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Interview with Moose Ali Khan
M: Okay, first things first. What is that AMAZING instrument you play and
where did you find it? MAK: It's called a Hang (pronounced HUNG). I think of it as an evolved steel drum. Truly it is amazing for something that looks like a space ship or two cooking woks stuck together. It landed on earth in 2000 by a two person steel drum maker duo called Panart in Bern, Switzerland. A old friend of my wife Alyson, came to live in Amsterdam were we lived. Davide Swarup was one of the first major players in the early Hang years that I first saw playing the Hang. I was playing in a two man percussion group called Global Love in nightclubs and huge raves at that time in Amsterdam, Ibiza and around the world. I was running at full high energy then I met Alyson at her yoga class. She got me started into kirtan and back into Yoga asana in a big way. I slowly dropped out of the clubbing scene and then picked up the Hang while doing a gig in Switzerland during the soccer world cup 05'. Then I started playing for Alyson's yoga classes. YM: Please describe the sound it (the Hang) creates. MAK: The sound is resonating, enveloping, touching, inspiring and very transporting. It can create many different sound emotions, soft and sweet that can make you weep and deep and mellow that will take you on a long meditative and healing journey. Sometimes sounding like a harp, a piano, a classical guitar, a clay drum or even a piece of metal... YM: When did your love of music begin? What other instruments do you play? MAK: Since I can remember I loved singing and dancing to the Beatles and Elvis. I was probably 6 or 7 when we got a record player. I started going to discos at fourteen, dancing to James Brown, Michael Jackson and a lot of Jazz funk. I used to pick out classical albums from the music library with the music books and try to learn to read music by myself. Bach, Holst, Vivaldi and Stravinsky still are a major inspiration to me today as is Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarred. Also very major in my life was Flamenco: Nino de Ricardo, Sebicas and Paco de Lucia, Jazz and Blues. I started to learn Flamenco guitar by book and cassette. I was travelling on the road a lot for work and could never get a regular class to learn anything. I learned harmonica by book because I got tired of hauling a guitar around. Then the island of Ibiza introduced me to drumming with Djembe, congas and bongos. Back to carrying a even heavier bags. I learned to the play Didgeridoo in Australia from Alan Dargin. Soon we were touring with roadies and now I am happy with just my hang, sometimes I bring my bongos and Didgeridoo for kirtan and yoga classes. YM: When did yoga enter your life? MAK: I was 5 or 6 watching TV with a presentation on relaxation technique of slow breathing. I tried it and fell asleep. My brother and I played around with British TV yoga queen the 'Green Goddess'. I was twenty years old in London when I had my first real experience. A client I worked with had yoga at their workshop during their lunch break. I felt like my limbs were either too long or too short. My next effort was with Anna Forrest in Santa Monica around 1990. Handstand splits...yeah right. Then Bikram made my life easier with his book which I absorbed totally on my return from LA and practiced it almost daily for some years. I couldn't wait to get back to LA and take Bikrams class. I shared my yoga practice on the road with whoever wanted to learn. Teaching what I knew from his book. Shocking! I can't remember why I stopped yoga, if it was because my life took a down turn and hit a major rut or it hit a rut because I stopped yoga. There was only so much I could learn from a book, I was down and feeling lost. Then a friend gave me Reiki. I was intrigued and amazed by the experience and concept of energy work. Then a another friend wanted me to experience an energy transfer over distance which I practiced in Reiki but it never felt like this. I was so happy with Reiki I could not bring myself to learn another technique, even though the school of 'Spiritual Human Yoga' gave my friend way more evolving spiritual knowledge and history of humanity than I ever could imagine. My friends believed he was being sucked into a sect and I was nominated as the one to check it out. I sat there defiant, listening to this teacher talk of love and compassion for all living creature and techniques to help every area of life. Then he gave a collective energy transfer that felt like a blanket of love was wrapped around me as golden light filled the hall of 800 people. A white cloud of white was visible around people's heads and I felt high like a high frequency vibration had pumped every cell of my body. I still didn't believe it, I thought it was my imagination. After the third day and three transfers later and thicker white clouds and more golden light, well I was zapped. I was pumped up to my highest potential and reconfirmed with my main intention in life to help humanity. By then I really believed I had a box of tools and the best instruction handed to me. I went away seeing white light around everything, feeling all my chakra points and utilizing them with full feeling and awareness, they were no longer just concepts. I treated my mother for a month and 90% of her ill health and disease disappeared. So when did Yoga enter my life? I don't think it ever was away from my life since I was born. There were certainly times in my life when I didn't have awareness that I was connected to the source of existence and in yoga. Universal Energy gave me clear understanding and experiences of true yoga to practice, all the time and at anytime anywhere to anyone. YM: Oh, you have a PhD as well? MAK: Well this was proof that something was working, was it the energy or was it just a simple way to share love? Whatever it was it worked and I want to learn more so I can help more and teach people how they can heal themselves and help humanity. I went on to learn more from this teacher Master Loung Ming Dang, wherever he was teaching around the world I went to study. After ten years of studying and teaching many levels of this course my teacher was awarded an Albert Switzer award and there I met another great teacher of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I finally received my PhD in Human and Universal Energy and a diploma in acupuncture from the Open International University for Complementary Medicine, Colombo Sri Lanka where I was head of the faculty of 'Mankind Enlightenment Love' for Human and Universal Energy, treating and teaching doctors, patients and normal folk. YM: When did you start combining your music and yoga? Why is this instrument so conducive to yoga? MAK: During the Global Love period my partner and I were both working with Universal energy (he is the one I was supposed to rescue). During every gig at a nightclub or party we would always transfer energy but to do that we had to be connected with the energy and without technique that is how we achieved, practiced and achieved yoga. We would bring light and love into the darkest clubs with the most stoned or drunk partiers and lift them and the excitement of a party. I was drumming at Kirtans and transferring energy at the same time to raise the energy. When Alyson and I eventually left Amsterdam in 2005/6, we fell in love with San Luis Obispo. Alyson started teaching at a new yoga studio Tri Dosha that was designed by yoga teacher and founder of Manduka mats Peter Sterios. He became our Yoga guardian angel and gave her cart blanche to teach. The yoga community was awesome there. We had a great yoga town and great live music everywhere. I just brought my Yoga technique Universal Energy to a different environment into the yoga studio. As soon as I could, I started playing the Hang in Alyson's classes and the reaction was incredible. The energy in a yoga class had changed like night and day. All the students were super focused and concentrated, the flow was calm and serene. There was still lightness and fun but it was with respect and discipline for their own yoga practice. Students would share how the music was helping them through challenging parts of the class by not letting their mind freak out and run away, keeping them calm and supported without being distracted as other music had done. I experimented with my playing style and changing speed and intensity to find a great tone and simplicity that stimulates the listener to achieve a trance state though my music. But the key is within the intention that is infused within the energy transfer that infused with the sound vibrations from the instrument I play. I try and play as background music to create a better effect. The more you don't pay attention to me the more concentrated you are on your unification of your soul mind and body to the source. YM: What do you experience when you are playing music for a yoga class? MAK: My experience can change depending on the situation. I am only human and I can still get a bit insecure if it's a big event with big name musicians next to me, but usually as soon as I start playing and staying connected then I can play for hours in a timeless meditation of sound. I love following a flow of a class through its warm up and down working with the teacher, watching and feeling the energy of the students to see if they need a pick me up melody for support or rhythm to make them go into deep focus. This last year I started to sing mantras with the Hang. They came out slowly and naturally without forcing a particular style. Each piece is original and born form divine inspiration or a fumbled melody. I love singing for a class now but not all the way through. I don't want to distract the yogi during practice but sometimes a voice can ground the listener and then the journey can continue... YM: Why do you think that yoga music/kirtan are on the rise? MAK: I am grateful for the efforts of Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Bhagvan Das and the countless devoted yoga teachers and musicians that lead kritan or sing at the start or through class. Both Singing and yoga create a blissful feeling that is very therapeutic and proven to be the most beneficial to good health and a long life. To incorporate the two in a class brings the feminine sweetness in to a masculine physical practice. You only need to sing for a short time to feel ecstasy of soul being touched by your mind releasing the spiritual emotion through the mind and body , known as the 'Bhav'. Even if there is no physical movement the ancient Sankrit sound vibrations with repetition will bring you to a higher state of jumping, screaming bliss or a calmer state of sensitive relaxation. The more we understand sound as vibration the more we understand energy and then the more we understand that we are all connected by energy in the forms of frequencies of vibration. YM: Who do you listen to? MAK:I am in the process of sketching out my next music albums. I am listening to a lot of beautiful music that has crossed my path from the different kirtans I have played or attended. I love listening to Jazz and classical radio stations. This week it has been Jai Uttal, earthrise Sound System, Sheela Bringi, Azymuth, Momo Loudiyi, Cheb I Sabah, Micheal Perricone and my own CD. YM: What Yoga classes do you frequent in Los Angeles? MAK:I take a varied bunch to enjoy and share the energy with all the yoga angels. I love Alyson Khan, she and our teachers from Amsterdam we think still teach the best all round class without countless wearing Chaturangas. Maybe I am getting older and however much I love a strong practice because I feel stronger from it. I rather keep my knee joints and neck available to me for many years to come. So I love Saul David Raye, Shiva Rea, Govindas, Radha and them together. Marlize Joubert, Denise Kaufman. YM: SEVA CHALLENGE! What/who do you support/care about? MAK: Right now I am supporting 3 charities. www.happyheartsfund.org , www.hollywoodunitesforhaiti. hearts fund is from Petra Nemcova, a dear friend and fellow practitioner of the universal energy school, helping children improve their lives though educational and sustainable programs in natural disaster areas. Hollywood Unites for Haiti is also a old dear friend and we can build an orphanage is from a old friend of Svaha Yoga Amsterdam. All are helping in the Haiti relief. I have pledge to donate all my earnings for a month from my music performances and 75% of my personal CD sales to share between these charities. YM: Where can we find out more about you? MAK: Come to one of our yoga classes www.masoodalikhan.com www.yogawithalyson.com |
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