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The Sacred Language, music from the Soul

Music for meditation and movement: yoga, dance, martial arts and drumming! A painter of timeless soundscapes DeFever has captured a powerful and compelling connection to the source. ... ...

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Music

Artist: Wade Imre Morrissette

Bio:

Wade Imre Morissette was born in Ottawa, Canada, just minutes before his twin sister Alanis. The twins took to music at an early age; Wade studied piano as a child and took on guitar and djembe in his teens, but their paths diverged when Wade began to study yoga.

From the time he was a small child, Wade was in search of a practice that would help him connect to his spirit, trying everything from karate to tai chi. It wasn't until Wade's college roommate handed him a book by the name of The Mystic Path To Cosmic Powers that he decided to dedicate the next decade of his life to learning and teaching yoga, but his musical background would soon resurface.

During one of Wade's many visits to India, he began to travel on the path of Devotional Yoga and started chanting, a process that stills the mind, dissolves worries, and opens the heart. "It's a natural way to tune into the frequency of love," says Wade.

He realized he could combine his two passions--yoga and music--to create his own original blend of indie rock/pop music with Sanskrit and English chants. "My first concerts were in India, and people would come up to me and say that my music touched their hearts. I decided to take my music to different yoga studios across the world," Wade explains.

In 2004, Wade was asked to be an ambassador for Lululemon, the popular yoga-inspired athletic apparel company. At the same time, he had self-released his debut album, Sargam Scales of Music. Wade quickly developed an idea for a world tour to promote both his album and the clothing line; Lululemon immediately signed on as a sponsor. The Lululemon Yoga Pilgrimage kicked off in 2005 and took Wade to Tokyo, Hong Kong and 32 cities in North America and continued on through early 2006 with stops in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. At each stop, Wade spread his message of optimism, well-being, consciousness, and community through Vinyasa Flow workshops, chanting, kirtan (call-and-response singing), and bliss dance.

In the midst of Wade's world traveling, Nettwerk Music Group CEO and yoga enthusiast Terry McBride kept hearing Wade's music in yoga class in Vancouver, but couldn't find the album. The two connected in late 2006, and Wade signed on with Nettwerk Records to release his second album, Strong as Diamonds: Om Vajra Kaya Namaha. While Wade's debut release explores a sense of longing and self-discovery, Strong as Diamonds: Om Vajra Kaya Namaha is less introspective. "This release is more about celebrating, gratitude and lifting one's spirit," says Wade. "It has a lot more energy and it's sunnier, but it's still soulful."

Already making appearances at yoga conferences, retreats and studios around the world, Wade will tour North America this summer in support of the album. At each performance, he begins with bliss dance and ends with a kirtan. Wade, on guitar and harmonium, sings out a phrase; the audience responds until the musicians and audience mesh. He also performs several of his own songs for those who prefer to listen and observe.

Wade has been practicing and teaching yoga for 13 years. He has completed Iyengar, Classical Ashtanga and Ashtanga-Vinyasa yoga teacher training. He has studied Vinyasa, Viniyoga, Anusara, and Kriya yoga, as well as zazen, Vedic Chanting, and active movement and sound meditations with some of the best-known teachers in Canada, North America, and India. He is also a Reiki master, certified Phoenix Rising yoga therapist, and Viniyoga Therapist. He leads teacher trainings, workshops, retreats, and music-dance evenings internationally. He is currently working on his first book, Living Your Joy, and planning a series of motivational seminars.

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Interview with Wade Imre Morrissette

YM: Congratulations on the new album, it is beautiful! Please explain what one can expect from this new release.
WM: This new release explores a little more of the “dark side” and the shadow aspect of humanity and our human condition, while still keeping the elements of faith, hope and resilience in the themes of the mantras and songs. I called it the "great delusion" because so often I am deluded into thinking that I have arrived in a high consciousness place…only to be beaten back down to reality in experiences that are difficult.

YM: How did yoga find you?
WM: I took my first class in L.A. about 15 years ago and was hooked. I then dedicated the next 10 years of my life to traveling to India (4 times) to study with Pattabhi Jois, a direct disciple of Iyengar, Krishnmacharya Yoga Mandiram with Desikachar and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Rishikesh. India always has a very special place in my heart! Thinking about shooting a musical/autobiographical movie there in 2010!

YM: Which came first for you, the yoga or the music? When did you start blending the two?
WM: Music came to me at a young age as I was forced to take piano lessons and by default learned how to read music. At the age of 18 is when I had my “shift” permanently onto the spiritual path after reading a book called: Mystic Path to Cosmic Powers. Through my explorations in India I learned how to play the guitar, and African percussion. Many of my melodies created in my mantra cds are from an original pop/rock album I wrote but realized that the practice of japa/mantra/kirtan is where I resonated the most. Therefore I simply shifted the melodies from my rock album to support the mantras that I liked the most!

YM: Why mantra? Why chant?
WM: It’s the only real practice for me that is meditative and fun at the same time. On a deeper level, mantra to me is pure magic. It allows 2 aspects of yoga to come into manifestation: creativity and internal introspection!

YM: Who/what are your biggest influences?
WM: God, Osho, India, reading books on mountain climbing, my sister, teachers from India, all painful experiences in my past.

YM: What is bliss dance?
WM: Bliss dance is a guided movement journey based on the 5 koshas. Each movement allows transcendence to the ultimate goal of anandamaya kosha ~the bliss body. Asana can be dry sometimes so the spontaneous movement in my bliss dance journey’s allows people to bust out of their comfort zones and to express emotions. I use my album Leela~Pray through the Dance for these journeys’ as each of the 5 songs represents the 5 koshas.

YM: What does your practice look/sound like?
WM: Repeating manasika japa while changing diapers, running the stove so the water doesn’t overboil, taking out the trash and reading stories to my 2 boys ….and hot yoga to stabilize 2-3 times a week. But I constantly repeat mantra in my mind….sometimes even when I am speaking to people I am repeating mantra in my head! (depends on the conversation) ☺

YM: Please tell us about your tour, Religion is Kindness.
WM: My wife calls me a “desktop activist” I have such a strong compassion and empathy for the plight of the Tibetan people. The area is so crucial for world harmony and I hate bullies and ignorance. Hate is a strong word …I despise actions based from pompous ignorance. I understand why Jesus lost it in the marketplace. The Dalai Lama represents kindness as his religion (his direct quote) so I decided to name my 08 tour “my religion is my kindness” I contribute to the Tibet fund in new york and do my best from my desk to support the cause….and I have my Tibetan flags in both the front and back of my house!

YM: Please tell us about Nutone and how you came to be on their label.
WM: Terry Mcbride heard my music in a yoga class. He emailed me while I was teaching a yoga teacher training in Australia and asked me to come in and have a meeting with him. When I arrived back in Vancouver I was in his office the first day signing a 3 album deal with Nettwerk. Then I began collaborating with Terry in helping him with other mantra artists that would suit his desire to release mantra music to the world. Nettwerk had created a side label a few years ago called Nutone for world music artists but never really launched it. As soon as he launched his YYOGA company he thought it was a perfect joint venture to put the mantra artists under the nutone label and re-ignite his original idea of what nutone music would represent: highly enjoyable music but slightly off the mainstream norm!

YM: Who is on your i-pod?
WM: Alanis Morissettte, Ravi Shankar, Prem Joshua, David Newman, Weepies, Skydiggers, Curious George (jack johnson~for my son), Ali Akbar Khan, Michael Franti

YM: What do you love?
WM: I love seeing my boys happy, traveling, watching my wife garden, taking naps, being in a strong community, matcha chais, HBO, hot yoga and laughing with friends uncontrollably, keeping things light when things seems really heavy!

YM: What is your favorite part of your job?
WM: Meeting new like minded people! Power to the cultural creatives!

YM: Where can we find out more about you?
WM:
www.wadeimremorissette.com
www.yyoga.ca
www.nutonemusic.com
www.newharbinger.com