This past Tuesday was Guru Purnima, one of the most special days in the Vedic tradition. It is a day marked on the full moon in July which celebrates our teachers, our gurus. As a Vedic meditator, I was really thrilled to be able to observe it in the company of a huge group of fellow meditators here in New York City. We gathered together to make puja (a beautiful ceremony with fruit, flowers, and chanting that pays homage to the lineage of teachers), ask for a wish for the coming year, and to me...Blog
Welcome to the Voice Body Connection blog!
In honor of our teachers, and today especially my teacher Paul
Oct 10, 2017
This past Tuesday was Guru Purnima, one of the most special days in the Vedic tradition. It is a day marked on the full moon in July which celebrates our teachers, our gurus. As a Vedic meditator, I was really thrilled to be able to observe it in the company of a huge group of fellow meditators here in New York City. We gathered together to make puja (a beautiful ceremony with fruit, flowers, and chanting that pays homage to the lineage of teachers), ask for a wish for the coming year, and to me...Elissa on the cover of Psoriasis Advance magazine
Oct 06, 2017
Friends, Clients, and Colleagues,
I am beyond honored to be featured and on the cover of the Spring 2017 issue of Psoriasis Advance magazine. I have had psoriasis, an autoimmune disease that manifests as a skin condition, my whole life. In recent years I have become more outspoken about my struggles with it and my path to healing holistically. This article is a rare and exciting feature about natural remedies for psoriasis sufferers. I am thrilled with how the article turned out and how helpful...
The 4 Most Important Things To Work On To Improve Your Articulation
Aug 11, 2017
Do you wish your articulation was clearer? Do people often ask you to repeat yourself? If youāre looking for clearer articulation, here are the four most beneficial steps you can take:
1. Explode your plosives at the ends of your words.
Letās start with the definition: a plosive is a type of consonant in which the articulators touch and then explode apart. The plosives in the English language are p, b, t, d, k, and g.
To understand why the explosion in important, take for instance a āpā or a ...
Iāve had a revelation here in Baliā¦
Jul 13, 2017
On my first Sunday night here in Bali, I went to a kirtan. For those of you who have never heard of it before, a kirtan is basically a Sanskrit sing-a-long. Perhaps the reason youād be familiar with it is because youāve seen Bhakti yogis sitting in orange robes in a park singing āHare Krishna, Hare Krisha, Krishna Krishna Hare Hareā¦ā
āHare Krishnaā is certainly one refrain that you can sing during kirtan, but the possibilities for melodies and mantras are basically endless. At the kirtan here a...
Why I came to Baliā¦
Jul 02, 2017
(Warning: this post is gonna have lots of pictures and emojis š·š)
It all starts last summer when I went to Burning Man for the first time. For those of you who havenāt gone or heard of Burning Man, itās a huge week-long festival in the Nevada Desert that centers around radical self-reliance, expression, and love. Itās a place where you can walk up a stranger, hug them, and within seconds be in deep conversation.
Obviously, I made a lot of friends at Burning Man last summer. But the closest fri...
Understanding vocal registers: an interview with Chris & Steve of the Naked Vocalist
Feb 23, 2017
Vocal registersā¦ kinda make no sense. I mean they do! But everyone talks about them differently. And the deeper you dive, the more confusing things can get. In my online class, lots of students have had questions about the vocal register rabbit holeā¦ so I decided to call on my awesome friends Chris and Steve of The Naked Vocalist podcast to help me dive in. Check it out!
Want more where this came from? Learn more about my online class āHow Your Voice Works,ā here.
xo,
You are an energy worker
Dec 16, 2016
I have this theory about us performer/presenter/storyteller/speech-giver types. We are all energy workers.
I know you may not practice reiki or healing light therapy, but I still believe you are a crafter and shaper of energy. In fact, I think all humans are.
Think about itā¦ if you smile at a stranger, you have the power to change their mood for the entire day. If a loved one is getting angry, you have the power to say something to break them out of their anger loop. Sure, you may not always e...
Do you have a sensitive nervous system? [quiz]
Dec 08, 2016
When I ask you āDo you have a sensitive nervous system?ā you may not know your answer right off the bat. So letās do a quizā¦
Imagine that youāre getting up in front of people to perform or give a speech, and the stakes are reasonably high. Answer the following four questions:
How nervous do you feel?
- Not too nervous.
- Iāve got nerves but they donāt overcome my ability to perform.
- So intensely nervous that I canāt focus or think straight.
What are you seeing (presuming youāre not blinded...
Conversation requires speaking and listening
Nov 25, 2016
Yesterday in the United States, people gathered with their families or people they cherish to celebrate Thanksgiving. To express gratitude, and to engage in ā or perhaps avoid ā conversation.
Iāve been thinking a lot about conversation recently, and about what constitutes true conversation. Hereās one thing I know (and I bet you agree):
Communication requires giving and receiving.
In the act of conversation, this means that a true conversation requires speaking and listening.
Given whatās go...