PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

SEQUOIA NEPTUNE

Sequoia has studied yoga for over 15 years and has been teaching since 1997. She has trained with Tim Miller for the past 8 years and has taught at the Ashtanga Yoga Center in Encinitas since 2001. More recently, Sequoia completed a certification in Vinyasa Krama Yoga with Sri Vatsa Ramaswami. Sequoia loves to incorporate Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, vedic chanting, and pranayama, along with asana practice. She has been exploring music with Jai Uttal and Daniel Paul and often includes kirtan in her yoga classes. More recently, she has been accompanying Wah! with harmonium and beautiful backup vocals.

SHANTALA

As the duo Shantala, Benjy and Heather Wertheimer lead kirtan worldwide, bringing audiences sacred lyrics, soul-stirring vocals, and exotic instrumentation. Kirtan is celebration of spirit through the chanting of sacred names carrying participants into a state of heightened awareness, bliss, and devotion. The audience is invited to participate fully through call-and-response, dance, and meditation. The weaving of Benjy's Indian classical singing and instrumentation with Heather's soaring vocals is fresh, original, and profoundly moving. Together they create a beautiful music full of passion and reverence. Shantala has performed and recorded internationally with such sacred music luminaries as Krishna Das, Deva Premal and Miten, and Jai Uttal.

BOLO!

Bolo! is a group of devotees from diverse spiritual backgrounds that have come together with the intention of enlivening the Divine Presence within themselves and others.

Bolo! was born out of a drum circle, and is basically a kirtan jam band. All the musicians have a very intuitive approach to the music. They never rehearse. Each player tunes in to the song and allows the music to move organically without trying to force it. Their main focus is the devotion to the Divine that the music is meant to invoke, and when devotion comes first, the music flows naturally.

TOM KELLY

At the age of 24, Tom Kelly entered the Self-Realization Fellowship monastic Order in California (founded by Paramahansa Yogananda), whose roots go back to the ancient lineage of Swamis from India. Taking vows of simplicity, chastity, obedience, and loyalty, he spent the next 25 years as a monk deeply involved in meditation and humanitarian service. As an inspirational speaker, workshop and retreat leader he has travelled world-wide teaching the sacred art of Raja Yoga.

In the fall of 1999, Tom left the monastic life in order to expand his training and share the fruits of his self-transformation and direct experience of yoga with all. In addition to being a certified yoga teacher, Tom is an ordained minister specializing in inspirational speaking and generating love and magical, joy-filled weddings. Reverend Kelly's enthusiasm is highly contagious and his large heartedness will certainly put you at ease and make communication seamless. Respecting all true spiritual paths, he is not associated with any church or organized religion thereby freeing him to tune in with your essence, your faith, your commitment.

Tom and his wife, Trisha, teach at the Soul Center in Encinitas, a place they founded to create a wellspring through which the higher consciousness and awareness of yoga can be brought to the community through classes, retreats, seminars, spiritual coaching, meditations, and chanting. The Soul Center is a place where a beautiful outer environment of nature and flowing water merges as one with the inner grace and flowing beauty of one's soul. All who come there are seen as divine beings, respected for who they are and where they are on their spiritual journey.

Whether Tom is teaching a yoga class, giving an inpirational talk, leading a seminar or retreat, his passion in sharing and communicating the joy of spiritual living is highly contagious.

VAIYASAKI DASA

In the early 1970s, while trying to make it big on the London music scene, Vaiyasaki dasa Adhikari met the local Hare Krishna devotees. He was already living a spiritual life, and felt a strong kinship with these Hare Krishna monks. In 1973, he met his spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and took up the process of bhakti yoga.

He received his spiritual name from Srila Prabhupada in 1975 and, on his request, journeyed overland to India, hitchhiking and taking public transportation whenever necessary. He had always been attracted to India, but had held off going while still pursuing a rock music career. He loved India and traveled all over the subcontinent distributing the books of His Divine Grace.

In 1978 he arrived in Bangladesh. It was there that he discovered the ancient Bengali art of raga kirtan and was moved like never before. Never before had he heard such singing! he spent 3 years associating with different bands around Bangladesh and then returned to London with his own style of kirtan, a blend of ancient Bengali and modern contemporary music. His music was appreciated everywhere and he has been traveling around the world since then performing in the major cities of the world.

Vaiyasaki dasa is married and lives with his wife, Kaisori Devi, in St. Augustine, Florida.

DURGA DAS and MIRA

Durga Das (David Newman) is a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba. He travels extensively singing kirtan and sharing the spiritual devotional, meditative and musical aspects of yoga. He tours throughout the world with Mira, a celebrated devotional singer, recording artist and percussionist.

For several years, Mira traveled with Bhagavan Das, and became an active figure in the kirtan community. She has recorded on many well known chanting CDs, displaying her talents on kartals (finger cymbals), kaimini (South Indian bells), and as a vocalist.