, "What are you singing? Wh...
Relationship decisions: Is it my heartâs guidance, or simply my trauma talking?
When you allow a lover to really get close, to rub up on your tender spots, do you tend to fight, flee, or freeze? Do you avoid or cling?
Ignited by a series of interactions Iâve had and witnessed recently, Iâm sparkling with insight about that critical decision-making moment in a relationship. I feel excited to outline some specific ways that a vocal/sound/mantra practice can help us transform our patterns towards embodying the intimacy we all yearn for.
1. Foundational self-awareness
First of all, when we have a self-awareness practice that cultivates the gap betw...
Completing the Stress Cycle - Burnout & Emotional Digestion
In their book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, twin sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski (sex therapist and singer, respectively)Â brilliantly cite evidence-based research on stress.
One of the key points they elaborate on is the difference between eliminating a stressor and completing the stress cycle. Completing the stress cycle means letting it run all the way to the end so itâs not getting trapped in your body.Â
A Visionary Way Forward for Abuse & Sexual Harassment Claims
Aren't we all so very tired of hearing about the latest guru gone down? The latest abuse or sex scandal in spiritual communities? As an act towards peace, I seek to present a visionary way forward:
How a Leader & Community Can Handle Claims of Abuse & Sexual Harassment
NOTE: This post goes with the Code of Conduct for Spiritual and Yoga Festivals, which I was inspired to develop as a contribution to the International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh. (A team of Heart of Sound volunteers runs the Sacred Sound Stage which I started in 2017.) It takes up where the Perpetual Agr...
