Sound is the healer
In Search of Perfect Sound
Gurprakash asked me to write about him and music

He relates to life through rhythm, harmony and resonance. Where other people speak, he listens. And when he speaks, everybody around him listens. When he writes it is melodious. Every word chosen carefully, every sentence lovingly crafted, every paragraph composed meticulously. And when he sings he creates a field of deep resonance and spaciousness. Meaning emerges through his thoughtful compositions.
But let’s start from the beginning. The beginning of our relationship, his and mine. We met in a Yoga Center in Heidelberg. And as all meaningful stories go, this was not by accident. Little did we know that resonance brought us together when we first met in this place which happened to be called Naad.
Naad is the essence of all sound through which the infinite can be experienced.
I lived in Heidelberg at the time, and Gurprakash made is way across the border from Holland because he wanted to find out how to be in the Naad. And there we stood, two well-meaning souls in the Naad at the beginning of our journey into Oneness. We not only started working together but soon enough became life-partners, too. Ever since I have been honoured to witness Gurprakash’s sound travels with sneak peaks into his earlier musical explorations, the period of his life when he played in different bands trying hard, and almost signing a record deal with Sony.
Then came yoga and along with it a whole new world of sound. Gurprakash allowed seven years to explore and integrate the consciousness of mantra before he decided to offer his version of seven Sadhana chants, which are part of the early morning discipline in Kundalini Yoga.
Seven years is one cycle of consciousness - a period of maturation. During this time he played different versions of the mantras on many occasions - until he felt they were ready to be released. “Underway to Sadhana” he called the album. I still remember the crisp, cold and dark early winter morning in Amsterdam when we shot the cover picture, he dressed in flimsy white for effect, me all covered up with only my right hand laid bare to press the trigger.
We are well into our second seven year cycle by now. Looking back on these years, I would call it Gurprakash’s honest search for authentic expression - an exploration how sound flows through him specifically. The wordsmith he is, he started writing his own lyrics again - telling the stories of his healing journey. He also started composing his own music again, and recently changed his room into a simple home recording studio. I’ve never seen him practice so diligently with so much contentment. When I open the door to his world I see a man who is, who he is. This is beautiful to see.
And you, dear reader, I am happy to let you know, that Gurprakash has just recorded his second album "Umbilical Cord", 12 songs which take you on a transformational journey.
Guru Deva - 2021
Also see Gurprakash's music page for more about his music.
Get the Umbilical Chord - his new album - on Bandcamp.
Keep up with new releases and the latest of Heart First Yoga
“Underway to Sadhana.”