Asato Ma Sadgamaya – Performed by Nicole Doherty/Music Produced by Evan Goldman Music

by Music & Meditations

Hello Community!

I would love to get your feedback on my new recording of this amazing healing mantra.

Music Produced by Evan Goldman and Performed by Nicole Doherty.

Read about it in the below interview.

[divider style=”dotted” height=”40px” ]

How did you develop this track?

Evan Goldman approached me at the end of a yoga class at YogaWorks Main Street studio last year. I sing mantras in all my yoga classes while the students are in Savasana. Mantra is a sound healing vehicle and a way we can all share in offering gratitude to the practice of Yoga and Spirit that guides us.  He experienced a profound connection to Spirit and approached me to get in the studio with him to explore this more.  As an established music composer, he felt the creative call to compose the music behind my voice. I’m blessed to work with him. For his current projects check him out: hhttp://www.evangoldmanmusic.com

What mantra are you singing?

This is one of the most famous mantras from the Upanishads, the sacred Vedic texts written in 1000 BCE. The Upanishads are considered by Hindus to contain the answers concerning the nature of ultimate reality and human liberation.

Asato Ma Sadgamaya mantra translates to:

Lead us from Unreality (of Transitory Existence) to the Reality (of the Eternal Self),
Lead us from the Darkness (of Ignorance) to the Light (of Spiritual Knowledge),
Lead us from the Fear of Death to the Knowledge of Immortality.
Om Peace, Peace, Peace.

When did you discover you had a voice for music?

Throughout my life I’ve flirted with singing. I performed in a few musicals as a kid, sang in choir, was in a few bands in the 90’s, and was a theater actor for a several years in my 20’s.  But it wasn’t until I gained enough confidence in myself and heal life traumas, that I was able to express my Spirit through song. I thank yoga, mantra, shamanism, and Reiki as tools I used to uncover my light.

What is it that you want to express through your music?

Singing for me is an energy cleansing and healing. When I discovered that mantra was designed to stimulate and transform the chakra energy systems it blew my mind.  It was an a-ha moment.  When we chant mantras, we are clearing our energy and raising our vibration. When we sign Kirtan we are chanting to God and transmuting dark energy to light. I know personally when I sing from my heart, I feel a connection to Source energy that is undeniable. I want to express my love for this connection and help heal others.

What’s next?

I am working on many songs and guided meditations with various music composers. I will offer them for yoga classes, healings, and hope to sing live at festivals.

“Sonic Shamanic”: Feb 15, 2014 Soundtrack w/ DJ Marques Wyatt

by Music & Meditations

The live recording is up from our past event at The Source Spiritual Center in Venice on Saturday, February 15th.  We are so proud of this event series that celebrates Shamanic Yoga, Dance, Music and Sound Healing.  Fortunately, you can see our event live this year again for the third time at Lightning in a Bottle Festival.

This set is only the music without the teachings and weavings that accompany the music, but you can get the musical flavor and vibration. One day we will get the mic to run through the recorder! 😉

Here are pictures from this latest event at Source Spiritual Center.

Screen-Shot-2013-12-10-at-2.53.27-PM

Overcoming Obstacles: Finding Gratitude in Deep Stillness

by Nicole's Published Articles

Written by Nicole Doherty – published for Yoganonymous

Whenever we are faced with obstacles on our journey, they are actually amazing opportunities in disguise to create stillness, to go within and to find gratitude for all things.

With every obstacle that arises we have a chance to see the shadowy parts of ourselves that lay hidden beneath the surface. The fluctuations of the mind, the ego, and external forces create a landmine of distractions that can keep us from going deep within to listen to our soul. We all know how easy it is, when faced with obstacles to judge and to move outside of our alignment toward self-destructive, punishing behaviors and thoughts of our wrongdoing. Or we can distract ourselves outwardly by socializing, searching for people to rally around our ‘being right’, or help those who are troubled so that we can forget about our own issues.

As described by the ancient philosophies, the truth is that the way to harness our power is to create stillness. In stillness we magnify our power by listening to silence. Silence gives us a glimpse of the free, unconditionally loving spirit within. It strengthens our intuition, which is our ability to see the inner world, in contrast to using our eyes to interpret the ever-changing outer world. Creating stillness is what most of us need and what most of us despise. Stillness can be perceived as uncomfortable, frightful, lazy and lonely.

Let’s not forget that we are spiritual beings living in a human body and not the other way around. The love for others and ourselves originates from our connection to Source energy.

“You are not a troubled guest on this Earth, you are not an accident amidst other accidents, you were invited from another and greater night than the one from which you have just emerged.” ~David Whyte

In the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, (1.14) it is written, “control over the mind’s fluctuations comes from persevering practice and non-attachment”. These two guiding concepts of Abhyasa (consistent practice) and Vairagya (non-attachment) help us to find meditation. Although they seem like opposites, effort and surrender, they work as compliments to find this peace within. Peace does not come without practice.

For me, the most effective way to design a practice is to create a sacred space right next to my bed. This way before I start my day, or before I go to bed, I have no excuse, but to stop at my altar. I have adorned my altar with many representations of beauty, people, deities, rocks, stones, crystals, scents and elements of nature. I now have a meditation cushion to curb my excuses that it’s just not comfortable.

I also have slowed down significantly to find prayers of gratitude before my daily rituals like eating, yoga, or healing sessions to tap into my Source energy for guidance and love. If the mind is heavily distracted I learned through the Law of Attraction to acknowledge all of the things that I am grateful for through stream of consciousness. This will turn my attention away from negative thought patterns and will line me up with Source energy. From Source, I can more easily drop into meditation.

For my meditations, especially if I am restless, I turn to wise meditation teachers to steer my silence through their guided meditations. Some of my favorite teachers are Deepak Chopra, Rod Stryker, Richard Freeman and Jeddah Mali.

On a final note about those feelings of discomfort, I want to share an analogy that I love from a Shaman I trained with in Peru.

Imagine for the first time you have just stepped onto an airplane.  Bad weather appears outside. The plane gets bumpy and is jolted. Major fear arises. You think are going to die. You reach for the barf bag in the seat in front of you and get sick. The second time you get on the plane, you feel the jolt and you know what is causing it and the feeling of sickness may have dissipated. After several plane rides you know the territory and you feel more safe. Now, you can fall asleep on the plane with no effort. You completely trust and surrender that you are in good hands. 

The next time you sit down, remember that everything that’s new has its obstacles and that’s what provides the biggest growth. Sit with your fear and send it love.

This year has been one of the most challenging years of my life, with the biggest obstacles and it has also the most expansive on all levels of my being.  Finding my meditation practice has transformed my life.

In pure love, light and joy, may you find peace this holiday season and find meditation in all your days to come.

Photo Cred: caleblandon.com

Origionally Published at Yoganonymous

oie_19145152o6zcv28

Face Your Shadow: Yoga & Shamanism

by Nicole's Blog

I’m re-posting this blog from May 2012…it’s incredible to watch the transformation I’ve undergone since this post 1.5 years ago and the potency of this work. I’d love to write much more about these subjects in the next coming year.

****

May 2012

Since living in Peru last year, I’ve submerged myself in the study of Amazonian Shamanism. As a result of the transformation I underwent during my stay in the jungle, I made a sacred vow to dedicate myself to Yoga and Shamanism. Ultimately I vowed to bring forth the wisdom of the Universe expressed through these vehicles. This journey has been extraordinary.

Through this work, we are shown the vast complexity of the human psyche. I call this ‘work’ because it is no simple task to face our shadows and consciously reenact what we have tried to forget. However, stuffing emotions and creating dormancy is no longer an option.

Our fragmentation and separation from Source has caused us pain and suffering. Without a vehicle for release, our suffering imprints our DNA and is re-birthed continuously until its unconscious patterns are identified, made conscious, and alchemized from suffering to forgiveness.

Through the shamanic tools of sacred song, sound and plant medicines, our deeply rooted unconscious patterns are revealed to us quickly. As we continue to peel back the layers, appearing abysmal at times, we ultimately arrive to the doorway of understanding that the Universe beyond the Ego is comprised of Love. Love is the epicenter of the Universe.

For me, April 2012 was impeccable in revealing latent patterns woven in the fabric of my family tree. This month, I have spent disentangling an immense web of ancestral patterns mired in the energy of “the perpetrator”. I am facing the shadows, completing the stories, and breaking the chain of violation that takes on many forms – verbal, emotional and sexual – that my Ego has been so fondly feeding upon.

The byline “I am not ______ enough” accompanies my stories. Yet, it wasn’t until I began this work that its origins were firmly exposed. When you need to cure “dis-ease”, you look to the root of the problem for its solution. Most of us are in a state of disease. We need to radically purge what no longer serves us in order to raise our vibration and that of the planet to ride this incredible wave of accelerated expansive energy home, to the Universal Heart.

The Shamanic path is phenomenal. It is the most incredible magic carpet ride filled with discovery, forgiveness and healing. As I have fully surrendered to the lessons and gifts, I feel as though I have plugged into a Universal Matrix. I no longer sit in the dark fearful and wondering why I am here.

There is no stopping the energetic momentum created once you step into this knowing. I have come to realize the amazing powers of intention, yoga, meditation, visualization, sacred ritual, mantra and music as keys to unlocking our marvelous manifesting abilities. We all have these abilities. Now, is your time to unravel and put your stories to rest.

What will you offer this world in service of the greatest good?

The world is waiting for YOU and YOUR unique gifts!

ganesh_1

Overcoming Obstacles – Finding Gratitude Through Deep Stillness

by Nicole's Blog

Whenever we are faced with obstacles on our journey, they are actually amazing opportunities in disguise to create stillness, to go within and to find gratitude for all things.

With every obstacle that arises we have a chance to see the shadowy parts of ourselves that lay hidden beneath the surface.  The fluctuations of the mind, the ego, and external forces create a landmine of distractions that can keep us from going deep within to listen to our soul.  We all know how easy it is, when faced with obstacles to judge and to move outside of our alignment toward self-destructive, punishing behaviors and thoughts of our wrongdoing. Or we can distract ourselves outwardly by socializing, searching for people to rally around our ‘being right’, or help those who are troubled so that we can forget about our own issues.

As described by the ancient philosophies, the truth is that the way to harness our power is to create stillness. 

In stillness we magnify our power by listening to silence. Silence gives us a glimpse of the free, unconditionally loving spirit within. It strengthens our intuition, which is our ability to see the inner world, in contrast to using our eyes to interpret the ever-changing outer world. Creating stillness is what most of us need and what most of us despise.  Stillness can be perceived as uncomfortable, frightful, lazy and lonely.

Let’s not forget that we are spiritual beings living in a human body and not the other way around.  The love for others and ourselves originates from our connection to Source energy.

“You are not a troubled guest on this Earth, you are not an accident amidst other accidents, you were invited from another and greater night than the one from which you have just emerged.” ~David Whyte

In the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, (1.14) it is written, “control over the mind’s fluctuations comes from persevering practice and non-attachment”.

These two guiding concepts of Abhyasa (consistent practice) and Vairagya (non-attachment) help us to find meditation. Although they seem like opposites, effort and surrender, they work as compliments to find this peace within. Peace does not come without practice.

For me, the most effective way to design a practice is to create a sacred space right next to my bed. 

This way before I start my day, or before I go to bed, I have no excuse, but to stop at my altar.  I have adorned my altar with many representations of beauty, people, deities, rocks, stones, crystals, scents and elements of nature. I now have a meditation cushion to curb my excuses that it’s just not comfortable.

I also have slowed down significantly to find prayers of gratitude before my daily rituals like eating, yoga, or healing sessions to tap into my Source energy for guidance and love.

If the mind is heavily distracted I learned through the Law of Attraction to acknowledge all of the things that I am grateful for through stream of consciousness. This will turn my attention away from negative thought patterns and will line me up with Source energy. From Source, I can more easily drop into meditation.

For my meditations, especially if I am restless, I turn to wise meditation teachers to steer my silence through their guided meditations. 

Some of my favorite teachers are Deepak Chopra, Rod Stryker, Richard Freeman and Jeddah Mali.

On a final note about those feelings of discomfort, I want to share an analogy that I love from a Shaman I trained with in Peru.

Imagine for the first time you have just stepped onto an airplane.  Bad weather appears outside. The plane gets bumpy and is jolted. Major fear arises. You think are going to die. You reach for the barf bag in the seat in front of you and get sick.  The second time you get on the plane, you feel the jolt and you know what is causing it and the feeling of sickness may have dissipated.  After several plane rides you know the territory and you feel more safe.  Now, you can fall asleep on the plane with no effort. You completely trust and surrender that you are in good hands. 

The next time you sit down, remember that everything that’s new has its obstacles and that’s what provides the biggest growth. Sit with your fear and send it love.

This year has been one of the most challenging years of my life, with the biggest obstacles AND it has also the most expansive on all levels of my being.  Finding my meditation practice has transformed my life.

In pure love, light and joy.  May you find peace this Thanksgiving season and find meditation in all your days to come.

Blessings,

Nicole