“The Music of Russill Paul is not only distinctive, it is extraordinary and brilliant. His fusion of the sounds of India with the energy and technology of contemporary Western music produces a sound unequalled since George Harrison collaborated with Ravi Shankar in the late 1960’s.” – Arlo Guthrie, singer\songwriter of Alice’s Restaurant.” With this type of ringing endorsement it should in no way be surprising that Russill Paul’s CDs of devotional mantras, A.M. Yoga Chants and P.M. Yoga Chants were voted among the 10 best new age releases in 2001. His extensive body of work, which addresses the four major streams of Sound Yoga, can be found in major record and book outlets throughout the continent.

Could you provide a brief overview of the Yoga of Sound?

Sound is really a spiritual path, a spiritual tool in many cultures around the world. What is special about sound as a spiritual path in Hinduism is that it has this tremendous body of work - the Vedas as they are called – a very rich oral tradition that passes on enormous quantities of sound. A tremendous amount of research has gone into sculpting these sounds. The word Sanskrit means well refined and it is obvious that the Hindus have spent much time researching the relationship between sound and consciousness. With Hinduism, the entire experience of the tradition seems to be contained in this repository of sacred sound that they’ve refined and passed on. It both holds and communicates the depth of their spiritual experience from generation to generation.

With all your vast experience and background how would you view yourself - Russill Paul?

The discipline and the heart of the monastic life continues to inspire me in terms of living simply and, more in terms of keeping a sense of the sacred alive at all times – when I travel, teaching, in my home – that experience of staying in contact with the sacred is integral to all that I do. Perhaps one way of describing what I do is kind of facilitating a similar experience for other people and I do that in my performances, my recordings, my teaching, but it’s all geared towards introducing people and sharing this sense of the sacred that has come to me while living as a monk and pursuing the spiritual path. In 1984 Paul underwent a powerful spiritual transition, motivating him to join a Benedictine monastic order.

When did you first become aware of the healing power of music?

I guess it happened when I started living as a monk. Until that time I did music commercially and was driven by a more artistic mentality. I first discovered spiritual experience and being able to express that experience through music, and then simultaneously discovered that music existed that facilitated spiritual experience. It was a kind of cycle – they all fed each other.

You provide instructional material with your CDs with suggestions as to movements that can enhance the healing power of the chants. How did you come to bring the music and the movement together – are they based in years of traditions or have they evolved over time?

It’s sort of a combination of both. A lot of the movements are inspired by folk culture – I try to stay close to the culture so it’s not an invented thing. The movements are drawn from simple folk-like movements that people use somewhat informally, unlike Sufi dancing which may be a formalized movement, these are gestures and movements that people use. Some of them are perhaps a bit more adaptive. The reason for the movement is to make people aware of the fact that sound in itself has directionality and often times when people enter into this experience it’s a little bit difficult to get a sense of how sound has directionality to it and movement is kind of implicit and self contained. Being able to use movement puts people in touch with this kind of directionality of sound, although you could say that the experience, as it gets deeper, is meant to be the sort of experience they have inside rather than through the movement itself. So in other words it’s a prop. (Making another major life change, Russill Paul married and moved to North America in 1989.)

Totally changing direction and on a more personal note how did you meet your wife? Was it a difficult decision or a natural flow to make the transition to a secular lifestyle?

Yes, definitely not an easy move. I met her during my life as a monk and talked about the process with my mentor who very much wanted me to give my life to the monastic way. He saw the value of my being called to this other way and was very supportive. It took a little time to make the adjustment because of much of the conditioning of monastic life gets in the way of a regular householder life.

Listening to your music, it becomes evident that there has been a heavy ‘borrowing’ of sounds & rhythms made by western musicians – the Beatles & George Harrison come immediately to mind. How do you feel about this?

I think a lot is based on upbringing and taste and the way our ears are conditioned. Most processes happen when one form of music influences another, and that’s been happening though out history. I think there are initial periods when it’s a bit jarring. I think it moves to getting more refined. During their time (the Beatles) it was quite revolutionary and amazing and it opened people up to another sound and an acceptance of another culture. That had a huge impact on bringing together a global family, the fact that there were these Indian intervals that were introduced in the regular tempered tones of western music for the first time. I feel comfortable with it. Even today there are those times when it’s a bit blotchy and not really done well and lots of other times it’s sensitively done and we experience a more global mind and global soul through that kind of blend. I guess it depends on how it’s done.

If a total novice were interested in learning about the Yoga of Sound how would you suggest they begin? How would you explain the experience?

I think the easiest way for people to start is by getting exposed to it and just listening. When they begin to listen to it perceptively, the lyrics start unfolding. Primarily they listen to it as music and then they begin to hear and feel the way it’s constructed. All music configures our energy in one way or another. A person will begin to realize how this particular music is configuring their energy. Then, hopefully, they will go a step further and engage a bit more with the music either by using the suggestions I make in my track notes or, if they have an existing spiritual practice, employ that and see what it does for them on another level. The third level would be moving towards incorporating it into their spiritual life with a certain level of independence where they can begin to utilize these chants, utilize these intervals without having the prop of the CD. That’s the point where people would finally move, if really called, to this path.

Is there any one of your products that you would consider to be a good introduction to your message?

I think the sequence they got published in is a nice way to look at it. Nada Yoga, which was the first I made in the whole series, is perhaps the best because it gives people a lot of the spacious quality of this kind of music. It isn’t as structured and as disciplined and organized as the others. With the other CDs I’m presenting the tradition itself, the streams of sound yoga. They move into a more technical experience even though I still have always tried to maintain an enjoyable listening quality to all of them – so yes I guess Nada Yoga and then the others.

In conclusion is there anything else you would like to add, anything you would like to share?

Probably what I’ve been working on more recently – dealing with the fact that many people like to get into this element of chant but feel inhibited because of, lets say, childhood experiences of being told they couldn’t sing or told that they’re tone deaf – can’t recognize intervals. Part of my efforts in the past year has been to create elementary level programs that lead to more empowering chant capability. I’m calling it a deep learning program that trains people in chant which simultaneously is not just to work with music for the sake of music but to make the connection between the power of using the voice and its direct relevance to life especially spiritual life. I’m excited about it in terms of being able to do a six part series that empowers people with a series of musical intervals that will give them the focus of singing devotional chant – or any chant for that matter.

For more information on Russill Paul, his work and the Yoga of Sound please check his website at: http:\\www.russillpaul.com.

CASSANDRA FLEISHER

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