Devotional soul music Sanskrit chanting and kirtan SWAHA performs music that is both inspired and uplifting. It is an enticing blend of ethereal Sanskrit vocals soaring over rich earthy rhythms. The songs are composed by Meenakshi and Ron Reid. Meenakshi's experience with chanting began in 1988 on her first trip to India to study with Swami Shyam. Her background was in the performing arts, but her Bhakti (devotion) for God came through her experiences of meditation and chanting. She recorded her first CD of Sanskrit chants in India in July 2000 entitled "Prayers". (To order "Prayers" click on to www.cdbaby.com/meenakshi)Since then she has been leading kirtan, chanting workshops and classes, meditation, yoga philosophy, Sanskrit and Ashtanga Yoga in Canada and the U.S. Her voice has a sweet, ethereal and open-hearted quality, full of devotion and surrender. Their new Cd "Salutations" is a collaboration with her partner and keyboardist Ron Reid, co-founder of Downward Dog Yoga Centre. Ron Reid is co-owner and director of Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto, Canada. Prior to the opening of Downward Dog in July 1997, he spent many years in the music business performing and writing music for performance, film and dance. "(Meenakshi's)open-hearted chanting soothes the heart and frees the spirit" ~Krishna Das "SWAHA's 'Salutations' is soft and sweet and full of heart." ~Jai Uttal "SWAHA's richly textured, trans-cendental vocals and beautiful melodies make each song a delight!" ~ Dr. Robert Svoboda, Ayurvedacharya "Sweet, fresh water springing from an ancient well. I just keep wanting to dive back in to the green depths of SWAHA's music. The track 'Shambho Mahadeva' is an astonishing liquid play of light and shadow." ~Dave Stringer TO CHECK OUT MEENAKSHI'S FIRST CD "PRAYERS" CLICK ON TO WWW.CDBABY.COM/MEENAKSHI