Reviews
The music series is comprised of three CDs that are relaxing, inspiring, and uplifting. We suggest you start with the more upbeat Yoga Music of the Heart, which takes you far beyond the stress and anxiety of everyday life, and then play Yoga Sound™, which will transport you to a world of relaxation and inspiration. Some of the music is gently meditative, but much of it builds in tempo and texture with electric guitars, bass, and drums blended with the sounds of world music instruments. The third CD, Rest and Relax, begins as a guided meditation experience and ends with soft instrumental music. —Arizona Networking News, April/May 2002
| Recent years have demonstrated a great push toward holistic healing, and yoga has quickly become one of the most popular forms of exercise. While Suzanne Sommers wants you to "Squeeze, squeezing your way to shapelier hips and thighs," let's face it: she leaves you feeling empty, asking yourself why you dropped $20 on another fad exercise contraption. Looking for someone who could give you that great butt and something peaceful to think about? Look no further than Wai Lana, who aims for complete wellness. "Who's that," you ask? Why, she's none other than the exercise world's latest superstar, her yoga show garnering widespread accolades. Wai Lana wants to guide all of your senses into the extraordinary, combining scenic vistas of mountaintops, tropical islands, and sandy beaches with smooth and fluid tunes as she contorts her corpus into catastrophic positions (for me, anyway).
Yoga Music of the Heart opens with "Beyond All Oceans," using all Kitaro-inspired guitars and fluid keys. As the electric guitar soars like a gull crying in the wind, the acoustic guitar picks gently under the melody. "Moon Among The Stars" has whispering vocals that blend with the keys so much that I can't figure out if it's similar to Sigur Rós, who don't so much sing in words as make sounds. I'll have to meditate on that one for a bit. Yoga Music of the Heart does, however, have an evenness that makes it perfect as background music for stretching (or contorting, depending on how enlightened you've become). Commencing with brighter and lighter tones, it softly winds down into "Lake of Tranquility" for the cool-down period of your workout.
Yoga Sound™ is very much in the same vein as Yoga Music of the Heart, as it begins with "Awakening." Enigma-like chants and misty bagpipes transport you to a place where monks and leprechauns frolic in the fog. "Changes" is the midpoint of the mystical meander; the singing soars and then drops into a quiet mumble. Sometimes it's in English, other times in an incomprehensible language. While it sounds really bizarre, it seems to work on a yoga CD.
Finally, Rest and Relax is an audio guide to rest and relaxation. Wai Lana guides you through stress-reducing poses and breathing activities to help you stay calm. Her soothing voice will help you unwind, and by the time you're through these three tracks, you should be able to sustain your peaceful state.
Beware: Listening to these three CDs will leave you in an altered state (either really relaxed or just plain giggly). Wai Lana wants to take you on a New Age-inspired trek through the far reaches of the earth—and of your mind. If you're up for a ride into the land of strange stretches and bewildering breathing, it might be worth the trip. Those who love to fight off their inner-hipster might just want to stay where you are.
—Melissa Morris, Splendid e-zine, May 25, 2002
| Wai Lana's Meditation Trilogy: A Journey of the Heart and Soul is a three-CD set of guided meditation and peaceful sound. The individual CDs are entitled Rest and Relax, Yoga Music of the Heart, and Yoga Sound™. Wai Lana's beautiful voice is truly hypnotic, and these CDs are a treasure in these stressful times. Treat yourself to this!
—Aquarius, July 2002 |
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