This Summer I was privileged to be part of organising the very first Brighton Yoga Festival, which saw around 2000 people enjoying a day full of the wonderful things the Brighton Yoga community has to offer. The atmosphere was amazingly friendly, the weather was perfect, and it was great to share the day with so many happy people! As well as writing the blog for the festival, I taught a taster vinyasa flow class, and was joined by the brilliantly talented DJ OmNebula, who provided us with beautiful sounds to move to….
Music in Yoga classes can be a controversial topic for discussion, with many people saying that music is a distraction for the mind, taking us away from that state of pratyahara or ‘inward withdrawal of the senses’ in order to come closer to samadhi; ‘bliss’ or ‘enlightenment’. While I agree that silence is an important part of taking time to stop and face up to what our chattering mind is really saying…. there still has to be sound in order to feel the silence. The two are inseperable; there is no sound without silence, and no silence without sound.
Music plays a big part in our lives, and it’s with us through all key from birth to death, literally marking out the different paths our lives have taken. The music we listened to years ago may not be our favourite thing to hear now, but it definitely still makes an emotional impact – it brings us back to that moment. This powerful aspect of music evokes thoughts and feelings seemingly out of nowhere – it can change our mood in an instant, and it can take us somewhere else in our minds entirely.
There’s a reason why different sounds, frequencies and pieces of music have been prescribed for different needs, such as helping us to sleep, concentrate, or to feel happier or calmer; the brain lights up when it hears sound, and when we hear music, different parts of the brain start to process and come alive.
For me, music brings me more into the practice, not out of it. The melodies and rhythms help to focus the mind, and the flow of the songs inspires the flow of movement…. and that’s why I’m so excited to team up with Christos, a.k.a OmNebula, to share with you the sounds he provided for our Yoga festival flow!
A little bit about OmNebula:
OmNebula has performed in a variety of locations in both the UK and Greece. Venues include the reggae house Red Sea in Athens, as well as The Blueman– a North African themed bar/café located in Brighton, UK. He organises live music events at venues such as IT The Place– a record shop located in the heart of Athens – and makes regular appearances on Midiradio, Mov.fm, and To Piratiko Broadcast radio stations. Tune selections for live performances range from ethnic & tribal sounds to ambient & psybient influenced-tracks, with the occasional psychedelic infused trance vibe. He creates and compiles video footage to be projected at the events.
Inspired to produce music by his friends and favourite artists, OmNebula started producing tracks under the name ‘The Cluster Planet’, and released his first track ‘Callas Planet’ with Namaha Records in the 2013 compilation ‘Crying Trees’. From a young age OmNebula has embraced his triple nationality, and in search of his own sound, his tracks are not restricted to one genre – containing a fusion of experimental dub/psybient & ambient sounds and influences. He is also keen on collaborating with fellow artists and loves sharing his passion for music and creativity with others by setting up various collaborative projects that bring musicians, writers, poets, and video editors together.
For more from OmNebula, click HERE, find him on facebook HERE, and be sure to check out his events in Brighton! (or in Athens if you happen to be there…)
Use this half – hour mix for your home practice and see how it changes your rhythm….
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