A SOUND LIFE PRESENTS U.N. WORLD YOGA DAY CHALLENGE

Sunday 21 June is the first ever United Nations World Yoga Day. To recognise the significance of yoga, 175 Countries passed a resolution declaring the first ever International Day of Yoga. Thousands of people around the world will be uniting in parks, on the streets, beaches, yoga studios and many more locations to celebrate the day with yoga, meditation and chanting.

A Sound Life music and yoga charity co-founded by Edo & Jo (www.asoundlife.org), is presenting a mass sunrise Yoga and Meditation event on Bondi Beach called the UN World Yoga Day Challenge. Edo & Jo will be playing live music as some of Sydney's great yoga teachers co-lead the sun salutations followed by a meditation co-facilitated by 1 Giant Mind and Conscious Club.

It is a free event that gives back to Aussies in need: for every person who joins the challenge, Vittoria Coffee will donate $20 to ASL up to 1000 people. 

The Challenge is to get out of bed on a wintery morning and join us as we welcome the day and mark the start of a chain of events that will take place across the globe. This free community challenge will be followed by a full day ticketed event at Bondi Pavilion featuring yoga panels, classes and music (www.worldyogaday.com.au).

Join these incredible Yoga and Meditation Teachers who will be uniting to co-lead a beautiful Sunrise Yoga (Salutes to the Sun) followed by a mass meditation, and live music for the United Nations World Yoga Day Challenge on Sun 21 June, 6:30-8am!! Come warm your hearts and body together for this E.P.I.C. event. Please remember to register on www.asoundlife.org, as every person that does  will donate $20 to A Sound Life. 

Schedule: 

6:45 -7:15am Welcome to Country

7:15 - 7:45am Sun Salutes

7:45 - 8am - Group Meditation

Yoga: Ana Forrest (@Ana FrFORREST YOGA®) Nicole Walsh (In Yoga), Mark Breadner (@Yoga Coach), Emma Seibold (Barre Body), Nadine Richardson (She Births & She Yoga), Mark O’Brien (@Qi Yoga), Maddie Anderson (@Dharmashala Bondi) and Evangeline Yuen (House of Yoga Redfern)

Meditation : Jonni Pollard (1 Giant Mind), Tim Brown (The Conscious Club)

Music & Mantra : Edo and Jo

More info and to register your place now at www.asoundlife.org. It's FREE✨

 

I'Il RIDE WITH YOU - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Singer songwriter duo Edo & Jo had spent the morning writing I'll Ride With You to perform at the event.  "The phrase 'I'll ride with you', it just captured a sentiment of support for us," Edo Kahn said. "It was beyond supporting the Muslim community, it was a statement of support for the victims, for people of different races and religions. It was just such a beautiful statement of solidarity."

The song takes its title from the Twitter campaign of the same name, which encouraged people to show support for Australia's Muslim population. More than 1000 people accepted the event invite to Embrace in Martin Place on Facebook. Read the full article on Sydney Morning Herald here .

I’ll Ride With You (Edo & Jo)

Underneath the skin
Underneath the clothes 
Underneath the leaves
And the colors of the sky
Behind closed eyes 
there is one heart beating
One heart beating 

Underneath these bones
Underneath the stones 
Underneath the wars
And the colors of our eyes 
There's a silent prayer
Of one heart beating 

One heart beating 

Underneath the trees
Underneath the seas 
Underneath the earth
And the colors of the sky
Behind closed eyes 
There is one heart beating 
One heart beating

And I’ll Ride with you
I will ride with you

Underneath our tears 
Underneath our fears 
Underneath the rivers 
Of the rage inside 
There's a silent prayer 
Of one heart beating 

One heart beating 

And I’ll Ride with you
I will ride with you
One heart beating
One heart bleeding
One heart lets join hands
Raise the flags of freedom
We can rise
I will ride with you (one heart beating)

Words and music by Edo & Jo

$20,000 RAISED FOR A SOUND LIFE

Circle of Giving Event was a success!!!

Thank you for joining the circle of giving and making our event so special and uplifting. We raised over 20K for A SOUND LIFE charity!!! This means more and more music and yoga can be provided to people in healthcare and underprivileged communities as a free service.
Our deep gratitude to the incredible A SOUND LIFE team who give so generously of their time, talents and hearts to create wonderful projects and uplift the lives of many!

Thank you to all of you who contributed to make Wednesday night such a special evening. To all the wonderful volunteers, musicians, yoga school partners, supporters, sound and lighting providers, staging designers, filters & photographers, vendors, delicious food, drinks and goodness providers...

We Love You!

Edo & Jo

Our Yoga Partners

Circle of Giving Event - Fundraiser for A Sound Life

We are thrilled to announce Circle of Giving on 10 December at the Paddington Church. We have been dreaming about a special event that brings together our kind-hearted community and creates an opportunity to experience the joy of giving to those in need. Circle of Giving is yoga in action. We are collaborating with yoga and meditation schools, health and well-being providers, and friends to create a circle of giving, whereby 100% of the money raised from the event will go towards A SOUND LIFE (www.asoundlife.org). Let's unite, celebrate and create a tangible benefit to our community.

 

Circle of Giving 10 Class Yoga Pass

Sydney's yoga schools have generously come together offering what they do best - THE GIFT OF YOGA - whereby 100% of proceeds from these passes will go to ASL. This means that when you purchase the Circle of Giving 10-class pass for just $135, you will also receive a ticket to our event and know that your down-dog is making a difference, by:

  • SoundHealth: Bringing free music and yoga to the children at Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital
  • SoundSchool: Creating a SoundSchool for orphans in Africa in collaboration with Kili Kids (www.committeeassist.org) + Second year tuition at our Sound School for underprivelged children in North Bali
  • SoundWaves: Producing A Sound Earth CD,  an educational and uplifting children's album

Join the Circle of Giving by purchasing a 10-class pass for yourself or as a gift to a loved one! Check out all the yoga schools who have jumped on board at the ticketing options!!!

 

Our Yoga Partners


Outdoor Pop-up Markets - 6pm

There will be outdoor pop-up market stalls with delicious food, beverages and wellbeing goodies at 6pm with vendors generously donating proceeds from the night to A SOUND LIFE.


Event Start Time - 7:30pm

Doors to the church will open at 7pm and the event will start at 7.30pm with meditation, mantra, music and a presentation on A SOUND LIFE charity.


About A Sound Life

A Sound Life is the charity Edo and Jo recently founded to bring the power of yoga and music to those who need it most in healthcare and underprivileged communities as a free service.

  1. Sound Health: ASL has commenced its first Sound Health program which is free live music and yoga classes provided regularly to Sydney’s Westmead Children’s hospital.
  2. Sound Schools: We have set up a Sound School for underprivelged childern in North Bali involving 8 local schools!
  3. Sound Waves:  Producing A Sound Earth CD, an uplifting and educational childrens' album filled with universal messages about respect for self, nature, joy and harmony.


ASL is a volunteer run charity. We have an awesome team who are committed to service and the joy of being part of the circle of giving.

Want to learn more? There's an Information Session on Saturday 22 Nov 11-1:30pm at YogaMoves, Paddington. Come meet the team, learn about ASL and ways to give back.

www.asoundlife.org  |  www.edoandjo.com


Tickets Options

Online : $35 online / Door : $45 door (if not sold out)

Circle of Giving 10 Class Pass + Ticket = $150

www.edoandjo.eventbrite.com.au

LIVE ON ABC RADIO NATIONAL

Live studio recording & interview with Geoff Wood, Rhythm Divine, ABC Radio

AIred on 20 August 2014.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Yoga means many things to many people – exercise, well being and spiritual practice. But it can also include music. And it’s Sacred Sound Yoga that’s at the heart of our program this week as we hear an exclusive live session of new mantra songs from the young Australian singer-songwriters and spiritual seekers, Edo & Jo.

Edo Kahn, a former member of the Australian band Gelbison, is an award-winning songwriter whose songs appear regularly in films, TV and on radio while Jo Mall Kahn, who grew up in Malaysia studying piano and flute, is also a singer and songwriter.

We first met them last year, just back from Tamil Nadu in the south of India where they live part of every year at the temple complex of their spiritual teacher, Sri Narayani Amma. More than a devotional centre, Narayani Peedam is also the place where Edo & Jo study, lead regular kirtan and yoga events and take part in daily pujas or ritual offerings.

Kirtan is mantra-based devotional music drawing on ancient Hindu scriptures like the Upanishads but influenced by the more recent bhakti yoga tradition of ecstatic worship. It’s also a growing musical style in the West where the influence of rock, folk and electronic music, have combined with the lifestyle philosophy of bhakti yoga to create a new mantra-based music or New Kirtan.

But you know I really don’t like labels. Let the music speak for itself. Edo and Jo have a new album of mantra songs just out called Bliss and they came into our studio 227 this week to lay down a set of live songs from that album, along with a unreleased song just for The Rhythm Divine. On this session engineered by RN's Louis 'The Upsetter' Mitchell, Edo plays a Gibson acoustic guitar with Jo on harmonium, flute, and our Steinway grand piano.

FREE NEW SONG + ON OUR KNEES

Some days we wake up overwhelmed by the beauty of life. And some days we wake up overwhelmed by life!!! Today is one of those days where we both woke up feeling drained and homesick. Homesick for India, homesick for our beloved guru, Amma and most of all homesick to live fully in our hearts, free from any sense of lack, fear and separation! We decided to have a tea and chat about why we felt so out of alignment with the wonder of life, and reflect on all the things we are grateful for…

These past few months have been really busy and testing for us. New cds, launch events, new website, launching a sound life charity, planning an overseas tour, marriage…But when is life not busy for everyone, and when is life not testing us all to grow in love and wisdom?

We feel so much gratitude for the support we have received to help birth these new cds. And we feel really excited about sharing new music and our first US adventure. Yet deeply set feelings of lack and fear have been surfacing. A tug of war of control between the heart’s infinite wisdom and the mind’s limited vision have been playing out on our personal battlefields. How do we serve the highest good without any personal agenda? How do we let go of schemes? How do we blend the ultimate spiritual purpose of our lives with supporting ourselves materially? How do we stay connected with our inner-guidance? We sing, chant, talk about finding the answers within, being loving and trusting our inner guidance – but as our Guru cheekily asked us once: “…so Edo & Jo are implementing this?”

There is one word which points to the solution for all our doubts and suffering: Surrender. Surrender is a process. And this morning we found ourselves in tears and on our knees, chanting mantras and crying to surrender to the divine will. Asking to be exposed and vulnerable. Praying to let go of our little plans, so that we can trust in a greater plan, a greater unity and a beautiful flow that is always freely on offer from the universe…

We are excited to share Siddhi Buddhi (Bliss) with you today! Because bliss means the deep state of peace, joy and unconditional love that is ever present for us to connect with. This chant is a call for surrender to the force which showers our hearts with a wealth of love, wisdom and peace: Mahalakshmi.

Siddhi Buddhi Prade Devi
Bhukti Mukti Pradayini
Mantra Murte Sada Devi
Mahalakshmi Namostute

Click this link to download:

www.edoandjo.com/bliss

 
edoandjo-bliss-mantra.jpg
 

We are in Wollongong this saturday at the wonderful Vinyasa Yoga and our Sydney launch is just 9 days away! Look forward to chanting together soon - please spread the word and help us make this a truly special night for our community!

With love and gratitude

Edo & Jo

NEWSLETTER : BEADS OF HOPE

We had such a beautiful response to the free download of Kirtan Alive, thank you for sharing the music, we are thrilled to know that many more people will be discovering the joy of mantra and kirtan.

We are all connected like mala-beads on an invisible string of consciousness. The more we open our hearts the more we feel into the joys and sorrows of others as if they were our own. We are not alone and we are not immune to the turbulence in our world. Whether it shows up as stress in our work, tension in our relationships, or a sinking feeling in our guts - peace is always there waiting to be uncovered. Bliss is always there waiting to be awakened. Love is everywhere - we just have to pull back the veil. No one can feel on our behalf and no one can walk in our shoes. But side by side, singing and sharing we can uplift each other. That is the purpose of coming together in kirtan. We sing to the most personal thing within us, our soul. And yet we realise that the most personal thing we have is everywhere, in everything and everyone. In sharing this conscious connection, we feel intimate with the world and each other.

When a group of people unite with an intention to share something sacred, it has powerful ripple effects throughout the universe. You need not be a mystic to understand these ancient truths. Science is now giving the proof for what yogis have known and espoused for millennia. Scientists can now track the way sound vibrations travel through space and time as well as the positive impact the vibrations of mantra have on the body, mind and heart. However, even the greatest scientific advancements cannot comprehend the mysterious source from which this physical universe emanates. Science cannot tell us what consciousness is, nor can science give us the direct experience of our inherent magnificence. For that we must experiment ourselves, seek within and the mind transcend! 

On Saturday 16th of August we invite you to transcend and share in this beautiful gathering of mantra, music and meditation. This will be a night of personal healing and joyous connection and we are so grateful for Sydney’s yoga and meditation communities coming together to support this event. Amazing guest musicians will be appearing to make this night a really special sonic experience.  As there is limited space, we encourage you to pre-book, so you can be sure to share in the joy of this celebration.
 


NEW WEBSITE

We've been working hard behind the scenes to launch these two new albums and new website.We were looking for a web designer until Jo had a flash of creativity and stayed up most of the night last Saturday creating our new site! The new website now offers a shop where, as well as digital downloads and you can for the first time purchase our physical cds from anywhere in the world! Thank you to Cinnamon Pollard, Jonni and Laura, Gary Gorrow, Melissa and Alan for your time and guidance in making this a reality.

 

KIRTAN IS FOR EVERYONE

Concessions / Free tickets

Playing music is both our service and livelihood. By supporting our albums and live events you help support us to continue to share our music with the world. However, we believe that no-one should miss out on the experience of kirtan and if for whatever reason you would love to come to our launch or other events but cannot afford a ticket, please email us for a concession, karma yoga opportunity or free ticket.

New Music + New Website

We've been working hard behind the scenes to launch our two new albums and our new website! You can now preview + pre-order the cds which will be released out Sat 16 August. Tickets for our Sydney launch is selling fast too so if you intend to come please click here to prebook. We hope to see you there for an nourishing evening of music, mantra and meditation.

 
 



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Sydney Album Launch Sat 16 August

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You're in for a treat! Let's warm our body mind and soul this winter with a beautiful evening of meditation, mantra, music, chai and nourishing treats. Edo and Jo, acclaimed mantra musicians and singer/songwriters release their eagerly awaited new albums - Bliss and Chakra Meditation CD - and the Top 12 Yoga Schools in Sydney are getting behind it!

Edo and Jo live half the year in a rural village in South India immersed in the ancient vedic tradition of mantra and bhakti yoga. The two-year journey of writing and recording these new cds spans two continents, contrasting locations and inspirations. From a little village recording studio to the famous Indian composer A.R Rahman's studio (Slumdog Millionaire) in Chennai, flying across the ocean to Sydney's Alberts studios home to Australian icons Easybeats and AC/DC, you are left with a unique sonic palette of classical Indian instrumentation, vintage keyboards/organs, eclectic beats and electric guitars to marry the ancient with the modern. Soothing, uplifting, mesmerizing and electric! 

The evening will be a joyous and deep experience, starting with a meditation led by Conscious Club co-founder Gary Gorrow and flowing into the bliss of chanting with Edo and Jo.

"These records have been made possible due to the support of a beautiful community and family of dear friends who have given so generously to our pozible crowd funding campaign. Thank you for making this new music a reality! We hope you enjoy the records... we will get you the cds before the launch!"

5% of proceeds will go to A SOUND LIFE charity, bringing the healing power of music and yoga to those in need - www.asoundlife.org

When : Sat 16 August, 7:30pm (Doors open at 6:45pm)
Where: Paddington Uniting Church, 395 Oxford Street, Paddington
How much: $35 (online), $45 (door)

3 options for tickets for purchase online:
Option 1: Ticket only - $35 (online), $45 (door)
Option 2: Ticket + 1 CD -  $50 ( $10 discount for pre-purchase CD)
Option 3: Ticket + 2 CDs  - $70 ($15 discount for pre-purchase CD)

Soup, chai and treats will be available on the night by Angie Gluten Free.
CDs will be available on the night for $25.
Chidren under 13 years free!
 

 

Sharing the stage with Deepak Chopra

On Thursday night Edo and Jo shared the stage with Deepak Chopra at The Concious Club 'Into The Unknown' event. Deepak Chopra spoke about the universe,  life's big mysteries and facts such as humans share 65% of the same DNA as a banana! Whilst Edo and Jo delivered the sonic experience to accompany the conscious palette.

 
edoandjo-deepakchopra-meditation.jpg
 




ABC Radio National Interview

THE YOGA OF MUSIC

Presented by Geoff Wood, 17 November 2013

Stories of self-transformation and of lives changed, of a guru avatar and the search for the god within, of music and yoga – they all come together this week as we meet a young Australian duo, Edo & Jo, singer-songwriters and kirtan musicians practising the yoga of music.

Kirtan is mantra-based devotional music drawing on ancient Hindu scriptures like the Upanishads but influenced by the more recent Bhakti tradition of ecstatic worship. It’s also become a growing musical style in the West where the influence of post-rock and electronic music, and the lifestyle philosophy of yoga, have combined to create what’s been called New Kirtan. And right at the heart of this movement are our guests this week.

Edo Kahn is an award-winning songwriter who was in the well-known Australian band Gelbison, while Jo Mall Kahn, who was born in Malaysia, studied classical piano and flute before a career in business management. They both had periods of spiritual turmoil before meeting in Bali at a yoga retreat. For the past six years they’ve toured throughout Australia, India, Bali, Malaysia and Singapore with their own brand of conscious folk-pop songs and kirtan chant music. Part of their Sacred Sound Yoga or Nada Yoga Nidra. Along the way they discovered how to live a larger life of service through their guru, Sri Narayani Amma, whose temple complex in South India, Sri Narayani Peedam, is now their home base for half of every year.

<< Listen to the interview >>

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