SWAHA

SWAHA is the kirtan band of Ron Reid and Marla Meenakshi Joy, who lead kirtan (call-and-response chanting) and teach yoga and music in a combined way. Their music is described as ethereal Sanskrit vocals soaring over rich earthy rhythms, composed and performed to be inspiring and uplifting.

Ron and Meenakshi have taught Ashtanga- and Vinyasa-based yoga classes and workshops for 30 years, with a global reach for the past 20. Their SWAHA Yoga draws on Ashtanga Vinyasa, informed by natural body alignment principles, and approaches yoga as a whole eight-limbed path. It is meant to tap the creative spark within, and the qualities they name for it are exploration, playfulness, and self-connection and expression.

Their home studio, Downward Dog in Toronto, has been a destination for yoga since 1997. Its teacher training program is known around the world. Their classes and workshops also include mantra, Sanskrit pronunciation, pranayama, yoga nidra, and the art and soul of kirtan.

Of their music, Krishna Das wrote that "Meenakshi's open-hearted chanting soothes the heart and frees the spirit," and Jai Uttal called SWAHA's Salutations "soft and sweet and full of heart." Their digital album is titled Gone Beyond.