Vinyl & Yoga

I love vinyl. I love yoga. I really really love vinyl and yoga together. This is a journal about the records I've spun during my practice. Handstands and Wax, OHM SHANTI http://facebook.com/rickcoeyoga http://buckmancoe.com

[vinylyoga]

Herbie Hancock - Thrust (1974)

Just back from a music tour with Jeff Crosby & Refugees across British Columbia and glad to be hitting the mat again and throwing on some vinyl (my site buckmancoe.com). This record is so damn groovy and makes ya feel so damn good. Being on the road can be incredibly fun but hard on the body, particularly the lower back, hips, and hip flexors. Not to mention the liver :) and the whole system can get thrown off balance with late nights, long drives, lots of attractive women with little actual action :P Ah yes and the usual artist dilemma of ego swings, one minute feeling like the best thing ever and the next tired and sick of yourself and your same old songs especially when hearing others amazing work... So today had lots of hip work, side stretches, forward folds and twists - and for my mind, coming back to the breath, feeling the weight of the body, feeling good about oneself and the funkiness of Herbie does wonders too. The psychedelic ending was perfect, right into Savasana...

[vinylyoga]

It's been awhile since my last post, I've been struggling a little bit with my practice. I finally got my right shoulder checked out after dealing with recurring problems after numerous inferior dislocations playing basketball back in University. Turns out I have partial tears in my supraspinatus muscle and tendon. So while yoga has strengthened my shoulders in general, practice can often tweak it. But I am modifying my practice until I can get it healed with some steroid injections into the tears. No more handstands & arm balances, no chataranga dandasana & flow-based practices. I'm adapting and re-committing to practice. Stevie helped today with his infectious cheery vibe.

[vinylyoga]

Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert

This video has the whole first side of the first of two records. Which is all I practiced for today, the rest of the morning was house yoga - i.e. cleaning up mindfully ;) In a way yoga is really like cleaning up, cleaning up your energy channels, your mind, etc. This record has a lot of memories for me, and I haven't listened to it for years. An old girlfriend from Germany named Lola gave me a cd copy of this almost 10years ago, and it reminds me of her. This lp I picked up probably 5yrs ago in a thrift store for $1.49, I couldn't pass it up because it's a classic, and this morning was the first time I played it. Luckily it felt good to listen to it, I feel I can have a new relationship to this record. Keith improvises the entire concert and you can hear his signature singing along, it's a beautiful record. Enjoy the video it sounds really good and is quite long. Stretch and breathe for 26minutes!

[vinylyoga]

Old school blues sound with Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite's new album 'Get Up'

Now this I don't own on vinyl yet but I'd get it. Set-up my old RSC speakers right in front of my practice area now. Those shoulder and neck realigning practices from my last post, by the way, set you up for solid handstands. And a bit of grit from Ben and Charlie gives ya a bit of an edge too.

[vinylyoga]

This morning was a research day. I get a lot of pain in my neck and shoulders due to old sports injuries made worse with playing guitar and the regular everyday repetitive actions of our modern lifestyle (computers, driving, city tension etc). This video kicked my shoulders and neck's ass (yup) in such a good way. I've shot some yoga videos for MyYogaOnline but never used them as a resource but now have gotten some good alignment tips a la Anusara for fixing up my shoulders and neck. The basic posture we're trying to maintain is heart open & forward, slight drawing together of the shoulder blades, throat back, jaw relaxed... Head right above the Heart.

[vinylyoga]

Where Do the Children Play - Cat Stevens

So good to be back home and practicing in my own space. While I was on the road for five weeks my practice got a little sporadic and dependent on how clean the floors were where I was staying... This morning I threw on Tea for the Tillerman by Cat Stevens. Incredible, such a beautiful album. Incredibly powerful for a predominantly acoustic album, the band really gives 'er. The band in this video gets epic at the end. I initially found this one from 5 years ago as Yusuf Islam http://youtu.be/PiiZrZTrOFY and it's incredible but then I found this older performance and it's just raw and young and powerful. Check 'em both out.

[vinylyoga]

Morning yoga was with Kid Koala and another double lp. His latest 16 bit blues. A record he created with all old analogue gear and old blues records sampled, cut up, spliced, scratched and generally made into an awesome dusty sounding electro thang unlike anything I've heard. I had the pleasure to introduce him at Salmon Arm Roots & Blues during my MC gig at the Barn Stage. He killed it! My yoga itself was a struggle but a good one, Waylon Belding kicked our asses last night at his marathon 3hr class at Chakra Wellness. Even when it's tough and the mind and body are distracted and resistent, it's always a joy and benefit to tackle practice! 

[vinylyoga]

Oh I do love this band! It's on two lp's so had to get up off the mat to keep the tunes flowing. And admittedly it's a little experimental and cacaphonic at times but sometimes practice is got to be a little wild! This is from their latest album Shields, I saw them at the Commodore Ballroom. Great live show too.

[vinylyoga]

Here is my own music video, my first official one. A song inspired by urban permaculture and respect for all life. I tend not to listen to myself when I practice yoga but figured I would share my own work here :)

Sadly, my record player is broken so I haven't posted any vinyl that I've been listening to during morning practice. I may have to resort to - gasp! - compact discs or mp3s! Will getter fixed and let you know what CDs I dig up.

Download the new ep here!   http://buckmancoe.bandcamp.com

[vinylyoga]

This here is one of the most inspiring yoga transformation stories I have ever heard. Arthur healed his body in 10months after being a disabled veteran for 15yrs. I teared up for sure and wanted to share this beautiful story of a man who would not give up!

[vinylyoga]

Morning vinyl & yoga to Bob Marley's 'Natty Dread' (1974). Live video from Dortmund 1980. 

This album is the first Bob Marley album with the I-Threes and their sweet harmonies are through all the songs. I noticed this especially today while stretching and listening, made me want to write more female harmonies. Bob is one of my gods, no-one can deliver such a spiritually and politically charged message while being so uplifting and groovy. 

[vinylyoga]

This morning I was practicing to a obscure Ravi album called Chappaqua which was for a very strange and surreal movie of the same name by Conrad Rooks from 1966. I got the album on a whim but figured Ravi is always good. Beautiful album, skipped the film. Here's a video of Ravi at Woodstock in 1969.

It's been getting chilly here in Vancouver, been needing to really motivate to get moving and not just be a cold ball of tight muscles all day. Yoga needs to involve some heating practices such as kapalabati pranayam, chataranga dandasana, and along with more movement, incorporate longer holds of energetic postures that get you sweating. Cover yourself during Savasana. 

[vinylyoga]

"We can conquer hate forever, Wholly Holy,

We can rock the world's foundation together

We'll holler holler LOVE LOVE LOVE across the Nation

Wholly Holy Together and Holy

We proclaim Love our salvation"

-Marvin Gaye

One of my favorite albums of all time. While usually apolitical, Marvin really responded to the zeitgeist of the time and wrote this song and released in in 1971 on 'What's Going On'. To me this is song is still so relevant, and is a shining example of how music is Karma Yoga in the way it serves the people and serves the supremacy of love and peace, respect for all people and planet. The role of the musician is first the healing, solace and celebration through sound. This album to me does that through the coming together of the incredible musicians on this record (The Funk Brothers), composer David Van DePitt and Marvin Gaye's vision of Love in the midst of a time of war, environmental destruction, and injustice. Which still continues to this day mind you, so is still so relevant.

Release Date: 05/20/1971  Tracks in What's Going On: What's Going On, What's Happening Brother, Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky), Save The Children, God Is Love, Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology), Right On, Wholy Holy, Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

[vinylyoga]

My morning yoga was to Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. Pretty wild, badass experimental jazz. My flow ended up being a little experimental itself. I’ve been having to spend a little extra time on the hips since being on tour so much this year, the car has tightened them up not to mention biking everywhere. The tricky part about vinyl yoga is flipping the record while in handstand :) Love this album. This is a great live performance of one of the tracks in Copenhagen but check out the actual album itself if you get a chance… and do some yoga when you get a chance.