LA_Yoga_-_February_2018_Red

MEDIA REVIEWS // BOOKS + MUSIC

In My Room/MUSIC

by Karen Atkins
Karen Atkins Music

Singer/songwriter Karen Atkins is a
long-time natural health expert in nearly 50
alternative modalities, including yoga, qigong
and consciousness-based healing systems like
BodyTalk. She believes music is sustenance
and says, “Two decades of experience in help-
ing people heal themselves has inspired me to
make music with a similar purpose.”
Her album In My Room is part of a new
genre of healing music. It features A = 432
Hz tuning, which is said to be the universal
frequency that has a harmonious effect on
the heart and nervous system. (In contrast
to the standard Western tuning of A = 440).
She investigated this effect with listeners on
the 2017 Frequency Experiment Tour. Over
200 study participants completed before and
after questionnaires to report their perceived
stress and physical discomfort levels, which
decreased significantly after listening to music
from In My Room.
In My Room has flavors of Stevie Wonder,
The Beatles, Earth, Wind and Fire, and the
Carpenters and is catchy and deep all at once.
Upbeat tracks such as “Julian” feel fun and
playful. One of my favorites, “Tell Daniel,”
draws slow deep breaths inside its melodies.
The title track has a personal and universal
message that effortlessly carries the weight
through the lyrics’ emotions. The surprising
“Slip Slidin’ Away” concludes the album with
a country-folk sound.
This album offers music that is designed,
and demonstrated on tour, to make you feel
good by simply listening to it. With these
melodies and lyrics, you’ll probably find your-
self singing along!

Reviewed by Natalie Macam, a yoga teacher
who teaches locally at Malibu Beach Yoga:
tigerwaveyoga.com

inward/book

by Yung Pueblo

Diego Perez Lacera

The poet/activist Yung Pueblo is swiftly

recognized for his lean style of composition

and design. Pueblo’s posts take the shape of

distilled down verse floating in a simple black

and white typeface among wide margins. The

technique allows for a relaxed spaciousness of

thought; it is void of any pressure to crack some

code. The book extends a true feeling of...

You’ve got this. Take it. Turn the page. Go.

Pueblo’s new book inward is a curated

collection of the teachings that he has been

sharing for the past three years. inward em-

bodies that same spareness of his social media

footprint and his signature approach translates

rather seamlessly to print.

I was introduced to Yung Pueblo’s work

when Elena Brower wove bits of his verse

into a workshop. I was struck by the economy

of his vocabulary as well as its power to

prompt. The verse features skillful lowercase

bursts such as... “i closed my eyes to look

inward and found a universe waiting to be

explored.” And, “if you are far away from

yourself, how could you ever be close to an-

other?” His accessible wisdom is timeless and

piercing in delivery.

The 29-year-old poet (whose birth name is

Diego Perez) hails from Guayaquil, Ecuador.

He writes under the name of Yung Peublo

because “Pueblo” reminds him of his roots.

“Yung Pueblo” (young people) keeps him

recalling the youth of humanity and how much

learning remains.

Clocking in at a portable 5 X 8 size, inward

makes for a swell secret weapon to tuck into

a day bag; it is a refuge on the road. Learn

more about Yung Pueblo on Instagram and

Facebook @yungpueblo.

Reviewed by Associate Editor Susan Currie, who is

the author of the new book GRACENOTES: susan-

curriecreative.com

live album/MUSIC

by Simrit Kaur

Simrit Kaur Music

Simrit’s latest live album—North American

Spring Tour 2017—is, in a word, amazing! You’ll

discover riveting, somewhat haunting, and always

surprising renditions of songs from her recent four

albums. If you’ve ever wondered if music could be

simultaneously mind-blowing and soul-sooth-

ing, this album is your unforgettable answer.

From the thrumming, groovy opening track

“Prithvi Hai,” through the trance-like “Pavan

Guru,” the lilting, sonorous “Kudrat Kavan,”

and the upbeat, can’t-help-but-dance-in-my-

seat “Aad Such,” Simrit’s live album sweeps its

listener up in a literal sound current. Whether it

pulses towards white water (“Clandestine,”) or

moves into a soothing eddy (“Kal Akaal”), it’s

a refreshing journey every note of the way. The

last track, “Guru Ram Das,” is beyond sublime,

an angelic must-hear! Longtime Simrit fans will

gobble up this album whole, and newcomers

are in for a delightful treat.

Imagine that the Aurora Borealis could sing:

that’s Simrit’s voice. Next, layer in her harmo-

nium and a masterful band: a dynamic bass,

resonant cello, driving percussion and lyrical

kora. The kora is a tall, stringed, West African

instrument with a large gourd as its base. Solos

and graceful transitions on every track liberally

highlight the musicians and their instruments

with sounds to truly relish.

This generous, two-disc musical immersion

contains nine tracks ranging in length from 7

to 17+ minutes each. Whether Simrit is singing

a Gurmukhi mantra, or a song in English, the

appeal of this live album reaches beyond the

Kundalini Yoga music genre. It is Rock, World

music, and frankly, “out-of-this-world” music.

There’s a timeless, stardust quality to this

album that defies definition.

Reviewed by Mara Saranpreet Luthane, an actor,

model, certified teacher of Kundalini Yoga (as taught

by Yogi Bhajan), and soulful guide.