Kirtan with Wah! at the Telluride Yoga Festival

Sound as a means of healing is a technique –  or a variety of techniques –  recorded in the ancient Americas, Africa, Greece, China, and Rome, and dates back at least to 5,000 B.C. The Yoga tradition has known for centuries that sound is the new apple a day –  only more so. Chanting mantras has physiological benefits such as increasing circulation to the different parts of the body, balancing heart rhythm, deepening exhalation; emotional benefits, such as inducing relaxation and mood elevation; intellectual benefits such as improving memory function and recharging brain cells.

Kirtan or devotional singing is a group practice of singing Sanskrit (the language of Yoga) mantras set to simple melodies. These mantras are sound vibrations which roll and vibrate through the seven energy centers (chakras) of the body creating well-being in body, mind, and spirit. It really doesn’t matter what the words mean because the sound vibrations alone are a direct plug-in to the experience of Source, or God Consciousness, or whatever you choose to call Isvara.

Bottom line on Wah!: through her music, the sultry lady has a direct line to upper and lower-case “divine.”

“Mantra-scene veteran Wah! seems to be halfway between samadhi (union) and ecstasy. Her theme is the oneness of Divine love and eros. Wah! lays down her love dharma in sultry downtempo grooves, throbbing club beats, and spoken-word rap passages. When the groove’s in full gear, she has us right where she wants us: blissed out and deep in the throes of a love that can’t be labeled,” raved Yoga Journal.

A lifelong yogi, Wah began practicing yoga and meditation at age 17. She traveled to Europe, India and Africa seeking community and spiritual teachings. En route, she cultivated her unique sound.

To learn more, click the “play” button and listen to Wah!’s interview.