Meditation

My meditation journeys, ambient soundbath recordings, and live Yoga soundbaths are influenced by my own experiences and are not planned or preconceived.  I try to stay in the moment with my practice and I have learned that a spontaneous approach to creating sound for my classes works best across diverse yoga and meditation practices .  When I say “practice” I tend to think of life as the “practice” and not a particular method, approach, or belief system.  I have learned a few meditation techniques, received credentials as a Reiki master and teacher, and I have experienced many self-improvement and therapeutic  practices.  I feel like I am still at the beginning of journey everyday and my classes represent a melting pot of learning and teaching. My goal, through music, meditation or discussion, is to help my clients find their inner strengths and love regardless of their practice.  My work supports and encourages self love and acceptance.

I have been a professional songwriter and musician since my teens and in my late 20s I discovered Yoga and meditation while studying the Kriya Yoga of an Indian Yoga Master.  Since that discovery music and my “spiritual” practice have been intertwined.  Music was a supportive element through and beyond my challenging childhood and, if it wasn't for music my life would have been different.  I am now able to combine my energy practice with the vibration of music.  The ambient music I create is less “music” than a vibratory tool to support and deepen the Yogic and meditative experience.  The seed of inspiration for my first ambient recording,  “A Minute to Breathe” was planted when a few friends told me they played my music in their offices and said it created “support” and “peace” in a chaotic workplace.  The music also worked as support in my Electric Flow Yoga project, as the live ambient accompaniment allowed Yoga students to dive deeper into their practices.  I currently work with Yoga teachers in many disciplines to add another dimension to their work.

Electric Flow

After a show with my rock band, Hero Jr. Chicago Yoga instructor Maria Rosner and I were talking about how non-traditional music could be applied to Yoga. We wondered if it could be incorporated into a live event without distracting from the practice, which is ultimately meant to cultivate and lead one to an experience of inner peace through Union. When we parted ways, the energy of that conversation went with me and soon after returning home I grabbed my guitar and made a quick recording, which I sent off to Maria. She loved the vibe and our collaboration was official.

Electric Flow Yoga soon began hosting events with live music, played just with my guitar and a few effects. I had previously only mediated and practiced yoga in silence, so a part of me felt uneasy, as if I was somehow betraying the art, but I felt at home and I allowed myself to follow my creative intuition.  These Electric Flow Yoga events, with many different teachers and groups, have seamlessly joined my art and my meditation and given me the chance to practice both simultaneously. This combined practice has allowed both disciplines to develop in unexpected and synergistic ways.

Eccentric Flow & Soundbath

My Yoga partnership with Megan Zirkelbach in Indianapolis is called Megan Ken Eccentric Slow Flow & Sound Bath. I have had a wide range of positive feedback from live events in the Midwest and from the music internationally.  

 

 

EVENTS

I offer soundbath support for Yoga instructors in all disciplines for studio sessions and corporate workshops.  I also offer live guided meditation soundbaths focusing on relaxation, breath and inner exploration.

AlbumS
This facet of my musical journey began while I was working in Nashville. I put up a microphone and composed four unexpected pieces. I wrote, recorded, and mixed the sixty-one minutes of ambient guitar in two days. The best way to describe the experience is that the music flowed right through me without a goal, thought or plan. The experience was as deep as sitting in the silence of meditation.

I have spent most of my career as a touring musician and writing and producing music for others.   My soundbath pieces are as minimal as anything I have recorded, but it came out of me as if I had been “training” for it my whole life. For me, it feels like more than just "music". This experience was a gift that turned an uneventful weekend in Nashville into a new aspect of my career. If you listen closely you can even hear Ziggy and Izzy, two of my favorite studio dogs, playing in the background.

Listeners have reported concentration blocks dissolving, reaching deeper states of meditation without distraction, quickly settling into a relaxed state, falling asleep more easily and just plain old good time headphone listening — all things I don’t think could have been achieved in one album had I planned and tried.