i have moved!

i made the leap and historical move after almost 12 years on federal st.! it is a joyful letting go of an epic run of wonderful family and friends, and experiences. last night was the first night in the yurt as the federal house family expands to a more communal level. Kat, Nate and Coco (and Matt) arrive to the house and the community garden begins...see http://thetinyfarms.org/ . memorable about the first day/night in residence at the yurt was a nice indian meal with friends after a thorough sage clearing/blessing ceremony by Erika and Lucius and the full moon's movements through the skylight, as well as the unseasonably 'warm' night in late feb. I'm feeling closer to the sounds, smells and energy of nature out here next to the garden and feeling much gratitude for a rich life. music awaits...om.

Purple Lotus

Purple Lotus Solstice Tea Party release

live music in the Atrium between Thump and Curiosity Shoppe downtown Bend

Sunday Dec. 20th noon to four (with a little help from my friends).

Celebrating the return of the light.

The long awaited (just over the gestation length of an elephant- 22 months) completion of the solo project with some great guests. Global feel east-meets-west album with flavors of India, Brazil, Latin America, Ireland, Scotland, and the U.S. (blues, bluegrass). Recorded half on Federal St. in Bend Oregon and half in India. There are pianos, guitars, bass guitars, mandolin, Indian percussion instruments including the mridangam & morsing, other wonderful percussive additions, cajone, didgeridoo, and a tambura drone.

Inspired by life, love, family, Mysore Gurus, the Divine muse and playing music with friends.

Blessings to all.

young deer

This morning i woke with a new sensation. It was an energy that i couldn't trace as to its source. It was a solitude, slightly sad but when i checked over all the possible situations causing it in my life, nothing made sense..it wasn't friends that were distant or any current situations of transition (including my yoga practice and teaching). My life is thriving, healing and well as of late. Just finished a successful weekend with Manju Jois, my dear friend & Yoga Guru form Encinitis (& India), have new loving and energetic musical endeavors..kirtans with Phil and our "celestial songbird group", Vasudeva, the Yoga ensemble with visions of "taking it on the road" and honoring the space between the notes.. see http://vasudevayogaband.wordpress.com/, gypsy jazz with Pat E. and Kevin W., fiddle students, finally the completion of Purple Lotus my solo album recorded partly in India, new "intentional urban communities"--Mandala Yoga Community (we eat potluck breakfast every saturday together as well as other gatherings), the Experience Community Project Sanctuary on Jefferson..food co-ops, meditations, sound healing, community space & support, and my beautiful circle of family and friends far and wide...

So where did this feeling arise from? the deeper layers no doubt..and i settled into a feeling of compassion for those deeper layers within me and rested. At moments like these, i transcend the day to day details of life and sink into a much broader place of ALL the births, deaths and movements of life and beyond life to another matrix like level. Resting in this feeling of "all" is not pleasant nor unpleasant but very very FULL.

Then i realized what actually could be happening in my energetic field...i rose, turned on the Breveille Hot water pot for coffee and glanced into my backyard. Like may other days this week and before, deer were there....however today was different. Before it had always been groups or lately a Mother and its child hanging sometimes all day and into the next day. Not this morning, a solo deer was there. My Yard is a combo of wild and groomed and there are nooks and crannies behind the garden beds, yurt and lilac bush for the deer to eat and be comfortable amidst the domestic city life. However, today something odd ..the baby deer is alone resting quietly beside one of the eight g. beds that make a wheel. He or she is not eating but has a empty look in its eyes. Tears come to me and i wonder if that means that Mom has been injured or hit by traffic in its wanderings through urban westside Bend.
Those tears were for a real situation yet remind me of crying during a movie..the situation in front of our eyes reminding us of the things that we have experienced in life as loss, sorrow.
And yet, these tears are also freeing since life and death are equal players in reality and its the acceptance that brings more light to life. Anyone have any ideas about whether i should try to feed this creature or not?

jasmine

"Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet."

Jas the cat.

Always knows what to do with human emotions. Purr endlessly.

A couple of nights ago i woke from a bad dream with him jumping on me squarely and then plopping down on my belly to purr loudly, as if to say.."there Mom i pounced on the monster in your dream for you, you are all set now". Cats know things.

Vasudeva live on the radio

Vasudeva, our improvisational Yoga Music Ensemble will be supporting Bend's local radio :

hear us and get out your yoga mat at home, or just breathe.

Tonight after 8:30pm PST on kpov 106.7 www.kpov.org for steaming online.

red sky in morning...sailor take warning

urban wilds...for the last few weeks a family of deer (up to 6) have been sleeping in the backyard in order to munch on the remaining greens from the garden, lilac leaves and their favorite...sunflower heads. this morning the sky was amazing pinks combined with fall early morning light, with the golds/reds of the changing leaves mixed in. the effect was LIGHT and soul-filling (thank goodness the fall color palette has finally arrived, i thought we were going to go straight from green to dead winter, see snowy picture from oct. 4th- the earlist snowfall of that depth i can remember with many tree limbs broken and fallen). my dear friend and massage Guru Tarika used to say that the brilliant fall colors serve to ground us for winter, it's true. i'm soaking them up where i can find them, in town and the wild aspen stands, in contrast to the pine tree/black lava oregon landscape. fall is one of my favorite seasons, i think it is an old memory of the excitement and preparation of the ski season ahead.

Jazz

Music Sweet Music...a healing tonic.

Gypsy~French jazz immersion right now inspired by Grappelli/Django tunes and others for our "French jazz trio" in November with Kevin W and Pat E. Feeling the hot club swing..

And on the opposite spectrum my other new project VasuDeva, the "Yoga Band" as some call us...mostly improvisational India-inspired double drummers, trumpet, voice, guitar, crystal bowls, violin, rattles, clarinet and people doing yoga. We have our first out of town gig...Oct. 2010 at the Sacred Thread Festival in Cali.

And finally a recording project with Joe S. and ongoing Masala Mostest with Mark, Pat and Shireen. Feeling the fulltime music here in rainy/snowy days.

But thinking largely of my original music inspiration... my Dad and sending thoughts of ease to his health.