Ch-ch-ch-ch-anges

Sometimes you have to turn and face the strange, or at least the unfamiliar. On the face of things something needed to change. Thus I headed into the Angeles Crest Forrest with a group of fellow meditators and Sky Gazed.

Sky Gazing is a Buddhist practice that is what it sounds like, you literally meditate by gazing up at the sky. 

It's purpose? To strongly emphasizes the inherent, spontaneous, natural, pure, and radiant perfection of awareness that is already present in all humans. Sky gazing is one of the techniques to help a person notice this awareness in themselves.

I've been quite hyper aware since Sunday, I'll just leave that here...

Sky Gazing on Wikipedia -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_gazing_(Dzogchen)

Hump Day & Chill

Meditate
Jennifer Aniston

“There’s usually some sort of meditation at that point. Usually 20 minutes, or 10 if I can’t get the full amount of time in. It’s a set [Transcendental Meditation mantra] that I do every time." - Jennifer Aniston 

With Summer officially being canceled due to the pandemic lock down, stress and anxiety levels are pretty high at present. Might I suggest you ask yourself: "What would Jennifer Aniston do?"

Meditate naturally. Honestly it's something so easy to do, and it makes you feel focused and less agitated and susceptible to negative or depressing energy and thoughts.

I know when I do it as I am fading off in my bed for the evening I wake up feeling amazing.

What's that you say? You don't know how to achieve this goal? Nonsense there are apps for it as well as online articles and instruction.

So let's make our Wednesday a little calmer and Hump Day & Chill with some meditation. Just do it! You'll thank me later 😃

Meditation on Wikipedia -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation

Monday Motivation

Meditation = Monday Motivation - While I have meditated in the past it has only been on occasion, not as a regular practice. Thus with my impending surgery on the 16th I feel the needed to get my mental state in the best and strongest place it can be. Dissipate my anxiety and just plain chill out.

Thus today I am going to take the time to get my zen on everyday starting today until the going under the knife. 

Although I listed my reasons above, for wanting to go inward, here are some others from an article I found online.

Research shows that meditation can:

• Reduce stress
• Increase energy
• Improve sleep
• Decrease anxiety
• Increase creativity
• Make you look younger and live longer    

Sounds like a good gig to me. So surrender and enjoy your week and Motivate your Monday with some good old fashioned meditation. 

Mediation on Wikipedia -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation

Monday Motivation

Just Be
Jon Hamm

Yesterday I did something that I haven't in a long time,meditate. With a little bit of a cough and the sniffles I decided it was OK to take some down time and do the minimal things that I needed to without being anxious. "Yes" I cleared my head of all thoughts of what I "should be" doing and just was.

It was one of the best days ever! When you feel anxious, stuck in a rut or just plain over things, take a mental vacation. It takes strong discipline to do it, but if everyday could be like, not to mention feel like yesterday I would be on cloud nine, ten, eleven...

Thus meditation is Monday Motivation - I leave you with this now iconic image of Jon Hamm doing just that in the series finale of one of my favorite shows ever Mad Men. If you recall Hamm's character, Don Draper came up with the iconic Coke jingle during this zen moment....I'd like to teach the world to sing, indeed....

Now get to it, meditate peeps, Namaste!

Meditation on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation  

Ohm Shanthi: Trevor Hall

Chill It's Trevor
Photo: Emory Hall

TREVOR HALL

COMES FULL CIRCLE WITH HIS NEW RELEASE

KALA

THE THIRD AND FINAL CHAPTER IN HIS THREE ALBUM SERIES

TAPING PBS SHOW ON TOUR JUNE 16^TH AT WORLD CAFÉ IN WILMINGTON, DE

PERFORMING IN DEEPAK CHOPRA’S GLOBAL MEDITATION FOR COMPASSION ON JULY 11^TH IN CARLSBAD, CA

Ohm...Ohm...Ohm...It's Trevor Hall... 

TREVOR HALL has announced the release of his upcoming album KALA on August 21, 2015. Written in Hawaii and recorded in L.A., KALA marks the final chapter in a trilogy that chronicles Trevor’s spiritual and musical journey over the past few years.  KALA, which means ‘time’ in Sanskrit, embodies the very essence of time, permeating in each of the album’s tracks.

Trevor explains, “A year ago, my grandmother said to me…‘Isn’t time such a wonderful gift?’…….That was the seed. That was the beginning … ‘Time.’ …For as long as I can remember, time was something that I looked upon negatively. It was always a burden, a pressure, a restriction. It was something that I was always running out of, something that I couldn’t grasp. I constantly encumbered myself with the impossible task of figuring everything out right now. I mean, we’re running out of time, aren’t we? Look around you … Our daily lives are ruled by time. Everyone is in a rush. Everyone is trying to get things done before time runs out. We are bound by it, frustrated with it, and often angry at it.

When my grandmother looked up to me from her wheel chair on that golden afternoon, something happened. I didn’t know it then, but that one remark would stick with me for weeks and months to come. Slowly, but inevitably, her words would unravel the weighted tassels of time that I had continually allowed myself to be fettered by. In time, time changed its face.

Thus … KALA was born.

‘Kala’ is the Sanskrit word for ‘time.’ In contrast to my inherited understanding of time, many Eastern cultures of our world understand and treat time for its eternal nature. It is spoken of in its relationship to space and to growth. It fosters wisdom and right understanding. It is the womb of all creation - from which we all came, and to which we will all return to. There is no beginning, and there is no end.

This album mirrors my journey with time….my journey to surrender more deeply to it. KALA is about time the healer, time the teacher, time the friend, and all the lessons within. My hope and prayer is that these songs and stories help inspire us to look at this journey of life in all its vastness rather than its limitation.”

TREVOR HALL’S musical trilogy began with the 2014 release of CHAPTER OF THE FOREST, born during a yearlong sabbatical in which Hall returned to his beloved India, Nepal, Vermont, and Maine. His journey continued with his most recent EP UNPACK YOUR MEMORIES, a collection including some of Hall’s most personal tracks recorded on his laptop solely by him.   

Hall is currently in the midst of his summer tour which will include two special performances. He will be featured on Emmy Award winning PBS show On Tour that will be taped at World Café Live in Wilmington, Delaware on June 16^th. The program will air in the fall. The On Tour series is recorded live on location at local venues in and around Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. It airs on PBS station WHYY-TV. On July 11^th, Trevor will be the featured performer in Deepak Chopra’s 2^nd annual Global Meditation for Compassion at the Deepak Chopra Center in Carlsbad, CA. The event will be streamed live in English and Spanish. For more information on this event visit https://chopracentermeditation.com/globalmeditation

Full list of tour dates below with new fall dates to be announced shortly. For updates visit www.trevorhallmusic.com and www.smarturl.it/thtour .

2015 Summer & Fall Tour Dates

6-15-2015            Bay Shore, NY – Boulton Center (Special Event)

6-16-2015            Wilmington, DE – World Café Live Delaware (taping PBS series On Tour)
6-17-2015            Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
6-18-2015            Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall
6-20-2015            Stratton, VT – Wanderlust
6-21-2015            Stratton, VT – Wanderlust

6-24-2015            Alexandria, VA – Birchmere Music Hall
6-26-2015            Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest Festival
6-27-2015            Chicago, IL – Lincoln

6-28-2015            Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze

6-30-2015            Cleveland, OH – Music Box
7-01-2015            Cleveland, OH – Music Box
7-03-2015            Toronto, Canada – Lee’s Palace

7-11-2015            Carlsbad, CA – Deepak Chopra Global Meditation for Compassion Event

7-14-2015            Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
7-15-2015            Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom – Sold Out
7-16-2015            San Juan Capistrano, CA – The Coach House

7-17-2015            Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst
7-18-2015            Lake Tahoe, CA – Wanderlust Festival

7-19-2015            Lake Tahoe, CA – Wanderlust

8-01-2015            Bridgeport, CT – Gathering of the Vibes
8-04-2015            Missoula, MT – Top Hat

8-05-2015            Bozeman, MT – Filling Station
8-06-2015            Jackson Hole, WY – Pink Gerter

8-07-2015            Park City, UT – Park City Live
8-09-2015            Loveland, CO – Arise Music Festival

8-11-2015            Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room

8-13-2015            Birmingham, AL – WorkPlay Theatre

8-14-2015            Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
8-15-2015            Charleston, SC – Music Farm

8-16-2015            Charlotte, NC – The Visulite Theatre

9-01-2015            Hilton Head, SC – Rooftop Bar at Poseidon

9-03-2015            Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
9-05-2015            Floyd, VA – Floyd Yoga Jam
9-06-2015            Myrtle Beach, SC – The Boathouse

9-12-2015            Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom

9-13-2015            Joshua Tree, CA – BhakiFest

9-17-2015            Portland, OR – Star Theater
9-18-2015            Seattle, WA – The Showbox
9-19-2015            Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret

9-22-2015            Billings, MT – Pub Station

Website: www.trevorhallmusic.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trevorhall

Twitter: https://twitter.com/trevorhallmusic

Instagram: http://instagram.com/trevorhallmusic

Youtube: http://youtube.com/trevorhallmusic

Tour dates: www.smarturl.it/thtour   

Chillaxin With Trevor Hall

Trevor Hall Chillaxin
Photo: Emory Hall

Chill dude, Trevor Hall is an accomplished musician. His music with it's eclectic mix of acoustic rock, reggae and Sanskrit chanting – echo with the names and teachings of divinities, while maintaining an incredibly and refreshingly universal message. While on the road, Trevor sees the stage as his moving temple, a place where he can share in the experience of his spiritual journey with his audience. His latest album Chapter of the Forest reflects all of the above and more...it's chillaxin time with Trevor Hall!

MS: Hey Trevor how are you?

TH: I'm good, thanks.

MS: I was listening to your latest album Chapter of the Forest right before you called, I liked that listening to it was like taking a journey, you start one place and end up another.

TH: Thank you, thanks so much.

MS: Your music is very spiritual and a mixture of rock, folk, pop and world music.

TH: Right, right. I had to disguise the world music with more popular forms of music so that people would understand the message better.

MS: You took off on a pilgrimage to India right after a successful run in music, what made you want to do that?

TH: Well I've been traveling to India for, seven years. I got burnt out and needed to get my strength back and India is that place, I just took a long time off and went there for about three and a half months or so. It was out of a need to connect again and get my spiritual strength back and physical strength, so I went on a retreat, no phones, no E-mails, nothing like that.

My healing started to happen and when I came back I really started writing a lot of the songs for Chapter of the Forest. 

MS: You met your wife in India and got engaged to her. Did you meet her on this pilgrimage or before that?

TH: I met her in India the year before. Then when we went back in 2013 I proposed to her then in the same place where we met. 

MS: How cool! Being a spiritual person are you into yoga by any chance?

TH: Not really a lot of Hatha Yoga, what people call yoga today in the West. There are actually many, many limbs of yoga, so I practice kind of different things. I probably should be doing yoga more because my back is tight after being on the tour bus. (laughs) The tour is actually really amazing that were on right now, Michael Franti is super into yoga so before every show during the day they have a huge yoga class for all of the musicians. So if I wanted to get healthy this is the tour to do it! (laughs)

MS: So how is the tour going?

TH: It's going great, last night we were at San Diego State University it was such a nice time because there were so many wonderful bands on the bill. Also I am traveling with a super fun group of guys, it's just a really nice time. Sometimes tours, ya know, you don't know who you are traveling with, they play a different style music and they clash or something, but on this one everyone is like a big ole family it's been really enjoyable.

MS: Tell me a little bit about the inspiration for Chapter of the Forest, something other than your pilgrimage to India.

                                                           "Chapter of the Forest"
TH: Chapter of the Forest is the meditation I did and it's about going back inside. The forest for me is a mystical place for solitude and silence. Obviously I believe in the external forest, but I also believe that all these sacred landscapes are also inside our own body. Chapter of the Forest in our hearts or in our mind is that place of stillness, meditation , reflection and rejuvenation type of thing. I'm really influenced by the Indian Saints, one of the Saints says that you can't live in the world continuously or else you'll drown. From time to time you have to retreat in solitude. Whether that be the corner of a room for an hour, or a forest for a month or a year. 

I took that really literally and said: "Stop I'm burnt out" and went up into the forests of Vermont and Maine with my wife and just really tried to slow down. As that happened after a while I started picking up my guitar, not because I had to but because I wanted to, I love music and that was the feeling I was trying to get again after being so burnt out, it became just a job for me at some point. That's when Chapter of the Forest really started to come to life and as that was happening all the experiences I had, had in other forests all over the world, like India and Nepal, these memories started to resurface and give me inspiration and that's where a little of the Indian element came from on the album. 

But I really wanted to do something rootsy and raw, and not be chasing that number one single. Something that was really pure and from my heart, that's what this album is all about. 

MS: I completely get it, it can become disheartening when you are creating for the sole purpose of making money.

TH: Yeah.

MS: Make yourself happy first, that's the most important thing I think.

TH: Right, right, I agree.

MS: Here's something random, when I did a Google search of your name a meme came up with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka saying: "You test drove Trevor Hall, tell me about his triangle"
do you know what that means? (laughs)

TH: Tell me about his triangle? I have no idea what that means (laughs) Yeah I have no idea what that could mean. 

MS: Thanks Trevor, have fun on the rest of your tour.

TH: Thanks man.

Join Trevor in the forest at: http://www.trevorhallmusic.com/