As a teenager, I met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (when I was 14) and began practicing meditation every day. I am very thankful for this practice and all its benefits. Through the years my meditation practice has changed and grows ever deeper. Along the way I’ve come across music that supports the contemplative process. One of the most beautiful aspects of classical Indian music is the rich “alap” or opening session of a performance where the musician improvises without any time signature or rhythm. Here is an example of my bansuri guru Hariprasad Chaurasia improvising in Raga Kerwani in the alap style…..
Another musician influenced by India but playing his western flute is Paul Horn. Paul brought the meditative flavor of India to his western flute playing. Here is an excerpt from his famous “Inside the Taj Mahal” recording.
While on meditation retreat myself in 2010 in Fiji (Naitauba island), we found ourselves in a deep meditative mood as we played music and chanted during a 3 day vigil that is done each year honoring the Mahasamadhi of Adi Da Samraj. I remember no longer feeling that I was playing music, it felt that all of us were praying together and fortunately we recorded what happened…
There are so many more examples, we’ll have to make some more posts on this subject, here is a collection of pieces from various recordings of mine in this meditative mode…
MEET JOHN
Meet the man behind the music and see what the inspiration is!
