About Living Waters

Mantras flow through us and come alive inside, sweeping us into the current of their living waters, which have been flowing in our world for many thousands of years. We are finishing this offering in the wake of our first trip to India in 2014, where we were able to experience the deepest part of the river.

Several of these chants were given to us as precious gifts by our teachers and friends. Some of them evolved through our many years of accompanying yoga workshops, always striving to come up with just the right way to support the practice. We invite you to sing them, to chant them, and to soak in their radiance.

_________________________________

“Masterfully performed, captured, and mixed … Living Waters is blissful soul diving. Each track flows gently into the next and generates a sweet, sacred sound current perfect for life’s daily activities.”
– LA Yoga Magazine, July 2015

_________________________________

“Living Waters is a flowing meditation of sound and chant, featuring the always illuminating work of Shantala … a radiant exploration of spirituality through music.”
– Music Design In Review, July 2015


A beautiful blend of gentle mantras with currents of Indian music to carry the listener into the depths of yoga practice, chanting, and relaxation. The music creates a sense of calmness, centering, and peace. Shantala is accompanied by extraordinary musicians including Alam Khan, Steve Gorn, Tina Malia, Jami Sieber, Sean Frenette, Ben Leinbach and more. These pieces were conceived, arranged and recorded over a period of five years.

This recording emerged from over a decade in which Shantala accompanied yoga workshops, often composing new material in the moment to provide an exquisite musical environment for deep relaxation at the end of practice. A number of Shantala’s teachers and friends, including Paul Muller-Ortega, Douglas Brooks, and Manorama, provided special mantras, which were then set to music. Alam Khan, the son of the late Ali Akbar Khan (Benjy’s guru in Indian classical music), created a special solo piece on sarode entitled “Homage” for the opening track. Alam continues in a duet with Benjy’s esraj, answering Heather’s singing of the first chant “Brahmanandam.”

Shantala’s first world fusion piece, inspired by music from east Africa, is a magical arrangement of the song “Kothbiro” by Kenyan artist Ayub Ogada. It features the vocals and guitar work of virtuoso musician Sean Frenette and the soulful cello of Jami Sieber.