Yoga Plus Friends The classic image of a Yogi is the person sitting by themselves, alone in meditation and removed from the world. Yet, it wasn’t always this way. One theory about the earliest practices of yoga is that it was first done to create group consciousness...
Gongs that Grow on Trees Most of us who play gongs (or just listen to them) think of a Gong as being an instrument made of metal. But in reality, gongs existed before metal making began. Ancient sites have revealed gongs composed of stones and rocks, and in many...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: A Backward Kind of Love in Vedic Astrology A Backward Kind of Love: Venus in Retrograde Did you miss it? Venus went retrograde on December 19th. Not to worry – it stays retrograde almost all of January! Unlike Mercury, which is...
How Mantras Work Mantras, sacred sounds, are used in all the practices of yoga, from postures to breath to meditation. They help focus the mind, direct the flow of prana, and center us in the present. In Kundalini Yoga, we say that repetition of mantras creates new...
The Very Best Gong Mallet Gong players often ask me, “What is the best Gong?” I usually have many different responses to that question. Strangely, however, they rarely ask me, “What is the best gong mallet?” And I do have one consistent answer for that question. The...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: The Gifts of Jupiter in Vedic Astrology The Gifts of Jupiter If there was a planet like Santa Claus, it is Jupiter, the great benefic. Wherever Jupiter appears or goes in your chart, gifts happen either in the form of...
Kundalini Re-Birthing I have a friend in Portugal who teaches Kundalini yoga and plays the gong. When he and his wife had their first child, he played the Gong while she chanted mantra. A real Kundalini Gong Birthing! The rest of us probably were not as lucky during...
Play the Gong, Heal the World This month I am teaching students in China how to play the Gong. It’s my third time working with a translator, having previously done so in Spain and Chile. And I am discovering that the appreciation for the Gong as a healing...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Back When You Were Born in Vedic Astrology Back When You Were Born Your astrological birth chart, based on the time and place you were born, is a road map to the journey of your life. It can show you both where you have been and...
Do You See Colors When You Meditate? For many practitioners of Kundalini Yoga, the answer is Yes. In fact, one of the most frequent question that come up in our Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training courses is: “What does it mean when I see colors in my meditation?” The...
Kkwaenggwari, Jing, Jing Gong! Most gong players who use the Gong for healing, yoga, and meditation are very familiar with the Chinese and Western gongs that we use for sound healing and therapy. Yet, there are other types of gongs that you may want to add to...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Backwards, Forwards, Upside Down in Vedic Astrology Backwards, Forwards, Upside Down Are you ready to start moving forward? October may be your chance! We start this month with three planets retrograde – apparently going...
Meditation to Conquer Pain In the Yoga Sutras, the first collection about the teachings of yoga, it is said (to paraphrase): Pain is universal — suffering is avoidable. Life brings everyone pain in some form or the other, from the physical to the emotional to...
Your Magic Gong Ear In my gong trainings and workshops, students often ask me: What is the best location in a room to hear the gong? In the center? Up front? Near the back or in a corner? Sitting up, lying down, head toward the gong, feet toward the gong? There are...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Heart, Head, and Happiness in Vedic Astrology Heart, Head, and Happiness Every year or so, we are in luck when we get to experience the energy of a beautiful Venus with the intelligence of a brilliant Mercury – sort of a...
The Shortest Kundalini Yoga Meditation Ever Meditations in the Kundalini Yoga tradition are typically 11 minutes or 31 minutes in length. And there are some meditations that can be practiced for 2 ½ hours (and even beyond!) and there are actually a good number of...
Kids and Gongs, Oh Yes! During my gong trainings, one of the more frequent questions is: “Is it okay to play the Gong for children?” My answer is, “Yes, but it’s better for children to play the Gong for you.” And here is why....
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Venus in Virgo in Vedic Astrology Virgin Lover: Venus In Virgo On August 11, Venus ends its passionate embrace of Mars in the fiery sign of Leo and enters the Vedic sign of Virgo where it remains until September 6th. Venus...
If Yoga is so Good, why is it so Hard? If you have been doing yoga for a while, you already know the many benefits it brings you: more energy, better rest, freedom from aches and pains, and a greater sense of peace and calmness. You would think that once someone...
The Art of the Gong I always tried to play musical instruments – and tried is the right word. I tried the clarinet when I was 12 years old – all I really remember about the experience was that it collected a gob of spit that I had to shake out. Then in my hippie days,...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: How Astrology Got Me a Job How Astrology Got Me a Job Over the last 25 years, I have probably done several thousand astrology readings and consultations for people all over the world. In 90% of these readings, one of the major...
The Secret Kundalini Meditation Sometimes a secret is intentional, and sometimes it’s accidental. This is an accidental secret Kundalini Yoga meditation from over 20 years ago. I first experienced this meditation when it was first taught (at least in the Western...
The Beginning of Gong Yoga When I first began my book Gong Yoga, it was shortly after the beginning of the 21st century. While I had been experiencing the sound of the Gong in a Kundalini yoga environment since the early 1970s, it was some years later that I coined...
Kundalini Brain Fog A popular new non-medical term is “brain fog” – a condition sometimes reported by people who have recovered from the coronavirus. Basically, brain fog is a symptom of an underlying medical condition that involves memory problems, a lack of mental...
Gongs from Another Planet The sound of the Gong is perhaps one of the most other-worldly and ethereal sounds produced by a musical instrument. It takes you out of your body and also your mind with its truly cosmic sound. It is almost like you are on another...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: The Healing Power of Planets in Vedic Astrology The Healing Power of Planets One of the earliest uses of astrology was to predict illnesses and improve the health of the rulers of the lands. Tendencies toward certain illnesses and...
Eat Your Stress Away Kundalini Yoga, like all yoga, is most effective when practiced as a lifestyle. In my very first class at a Kundalini Yoga ashram nearly 50 years ago, I became aware of the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen as they prepared their evening...
Gong Baths – No Clothes, No Problem? Why do people call gong healing experiences Gong Baths? In my experience so far, everyone seems to be wearing clothes. I suppose the “bath” name began with sound healers in the 1970s who coined the term sound bath to...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Goodies from Jupiter in Vedic Astrology Goodies from Jupiter! This is the month many Vedic astrologers have been looking forward to for a year! Jupiter finally leaves its most challenging sign of Capricorn and enters free-spirited...
Fly Like a Butterfly This month brings us an opportunity to reset our energy and our lives as we move toward the Equinox on March 21. The word equinox from Latin means “equal night.” It is a time when the length of the day and the night are equal in length, and there...
The Secret of Playing the GONG While the Gong is in some ways one of the most welcoming instruments to learn how to play, the secret to playing it well for healing and therapy depends upon our understanding of how the mind works in relation to sound. The human mind...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Love is in the Air in Vedic Astrology Love is in the Air (and Everywhere!) The absolute best astrological news this month is Venus entering the Vedic sign of Pisces beginning March 6! During its month-long sojourn in Pisces (March...
Going Neutral “The Yogi is one who the pair of opposites does not control. Neither heat nor cold, praise nor blame, affect the Yogi.” – Yoga Sutras II, 48 One definition of a Yogi is one who does not react. In Kundalini Yoga, we call this non-reactive state the...
Getting Close to the GONG In days of old, it was said that simply being in the presence of a Gong could bring great healing. And in southeastern Asia today, people still make a pilgrimage to the temples where the great gongs hang, simply to touch it, be close to it,...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Saturn’s Kiss in Vedic Astrology Saturn’s Kiss This month Venus enters the Vedic signs of Capricorn (January 27) and then Aquarius (February 20) – both signs of the zodiac ruled by Saturn. Venus is known as the sensual planet...
Sat Nam Building Blocks Mantras are prelinguistic and they came before all languages. The sounds of mantras are independent of meaning and their effects are universal. They are sonic formulas to facilitate healing and transformation, and each part of the formula can...
Gongs That Heal Do gongs heal? What is it about the sound of the gong that people find so beneficial for their physical, mental and spiritual well-being? And are some gongs more healing than others? One of the ways that sound healing has been said to work is that...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Where Should You Live in Vedic Astrology Where Should You Live? One of the questions I get as a Vedic astrologer is, “Where should I live?” There is a popular aspect of Western astrology (Astrocartography) that looks at your birth...
Total Transformation – 15 Minutes! The practice of Yoga takes place over multiple lifetimes, and every advance you make carries forward throughout the soul’s journey. No effort you make in yoga is ever wasted, and everything counts for now and forever. Success...
Gong Inside Your Head Like many gong players, I have moved my gong events online in webinars and trainings. I have managed through various instruments and recording techniques to get a gong sound online that is “listenable” and people are responding well to the...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: The Best for Last in Vedic Astrology Best for Last – An Amazing Astrology Month December 2020 arrives with strong energy and the portents of new energy rushing in to end this year. Here is what is happening: December 2nd to 22nd...
Self-Mastery and Community: A Kundalini Yoga Formula When attending Kundalini Yoga, you soon discover that there seem to be countless yoga sets, kriyas and meditations you can practice. Some teachers never repeat a class over the course of a year. And no wonder – it...
Sound Healing, Yoga and the Gong Healing can be defined as the restoration of the natural balance and flow of energy on all levels of existence: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. This definition asserts that health is the natural state of an organism, and...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Mars in Vedic Astrology If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Mars In astrology, everything is ruled or owned by one of the planets. Herbs, yoga postures, countries, gemstones – anything you can imagine can...
The Most Powerful Mantra in Kundalini Yoga (?) The job of a Preacher is to remind you that there is a God. The job of a Teacher is to remind you that you are God. Your job is to remind yourself. Fortunately, there is a mantra for that. Most of the mantras we use in...
The Gong Time Machine Gongs do many amazing things, but perhaps one of their most fascinating effects is their ability to change time. Yes, a gong can be a time travel machine. People who relax or meditate deeply with the gong sometimes report past events that have...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: What Sign is Your Chakra in Vedic Astrology What Sign Is Your Chakra? I admit that I am somewhat embarrassed by the title of this article. On the surface, it seems to be extra “woo-woo” and a superficial ploy to get your attention....
The Secret Sustainer While doing research for my upcoming Mudra Therapy course, I examined several hundred mudras from many yoga and spiritual traditions. I began to appreciate that Kundalini Yoga used several fascinating mudras that I had not been able to find in the...
Full Moon, New Moon, GONG! My favorite days to play the Gong for healing, therapy, and recovery are the days of the Full Moon and New Moon. And as a Vedic astrologer and longtime Yogi, I can tell you why. In the practices of Yoga, it is recommended to meditate and...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Full Speed — Backwards! Mars Retrograde in Vedic Astrology Full Speed — Backwards! Mars Retrograde On September 9th, Mars begins a two-month retrograde period. Yes, for two months that initiating, full steam, no-stop...
Mantras Meet Mudras A powerful yet relatively unknown practice in yoga is the conscious placement of sound into the physical body. This was one of the original tantric practices that reclaimed the physical body as the vehicle and implement of consciousness, and it is...
How Gongs Create Group Consciousness In a published November 2018 article, Dr. Tam Hunt, a psychologist from the University of California in Santa Barbara, proposed a “resonance theory of consciousness” that is based upon the understanding that all matter vibrates,...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Everybody’s Home in Vedic Astrology Everybody’s Home – Including the Planets! The month of August reflects the state of many people in the world as most of the planets in the sky, like us, are in their homes (or natural...
Magic Fingers The greatest secret in yoga is right at the tip of your figures. Literally. When you touch your fingers together in a specific way, you can take your Kundalini yoga practice and even your health to a completely new level. These finger positions are...
Show Us Your Gong Fingers When you relax with the Gong, what do you do with your hands? Some people simply turn their hands palms up, like in yogic relaxation. Some rest their hands on their body or over their heart. And a few of you (and you know who you are) take a...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Planets at Your Fingertips in Vedic Astrology Planets at Your Fingertips We know from astrology that the planets themselves represent different energies, psychological states, physical body areas, and states of mind. All thoughts,...
Classic Kundalini Quickies! One of the most common excuses people use to avoid committing to a daily yoga practice is they do not have any extra time in their day for yoga. Of course, no one has “extra time.” But everyone absolutely has “enough time.’ Especially if...
Yoga del Gong: Yo Hablo Español My first book about the gong, Gong Yoga, is now available in Spanish! Those of us who love the Gong know that it speaks to all people, all cultures. Its sound awakens a universal response in everyone, regardless of where they live and...
Welcome to Cosmic Vibes! THIS MONTH: Backward to the Future: 4 Planets R-E-T-R-O-G-R-A-D-E Backward to the Future: 4 Planets R-E-T-R-O-G-R-A-D-E This month you may feel like you have seen this show before. For a period of time, we will be experiencing the retrogrades...
It’s Thyme for Yogi Tea! The health benefits of Yogi Tea, the beverage of choice for Kundalini Yoga practitioners, are well known: Improves digestion Increases circulation, Purifies the liver Strengthens the circulatory system Helps the lungs and respiratory system...
