A.M. YOGA CHANTS Editorial Review Amazon.com
Forerunner in the field of sacred sound, Russill Paul has studied this Hindu form of yoga (sacred sound) for the better part of two decades. Teacher, musician, and practitioner, Paul introduced the bulk of his work with the phenomenal box set The Yoga of Sound. Now teaming with the Relaxation Company on the acclaimed A.M./P.M. Yoga series  Paul offers the remarkable Yoga Chants duo. Drawing upon equal measures of masculine and feminine musical energy, as well as ancient mantras including Om Mani Padme Hoom ("Jewel in the Lotus") and Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare ("Sunrise"), Paul's A.M. Chants are an optimal beginning to any day. Based in the Carnatic musical tradition of South Indian classical music, violin, mridangam, and two-headed drum raga begin the hourlong morning chant session, gently moving listener-participants through sluggishness and propelling them toward mindful awareness and receptive productivity. --Paige La Grone

P.M. YOGA CHANTS - Editorial Review: Amazon.com

The second volume in Russill Paul's contributions to the A.M./P.M. Yoga series P.M. Yoga Chants is an idea closer to one's day as the pink sky of evening becomes night. Stringed instruments create a web of richly exotic sound, based on traditional evening ragas. Darker in sound than its A.M. sister, these time-honored chants, set to beautifully produced music, soothe and sate the listener's hunger for homing in. Chanting along proves powerful, enriching, grounding, and therapeutic. And Paul provides tools the listener can use to be a full (and comfortably confident) participant. Included with the disc, as with all CDs in the series, are excellent liner notes detailing the origins of each piece and suggestions for yoga poses and topics for meditation. Completing the full cycle of pieces is the stunningly lovely "Yoga Lullaby."

SHABDA YOGA: Editorial Review. Amazon.com
"Shabda," musician Russill Paul explains in the liner notes to this collection of traditional Indian music, represents the earliest stage in the "yoga of sound," which was cultivated more than 4,000 years ago. The disc features Paul performing on a 10-string creation that he calls a "unitar," and accompanied minimally by bansuri flute, sarangi, and percussion. The principal attraction here, however, is Paul's sincere chanting of Vedic verses that, Paul mentions in the disc's well-reasoned liner notes, are considered by some to be the world's oldest extant scriptures. These drone-like Shabda mantras exude a seriousness and solemnity that convey a mystical essence that, to Western ears, might sound alien, yet are embraced by adherents for their capacity to enable healing and personal transformation. Paul offers explanatory details on each chant and presents a framework for guided meditations. Likely to appeal primarily to advanced yoga practitioners and those who have an interest in ancient Indian musical traditions. --Terry Wood

NADA YOGA: Editorial Review. Amazon.com
Performing on an instrument of his own design, a 10-string "unitar," one-time South Indian monk Russill Paul earnestly addresses the "sonic theology" of nada yoga in this 63-minute, three-stage collection of ragas--a work that's designed to invoke the healing power of sound. Paul sometimes adorns his deliberate, otherworldly passages with synthesizer and deep-voiced chants (along with flute and tabla, on occasion), but the unitar and its mystical tonal qualities serve as this disc's centerpiece. Serious-minded and intended for more advanced yoga practitioners, Nada Yoga is a journey to a musical world that has almost no associations with contemporary musical customs of the West. The package includes a detailed booklet in which Paul describes the music's history, his modern-day perspective on it, and suggested meditations (including recommended times of day) for use in pursuit of a more focused listening experience. --Terry Wood

Editorial Reviews