I really enjoyed this chat with the lovely David/ Sri Prana, covering  all things chanting, kirtan and bhajan, how harmoniums were introduced  to India by German missionaries, the sound Om and its meaning, and his  experience as a devotee of Amma the hugging saint.

David has been following the path of yoga for over 40 years. He  practices and teaches Integral (Poorna) Yoga. David is also a Bowen  Therapist and combines Yoga Therapy with Bowen to help clients in a wide  range of physical and mental health areas.

David’s yogic learning, practice and teaching is influenced by the  classical teachings from many sources including Paramahansa Yogananda,  Swami Satyananda, Swami Gitananda and those masters who emphasise  spiritual development and yogic lifestyle. He also studied yoga with Dr  Savitri Devi of New Zealand.

David is a devotee of the Bhakti master, Mata Amritandamayi, better  known throughout the world as Amma – the hugging saint. David was chosen  by Amma to teach her Integrated Amrita Meditation in South Australia.  He has been regular visitor to her ashram in Kerala and also has  travelled extensively throughout many areas of India. David has a strong  interest in Yoga history and philosophy.

David plays harmonium, guitar and sings bhajans (devotional chants).  He began this part of his Bhakti Yoga journey using only guitar but  during his first India experience he bought a harmonium and while  staying in Rishikesh taught himself to play the harmonium. David has  been holding regular kirtans in Adelaide over a number of years. He now  holds monthly kirtans at his Yoga studio in Myponga. Participants are  asked to make a spiritual donation which goes to support 4 charities.  These are Hutt St Centre for the Homeless, Catherine House for Homeless  Women, Smith Family and Fred Hollows Foundation.

David offers chanting and harmonium lessons to people who are interested in bringing the joy of Kirtan into their lives.

David is passionate about sharing his knowledge of yoga and enjoys  helping others discover how the rich textured layers of yoga practice  can be integrated into daily life.

Show notes www.shantisound.com.au/podcast

Rebecca  Calabro is a heart-centred sound therapist who brings lightness and joy  to all she offers. She provides a safe space for people to explore  their inner world and facilitates a deep reconnection, so one feels  empowered to create an inspired life with clarity and ease.

Over  the years, Rebecca has completed an extensive curriculum with  Acutonics® and BAST (British Academy of Sound Therapy) in many  applications of therapeutic sound and has performed and trained with  Grand Gong Master Don Conreaux. She also offers intuitively guided sonic  activations. Creatively, she expresses herself through an experimental  music collaboration, Pallasites, with her partner Ben Featherstone.

In  addition to sound therapy, Rebecca has 14 years of professional  experience guiding others through their awakening using a multi-modality  approach. Her private consultations and workshops unite her expansive  wisdom and developed skill set in areas spanning emotional health,  mindset, spirituality and vibrational alignment. She also creates soul  resonant activation art, encoded with sacred frequencies.

Show notes at www.shantisound.com.au/podcast

Pete Bengry is an internationally acclaimed professional percussionist, specialising in shamanism, sound healing, music production and one-to-one consultations. He is a member of the UK band ‘Cornershop’ who achieved a number one hit with the song ‘Brimful of Asha’ in 1996. His percussive training began at the age of five years, trusting his natural awareness towards rhythm, he began to play without any instrument other than his body and mind. At the age of ten years, he was lucky enough to travel to Africa and witnessed the Zulus drum, sing and dance. Being so moved by their presence, he received a drum, which influenced his passion into the practice of shamanism. This drum became his teacher, guide, parent and friend. When students ask Pete how he learned his skills, his reply is simple: “Listen to the drum, she will teach you all you need to know.”

Show notes at www.shantisound.com.au/podcast

This episode was a wonderful chat with the very deep and creative soul that is Malachi Lonsdale of Pranava Sound Therapy! I asked him all about his amazing Pythagorean Monochord table (which I was fortunate enough to experience a  sound healing on when visiting the Blue Mountains a few months ago!) as  well as his tuning fork holders, gong and gong-harp, experience with  the Sound Healing Academy, and more!

Malachi Lonsdale holds a Diploma with the Sound Healing Academy and  has been working as a practitioner for several years. He also has a  position as a tutor and assistant teacher and thoroughly enjoys  connecting with inspired students.

Driven by wonderment for the nature of sound and its remarkable  capacities for transformation, Malachi seeks to deepen his understanding  so as to aid those who seek its healing effects for mind, body, spirit  and soul.

Working with his friend, a skilled craftsmen, they continue to  develop some remarkable instruments and accessories, which are used in  his practice located in Blackheath, Blue Mountains Australia, and are also available for purchase.

Show notes & resources at www.shantisound.com.au/podcast

 Sally Skewes, Clinical Psychologist and Elizabeth Holbert, Music Educator and Performer

Wow, these two amazing women covered the very interesting topic of music and brain neurology! I learned so much! For example:

When do babies start interacting with sound- when does listening begin?

How does singing to babies help develop their brains?

What is ‘motherese’ or ‘parentese’ and how does it help our connection with babies?

How does social engagement affect the vagus nerve?

There is research being conducted about how music helps Parkinsons patients!

And much more!

Episode Acknowledgements and References

Audio Examples of Parentese/ Motherese from Instagram

1. Instagram- @marijadimza

2. Instagram - @babyandmummy_hub

Music snippets of pop songs (from 26:48 seconds)

1. “Then I Saw Her Face” by Smash Mouth

2 “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club

3. “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper

4. “Billy Jean” by Michael Jackson

5. “I Feel Good” by James Brown

6. “Time Warp” by Little Nell, Patricia Quinn & Richard O’Brien

7. “Nutbush City Limits” Ike & Tina Turner

Other Audio examples

Tibetan monks chanting https://freesound.org/people/djgriffin/sounds/15488/

Women’s liberation chant https://youtu.be/4ZeowophZe8

Ukulele girl (Covid 19 song) https://youtu.be/RapkewnhCm8

Books referenced

Dr Anita Collins “The Lullaby Effect”

Masaru Emoto "The Secret Life of Water"

More about Sally Skewes and Elizabeth Holbert in the notes at www.shantisound.com.au/podcast

Darren Curtis (BA.Mus.Tech, ADL) & Bradley Pitt of Sacred Resonance, work as artists and educators who have been composing, creating live sound baths, producing art installations and performing sacred music and presenting across Australia and overseas for the last 20 years and in the last 5 years internationally.

Their business Sacred Resonance, founded in 1998, incorporates visionary thinking and higher experience of the Divine. Their work includes immersive experiences of sacred art & music, education through future-sciences which aims to help facilitate an interconnectedness for the mind-body-spirit. Their speciality also includes the latest discoveries in musicology, archaeoacoustics (acoustics in temples and pyramids), full dome visual immersive experiences and brain-body entrainment with beat frequencies, working with new consciousness sciences.

Since 2004 they have composed 8 albums and produced the international award-winning multimedia film ‘Gates of Light’.  In addition, they have produced/composed numerous meditation tracks, produced large-scale award-winning art-sound installations and mastered sacred music CD’s for artists around the world.

Darren and Bradley as co-coordinators are leading members of Dr. J.J. & Desiree Hurtak’s, Academy For Future Science, which is based on sacred scripture study, spiritual-science, musical experience of the Divine and the cosmology of The Keys of Enoch ®. In this field in which they run workshops, study groups and travel the world teaching, sharing and collaborating leading musicians researchers and spiritual thinkers of this current age.

Show notes and weblinks at www.shantisound.com.au/podcast

Jayaji is a modern day contemplative, mystic and multi-disciplinary spiritual guide. He is the author of several publications and has received over 200 healing hymns and medicine songs; more than 500 pieces of poetry and taught more than 30 Yoga Teacher Trainings at 200 and advanced 300 hour level.

The founder of Sound Ceremony, Floresta Atitlan and co-owner of the Yoga Forest he is an eternal student of mystic doctrines, an adept and devoted Yogin and meditation instructor, a certified minister, an ordained practitioner of the Ancient Nyingma Dzogchen lineage of Tibetan Buddhism where he is given the name Gyurme Tashi; In the Shipibo/Conibo Shamanic tradition of Peru he is given the spiritual name Rono Rewa. Jaya's main teaching comes through his words and his music where he acts as an instrument for the spirit of wisdom.

Joining us from Guatemala where he currently resides with his wife and children, this is a great chat which gets a pretty deep and mystical! We talk about Jaya’s journey into the world of healing music and sound, exploring deep listening, receptivity to sound and much more. 

Show notes @ shantisound.com.au

Relle Jasper is a Sound Healing Therapist incorporating Reiki, Esoteric & Shamanic Healing practices.

She was fatefully guided to the therapeutic healing  properties of Sound, Vibration & Frequency after a life changing car accident in 2015.

Music has always been a huge part of her life, and she  has an innate understanding of the effects of music on our overall  wellbeing.

Relle has studied Diplomas in Group Sound Therapy and 1-2-1  Practitioner Sound Therapy, Acutonics, as well as Reiki, Shamanic  Woman's Mysteries & Healing Modalities.

Connecting on a soul level with a specific intent in her own healing journey, she is passionate in her guidance to connect you back to your own inner wisdom & soul purpose.

We chat about how sound helped Relle recover from the trauma of her accident, hear about her journey through sound studies, talk about intervals and their use in sound healing therapies - and she guides us through a beautiful grounding exercise to conclude the podcast. She's super serene and relaxing to listen to, so enjoy this podcast!

Show notes @ shantisound.com.au/podcast