“Be the Love You Seek” by Sonic Yogi
Album Review by Dyan Garris for Zone Music Reporter, New Age CD, and “Spirit Seeker Magazine”
“One word: Stellar.” – Dyan Garris
Have you ever experienced extreme anxiety? I know I have. And you may be having it now . . .
Sonic Yogi was “born”(or “re-birthed, perhaps), in 2012, after Atlanta based, professional musician, guitarist, and flutist, Jonathan Adams, experienced his own extreme anxiety. It was during this challenging time in his life he discovered the healing power of music.
Since then he has made vibrational sound therapy into a conscious focus and direction. He has even given talks – including one for TEDx – and many workshops on the healing power of music. In his TEDx talk, Jonathan speaks about how he used the power of music to actually cure himself of this debilitating anxiety.
It’s quite worth exploring the section on his website “About Sound Therapy.” https://sonicyogi.com/about-sound-therapy. This will lead you to his sound healing course, “Heal Through The Power of Sound & Frequency,” where you can discover the inter-connectedness between sound, frequency, meditation, relaxation, stress relief, and more.
Now, let’s get to this gorgeous, seriously special album. At the get-go, and on a purely face level, “Be the Love You Seek” is a silky-smooth synthesis of musical expression. The instrumentation includes classical guitar, Native American flute, Tibetan (Himalayan) singing bowls, gong, light percussion, and some gentle, relaxing vocals. The album also incorporates elements of sound therapy to guide and assist the listener into a state of relaxation and what seems like instant stress relief. But there is so much more here.
By the way, the music on this album is tuned to 432hz and 936hz, which are very specific vibrational tunings. 936hz is the frequency for opening the 3rd eye and balancing the pineal gland. 432hz is resonant with 8hz – the Schumann Resonance – which is the basic electromagnetic “heartbeat” of our planet. And, an outstanding guided meditation – the title track – closes out the album.
Interestingly, too, several of the tracks on “Be the Love You Seek,” will also be released as singles later. These singles will include an additional “breath guidance” option along with the music. This breath guidance option is so the listener can follow a sequence of rhythmically guided breathing. The purpose of this kind of breathing is in activating the parasympathetic system.
So, in case you didn’t notice, we are dealing with something special here in “Be the Love You Seek.”
I could listen to this album in its entirety over and over (and I did). You will find yourself effortlessly – and I do mean effortlessly – easing into a state of perhaps unprecedented calm.
From the opening notes of “Montana Skies,” we can literally feel that peace. Jonathan wrote this song in the early 2000s when he visited Montana as a teenager. Engaged by the natural beauty of the environment, this is also reminiscent of the joy and he felt there. Now we can all feel it, even if we’ve never been there. When we listen to this calming, uplifting song, we can easily call up our own joyful moments and remember that joy resides inside us already no matter where we are.
“December Sun” is more somber, contemplative, and gives us pause for reflection. The December sun has its own beauty. We are reminded that whatever we are experiencing at any particular moment has its own beauty, no matter what it seems like.
A favorite, and one for the relaxation playlist, is “Dharmalodic.” (a combination of “Dharma,” meaning “truth,” and “melodic,” for melodic music). This is a quite engaging, mesmerizing, “sparkly,” almost 7-minute guitar groove that incorporates a singing bowl tuned to 936hz. Jonathan says in the liner notes, “. . . ‘the realm of words’ can be filled with untruths, and crafted confusion. The physical world of vibration speaks truth directly to our hearts and minds.” How very true. And every note of this song just rings true. Yep. Excellent.
The 9-minute “Anja – Classical Guitar Meditation,” as the title implies, is wonderfully meditative and exceptionally relaxing, inducing a somewhat calm, almost mystical, trance-like state. Ajna, by the way, is the Sanskrit name for the 3rd eye chakra located in the center of the forehead. Beautiful.
“Om Shanti Mantra – Prayer for Peace” features the vocal of Octavia Nasr along with a hypnotic guitar loop. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_Nasr). Jonathan takes the lead vocal on the actual prayer for peace at the end, which is derived from the chant itself. Very powerful.
“Introspection – Yoga is Union” is just that. Time for going within and uniting with self. Plucky, finger-style guitar, cool percussion, a little bit of voice, and soothing water sounds make this quite enjoyable.
For 7-1/2 minutes of pure bliss, we have, “Finding Theta.” The song features repeating, yet also changing, layered guitar melodies, along with the sounds of nature recorded by Jonathan from real nature. For example, the ocean waves here are recorded from Akumal beach in Mexico. I’ve personally been there – many times, in fact – and I can tell you the water there is truly amazing. Turquoise paradise. Yes, “Finding Theta” is another one to love and it’s a “must have” on the relaxation playlist. Simply magnificent.
The more “sound healing” feeling of the album begins with “Awakening in a Dream (Note to Self).” This is a spoken word song about empowering yourself by facing your fears. This piece is from a dream Jonathan had that woke him up and he spoke it into the voice memo of his phone so he would remember it. The Native American flute here along with the soft chanting and light drumming makes this piece totally mesmerizing. “Stay fixed on the truth. Never again to this be blind. . .” Make a note to yourself.
“Third Eye Flute Interlude” continues to connect us with our ancient “oneness” with its deep, mystical, haunting vibe. Get this: The interlude was recorded by Jonathan one evening in a long, concrete tunnel. The cedar flute here is also tuned to 936hz. Deeply healing to any ruffled psyche.
“Gong Bath Zen” takes us even further into deep, deep relaxation. I’m not usually one who enjoys a gong, but this is very gentle, yet very powerful at the same time. Nice vibes/waves that are not vibrationally disturbing to one’s energy field.
The final track is the spoken word meditation, “Guided Chakra Meditation – Be the Love You Seek.” In this meditation, Jonathan’s calming voice and specially tuned singing bowls, guide us gently on a journey through the chakras, with affirmations for each chakra. Very beautiful, grounding, centering, and balancing.
“Be the Love You Seek” will calm you down immediately and is a truly stellar album from start to finish.
Total time 1 hour, 11 minutes.
Get “Be the Love You Seek: here: sonicyogi.com/album/1379560/be-the-love-you-seek
Stream in other platforms: album.link/i/1495435272
Official Artist Website: https://sonicyogi.com/
