Album Notes

MEDITATION NOTES:
Meditation is a natural skill. This meditation Cd presents a series of techniques to help you develop peace, awareness, vitalty and love. These techniques are rooted in classical yoga and buddhist traditions. We hope you enjoy them.


MUSIC NOTES:
The score for this Cd was created to support the meditation instructions. Cecily and Michal worked closely with Tom to capture in the music the essence of his words and techniques. The musical phrasing works on the subconscious level as it is closely tied to the practice of pranayama, or conscious breathing. This phrasing, found throughout the entire meditation, is built on a symmetrical pattern of slow breath, inhalation and exhalation. Relaxing the breath has an immediate calming effect on both the mind and the body.

BIOS:

Tom Alden began his study of meditation and yoga in 1969. His principal teachers have been Kalu Rinpoche, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, S.N. Goenka, B.K.S. Iyengar, Ramanand Patel and he is grateful for their influence on his life and on this Cd.


Santosha was formed in 2006 by husband and wife Michal Palzewicz and Cecily Macrory. Santosha is a Sanskrit word meaning contentment and our vision is to create deep, evocative music that soothes and nurtures the spirit. We believe in the extraordinary healing abilities of music and are inspired by the mysterious yet evident connection between music and spirituality.


Cecily Macrory grew up in Washington D.C. and began her musical training at age six. She received her Bachelor\'s of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied opera performance (and also met Michal). She then spent several years experimenting with different styles, including pop, world, and folk. Santosha is the fusion of these styles and her more recently discovered love for mystical music.
 
Michal Palzewicz grew up in Warsaw, Poland, and began studying cello at age eight. He traveled to the U.S. at age twenty-two with the Elsner String Quartet and went on to receive his Bachelor\'s of Music degree, in cello performance, from the Manhattan School of Music. Along with music, Michal has had a life-long passion for Iyengar Yoga as well as various mystical traditions. Santosha is an expression of these passions.