Category: Active Life

A Newly Designed Workout Starts My Day!

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Ann Licator Invitation from Within part of a newly designrd workout

Originally Posted November 2019 Revised and Updated July 2026

2026 Update:

Looking back, this workout marked one of the many times I redesigned my exercise routine around music. While I no longer use this exact playlist, the idea of matching music to different parts of my workout has stayed with me.

These days my cardio playlist is built around artists like Creedence Clearwater Revival, AC/DC, and The Doors, while my yoga routine is often accompanied by Steven Halpern’s Spirit of Bamboo, a wonderfully relaxing album filled with flute and gentle ambient sounds.

I’ve also expanded the meditation portion of my routine by adding a couple of pieces by Michael Brant DeMaria. I have to confess, though, that I haven’t been meditating as consistently as I should. Maybe it’s time to make that part of my daily routine again.

One thing hasn’t changed: music continues to be one of the things that motivates me to stay active. Whether I’m running, doing yoga, or simply trying to stay healthy in my seventies, the right soundtrack always makes the journey a little more enjoyable.

First An Excuse for Not Exercising

So I think over the last few months I think I’ve slipped a little as far as my diet and exercise regimes are concerned. I think part of the reason is I believe the pollen season has been a little longer than usual. I only noticed a drop in the pollen levels within the last week. As I am writing this I just checked the pollen levels for the week. Today is moderate but low for the rest of the week yeah!

Then…..A New Workout Design Starts With Dance-Cardio

Anyway, this morning I changed up my routine. Rather than do Dance-Cardio with weights and bands and other exercise equipment I decided start with 13 minutes of dance-cardio. (dance-cardio means old man moving in rhythm and moving arms

The music is from: Victor Wainwrght, Colin James and The Faces

Then Some Kundalini with Snatam Kaur

I followed with a routine that starts with three basic Kundalini spinal warm-ups. Then I did three or four exercises targeting abs and legs. The soundtrack for this routine is a song using the Sikh Mul Mantra. Sung by Snatam Kaur. The Mul Mantra

The Mul Mantra, the words first spoken by the spiritual master Guru Nanak after enlightenment, literally translates as the “Root Mantra,” or the mantra from which all other mantras in the Kundalini Yoga tradition are built. It contains the core, essential truth of creation, and its vibration is so powerful that it can change your fate and help you rewrite your destiny. Read More

Hatha Yoga and Native American Flute Follow Mul Mantra

Mul Mantra is just a hair over 7 minutes long. When it ended, I transitioned into a short yoga routine. The soundtrack was from Flutist Ann Licater. I used the song “Angels from Within” from the album Invitation From Within

Meditation with the World’s Most Relaxing Song Ends the Workout

The exercise set concluded with an 8 minute meditation. The music for the meditation was Weightless Part 1 from Marconi Union. It…. According to a marketing study conducted by Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson, the most relaxing song in the world is Weightless, by ambient band Marconi Union. The song was produced by the band in collaboration with the British Academy of Sound Therapy.Nov 15, 2016 Read More is considered by some to be the most relaxing song in the world

The Soundtrack

Is A Great Day a Harbinger of A Great Anti-aging Fall?

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For whatever reason yesterday  was one of those days that was pretty damn good anti-aging day. It may be because it started off well when I noted upon waking, that for the first time since I had pneumonia back in July, my resting heartbeat during the night,  hit 38 beats per minute. That made me feel good and quitem well may have set the tone for the whole day.

My Morning Workout

Today was a non-running day. Wednesdays are usually reserved for a full-body workout using just about every piece of exercise equipment I have at home. During today’s 47-minute workout, I did just that.

Every workout has its own soundtrack. I’ve been using the same playlist for quite a while now, and I still enjoy it. Each song is paired with a different exercise. For example, I use Peaches & Herb’s “Reunited” while working with the kettlebell, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Down on the Corner” during my jump rope session, and Strawberry Alarm Clock’s “Incense and Peppermints” while doing my light-weight exercises. It may be an old playlist, but it keeps me moving, and that’s what matters.

The Nerdy Details

Total Time: 47:12
Calories Burned: 462
Average Heart Rate: 122 bpm

Time in Heart Rate Zones:

  • Peak: 6 minutes
  • Cardio: 32 minutes
  • Fat Burn: 8 minutes

Overall, it was a great workout.

Next came breakfast, and today I made one of my favorite smoothies with a banana, an apple, strawberries, pineapple, cherries, yogurt, and almond milk.

Then I relaxed with a book for 15 minutes reading Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide. By Jonathan A. Bodden.. The book has so far been very enlightening.

The Time is Now start parts of Dinner at Lunchtime!

For a while now I have been thinking about making a portion of my dinner at lunch time. So today after my wife went back to work after having lunch at home, I made mashed sweet potatoes using the instant pot. It’s really easy but takes time when I’m trying to do it at night. Here’s the recipe I used

Lunch was another positive meal. I had Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer. It’s an Indian meal of spinach and paneer cheese. It’s spicely good with lots of vitamin A!

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Babysitting Time

In the afternoon we babysat our two grandchildren Zoe and Logan. Zoe turned five yesterday and Logan is 21 months old. They are really, really easy children to babysit. We joked when Zoe was little that Peter and Missy won the good baby lottery because she was so easy! When Logan came along and was just as easy we joked it was fair that they won the lottery twice!!!

Anyway, we got home from babysitting around 6:30 but it didn’t take too long to put together my dinner because I had made the mashed sweet potatoes earlier! My dinner was Honey Chipotle Salmon, the sweet potatoes and a salad.

So yesterday was a great anti-aging day. It was composed of a great workout, three good meals and being with our two grandchildren. The only way it could have been better was if our third grandchild Oliver had been there too!

I ended the day doing my 24 minute night yoga routine! It was the end of a really good anti-aging day!!

And above all I hope today is a harbinger for a great fall

My Morning Workout Playlist.

Yes I know they’re all ancient songs,except for “Dance with Me ” which is from one of my favorite blues albums of 2019 Kenny Parker’s Hellfire! Anyway, the old songs have a good beat and they’re easy to move to!

A Strong Workout Plus the Altered Five Blues Band’s “Mint Condition”

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Altered Five Blues BAnd - Charmed & Dangeous

A Strong Workout Plus Altered Five Blues Band’s “Mint Condition”

So last week was nice. Morning temperatures were in the mid-60s and relative humidity was also fairly low. Yesterday and today overall temperatures were up. This morning it was 76 degrees at 8 o’clock with 95% relative humidity and the sun shining brightly! Not conditions that I like to run in! This  68 year-old body can take just so much!

Anyway I decided to do an indoor workout. Since it was supposed to be a running day, I wanted to make it a mostly cardio workout. One of the things that I decided to include in the workout was a set of exercises, some of which are  from Kundalini yoga, I do to Snatam Kaur’a Song of the Mul Mantra.

I used probably the first Cardio playlist that I created which contains a lot of songs from the Sixites and added a few different songs. I kept it mostly just dance cardio but did use light weights, a resistance band and a 5 lb medicine ball during the workout. Here are the results!

The  Nerdy Results

  • Total Time: 60 min  Calories Burned : 541
  • Avg HR 117 bpm  Max HR 168 bpm
  • Time in HR Zones
  • Peak: 7 min Cardio: 35 min Fat Burn: 10 min

The results show that I burned as more calories today than I did on my 3.1 mile run on Tuesday. (All be it in more time).I also achieved my goal of  having the workout be mostly cardio. I may try this schedule running 2 days a week instead of three for a few weeks to see if my knees are a little better for it. While my knees aren’t real bad, they don’t feel as good as they use it on the non-running days.

Morning Music Playlist

If anyone is interested here is the basic playlist I used for the workout. I did however skip a few songs and added one or two songs from another playlist.

Now, how about some other late morning music …..

The Altered Five Blues Band – Charmed & Dangerous – “Mint Condition”

A few weeks ago, I discovered the Altered Five Blues Band. Their new release Ten thousand Watts was on the Roots Music Blues Chart ( this week the album is number 8 on the chart) but hadn’t been released yet. So when I went to Spotify, I checked out their 2017 release Charmed &Dangerous. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was a band I was going to like .

On the first track “Charmed and Dangerous”  I heard some killer guitar, good vocals and organ!! Oh yeah !

The second track “Mint Condition” continued the love fest, as the organ became more prevalent. Then they won me over by adding some blues harp on then third track  “Three Forks”.  I was sold on the band!!

I’ll write more about the band after listening to Ten Thousand Watts a few more times. But for now let’s go into the afternoon  with some late morning music “Mint Condition”from the Altered Five Blues Band album Charmed & Dangerous. Check it Out!

 

John Mayall Makes A Good Run Better! Try It

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Nobody Told Me - John Maayall

Originally Posted Aug 2019 – Revised and Updated Feb 2026

The Run

Yesterday’s was one of those days that was about as close to perfect as you can get. First we were going to be babysitting our grandson Logan all day while his parents and older sister went to Six Flags. The good thing was we didn’t need to be there until 9:30. That meant that I could run around 8:00 and and be done and showered by 9:30. So I got up at 7:00 did some warm up exercising and was out the door by 8:00.

I ran a 3.1 (5K) mile course that is pretty flat. It’s the fourth time I’ve run since I was sick with an upper respiratory infection and a touch of pneumonia. Overall, it was the best of the four runs. Here are the results….

The Nerdy Details

Total Distance: 3.19    Time :33:38     Pace: 10:33

Avg HR   144       Peak HR  163         Cals 423

Splits   1 – 10:18    2-  10:40      3- 10:51    0.19  9:38

The Soundtrack – Nobody Told Me – John Mayall

he first John Mayall album I bought was 1969’s The Turning Point. I really loved that album an over the next 50 years I have continued to follow his legendary career and he has consistently provided me with great albums!   Nobody Told Me is another.

Throughout his career Mayall has always had a terrific lead guitarist in his band, starting with Eric Clapton! Other guitarists who have worked with Mayall include: Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout,Coco Montoya and Rocky Athos.

Guest guitarists on Nobody Told Me  include Todd Rundgren, Joe Bonamassa, Larry McCray, Alex Lifeson (Rush), Steven Van Zandt and Carolyn Wonderland.

Bottom line

The bottom line is that at 85 years young John Mayall sounds as good as he ever has. While I like all the tracks on the album I would have to say that these four are my favorite tracks: “ What have I done Wrong” and “Delta Hurricane” with Joe Bonamassa. “Evil and Her to Stay” with Alex Lifeson and “Distant Lonesome Train” with Carolyn Wonderland.

So if you’re a fan of John Mayall you have probably already checked this album out. So I’d be interested in your opinion. And if you’ve never heard of Mayall check it out and I bet you’ll be checking out several more albums included in his extensive discography!

Here’s the Official Video for the tile track of Nobody Told Me featuring the band’s new lead guitarist Carolyn Wooderla d!

Ok so there were three things that made Tuesday a great day. A good run, babaysitting my 20 month old grandson Logan and finally I finished the 34th book I’ve read this year, Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva. When it was released in 2010 it won the Edgar for Best First Novel. I will be writing about it shortly!

Links

Artist’s Website

Album Review: Glide Magazine

Facebook

Instagram

Kundalini Kriya “Master Your Domain” Rekindles Love of Kundalini

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My Go To Kundalini Yoga Book

 To Master Your Domain Kundalini Kriya leds to Starting Kundalini Again

This morning I just didn’t feel like doing a 20-30 minute dance-cardio workout. Instead I decided to do an old Kundalini Kriya. The Kriya that I chose was “To Master Your Domain”.

I haven’t done any Kundalini yoga for a long while. Many years ago Kundalini was the main form of yoga that I did. Kundalini is different from many other forms of yoga,at least in my opinion, in that the Kriya are more physically challenging.Additionally there is more recitation of  mantras and meditation. It was the recitation of the mantras that we’re in Punjabi that led me to the Sikh religion. Sikh’s believe that there is one God and that all religions are just pathways to that one God.

About Sihkism

From Wikipedia….

The fundamental beliefs of Sikhism, articulated in the sacred scripture Guru Granth Sahib, include faith and meditation on the name of the one creator, divine unity and equality of all humankind, engaging in selfless service, striving for justice for the benefit and prosperity of all, and honest conduct.  Read More

Sikhism and Me

Many of the tenets of Sikhism are  the way I live my life. And really that is what Kundalini Yoga and Sikhism are a way of life. When I was practicing Kundalini I became a vegetarian. I also did a lot more meditating and exercises that focused on my breathing. Overall it was a good experience and one that I should probably revisit. 

While I am not really a full vegetarian I haven’t been eating a lot of meat. I do eat pork chops and occasionally  dishes that include chicken. Lately I have been eating a lot of Indian vegetarian dishes for lunch and dinners more often than not are some type of fish, mashed cauliflower or sweet potatoes and a vegetable.

A Possible Schedule to Incorporate Kundalini into Workout Schedule 

I guess the question is where or when can I get Kundalini kriyas into my exercise routines. Maybe a schedule that looks something like this…..

  • Monday (Target) – Hatha Yoga in AM  Kundalini in afternoon Night Hatha Yoga
  • Tuesday: Morning: Dance-Cardio (20 Min) – Run – Night:Yoga
  • Wednesday: Dance Cardio (30-40 min) Early PM: Kundalini   Late PM: HathaYoga
  • Thursday: Morning: Dance-Cardio (20 Min) – Run – Night:Yoga
  • Friday : (Target) – Hatha Yoga in AM  Kundalini in afternoon Night Hatha Yoga
  • Saturday: Dance Cardio (30-40 min) Early PM: Kundalini   Late PM: HathaYoga
  • Sunday: Dance-Cardio (20 Min) – Run – Night:Yoga

Hmmm, that may work at least its a starting point . I’ll let you know how I make out!If you want to try  the Master Your Domain Kriya here is a video!

Update (July 2026)

Looking back at this schedule, I’ve realized it was a bit too ambitious! I’m still working on integrating Kundalini back into my routine, but I’m aiming for a much more sustainable once or twice a week. Even my Fitbit AI coach only has me down for five yoga sessions total, so I need to listen to the data! Lol.

Now that I’m only working two days a week, I have a lot more flexibility. Overall, I’ll be mixing in my yoga and cardio with an elliptical, an elliptical bike, and a rower. This gives me a great balance of variety and low-impact work. My plan is to use that extra time to find the perfect sweet spot for these Kriyas without burning myself out. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes

60s Rock for Cardio Workout, New Age for Yoga!

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Absolutely Live - The Doors -part of my cardio workout

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The Soundtrack for Cardio Workout – The Doors –New Age Nancy Shoop-Wu for Yoga

So last night the soundtrack for my evening workout came from two sources. The first part of my workout was a 15 minute plus dance-cardio workout. The soundtrack was a portion of a playlist of music from The Doors, Jefferson Airplane and The Who.

The workout only lasted through the first three songs. All three were from The Doors. The first two “Who Do You Love?” and “Break on Through” were from their  album Absolutely Live. Several years ago I wrote a post ranking my favorite live albums. You can read that post here


The second half of my workout was a yoga routine It was actually just a shortened version of the routine that I usually do. The soundtrack of that portion of my workout was Rainbow Road from Nancy Shoop-Wu. Back when I first listened to and enjoyed Rainbow Road I wrote a post about Nancy Shoop-Wu and the album.

Rainbow Road – Nancy Shoop – Wu 

Rainbow Road the second release from violinist Nancy Shoop-Wu has been one of the various albums that I have used as the soundtrack for my morning workouts and meditations over the last few months. And it has been one of my favorites!

About Nancy Shoop-Wu

Nancy Shoop-Wu’s music is a wonderful blend ofi New Age , Hawaiian and classical music. Shoop-Wu started her musical journey at the age of nine in her home state of Connecticut. She came from a musical family. Her father played the trumpet and her mother the piano. She became determined to dedicate her life to music when her father passed away when she was nine years old. Read  More

The Video

HEre is the video for “Rainbow Road” Enjoy as for me I’m going to start thinking about what music I will be using as the soundtrack of any yoga or workout tonight!

 Voices from Heaven Vol. II -Halonen and Syversen -A Great Yoga & Meditation Album

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Voices from Heavern- Vool 2 - Trom Syversen

This morning’s soundtrack for my morning yoga and meditation was one of my favorite new New Age albums. Voices from Heaven Volume II from Norwegian keyboardist Tron Syversen and wordless vocalist Runar Halonen

Every time I have used this album for meditating it has been great. That’s to be expected since the album was designed to take listeners on a deep journey into their inner self.

From TronMusic….

The Voices II music heralds a channeled arrangement on both piano and keyboard combined with voices floating on the waves of music to achieve a powerful sound healing album that creates unique frequencies that will be received in to your body. These frequencies will release your energy when the sharp and high notes are heard, stimulating a needle-energy similar to the ancient of acupuncture without needle.

Most people within the Northern-European-relaxation-healing music community consider Tron a pioneer within their community.. In addition, his music and influence seems to spread farther and farther around the globe each year.  This is a result of the marketing of his recent albums internationally. Each album has quickly risen to the Top 10 on the international Top 100 Zone Music Reporter Chart..

About Voices From Heaven Vol. II

Voices from Heaven Vol. II is composed of three lengthy tunes, each composed by the Halonen – Syvensen team. The tracks are: “My Journey to True Love”, “Rainbow Bridge” and “Hymn to the Lost Souls”

Tron Syversen provides the spacey, ambient, and floating music via piano, keyboards and occasionally synthesized percussion or strings effects. Halonen adds soaring, sailing,drone-like, mood-setting, and uplifting wordless vocalizing. Special guest vocalist Helem Edler Lorentaen joins the duo on “”Rainbow Bridge”. “Rainbow Bridge” also includes Lorentzen playing a shaman drum and Per Elias Drablos on bass.

Bottom Line:  A Sixties Man Rating 4.5 out of 5.

“My goal has always been to make enjoyable music that people like to listen to.”says Tron Syverson “But I also want the music to be good for deep relaxation, meditation, sharp concentration or improved sleep. If my music helps people in their daily lives, I have accomplished more than entertainment. ..”

I say… that on Voices from Heaven Vol II Tron Syversen you have accomplished your goal!!I think the first time I used the album for a meditation soundtrack, I was going to meditate for 15 minutes. The meditation lasted 30 minutes!! The second and third times, I ended the meditation with savasana for five minutes or so…..at the end I checked my pulse it was 43 beats per minute – definitely DEEP RELAXATION!

So Check Out Voices from Heaven Vol. II! As for me I will be checking out Voices from Heaven along with Tron’s Piano Meditations! Along with previous Syversen and Halonen musical guided music collaborations. Such as, Activation of Your Inner Healing, Create the Life You Want and The Translucent Return Journey!

Artist Website : Tron Syversen – Runar Halonen
Facebook
Amazon

From Spotify: “My Journey to True Love” from Voces From Heaven

A Workout, A Meditation, and Nathan Speir

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Nathan Speir

June 2026 Relection

“At 65 I was wondering whether a 20-minute Tabata workout could replace my normal workout. At 74 I’m wondering whether I could still survive that Tabata workout! These days my exercise routine looks a little different. Running, walking, yoga, and staying active enough to chase grandchildren have replaced most of those high-intensity workouts. But one thing hasn’t changed. Music still plays an important role in both my exercise and relaxation routines.”

A Tabata Workout Followed by the peaceful music of Nathan Speir

This morning I really did not feel like doing a full 60 minute workout. I seriously considered only doing a light yoga workout. But the\n I thought maybe a short 20 minute Tabata workout. So I created one on the workout app tha

t I use. It consisted of 8 – 20 second intervals followed by 10 second rest of the following

  • Jumping jacks
  • Squat thrusts
  • Sit ups
  • Mountain climbers
  • Push-ups/ squats 5 push outs 3 squats

Of course I counted how many of the exercises I did in each interval. If you had told me T the beginning of the exercise I would be doing

  • 200 jumping jacks
  • 64 sit-ups
  • 64 squat thrusts
  • 240 mountain climbers and
  • 40 push ups

I would have said you were nuts! But that’s what I did. And although the workout according to my Fitbit burned fewer calories then I thought! It was pretty damn good workout!

I followed the workout with a 10 minute meditation  and 5 minute savasana
( had to sneak in a little yoga!)

Today’s Meditation Soundtrack: Part of a Kindly Plan – Nathan Speir

Part of a Kindly Plan - Nathan Speir

The soundtrack for the meditation was a New Age album that’s been in my music rotation for a while now but I haven’t written about it yet. Big surprise I haven’t been doing a lot of writing about anything recently. So in an effort to break out of that rut,let me tell you about Nathan Speir and his album Part of a Kindly Plan.

Nathan Speir is a pianist, multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was born in southern California but was raised in Florida and Connecticut. Currently he calls Winston-Salem North Carolina home. Part of a Kindly Plan is Speir’s eight studio release. His music style is eclectic and varied. He cites among his influences the music of George Winston, Keith Jarrret, Pat Metheny, Steve Roach, Harold Budd, R Carlos Nakai, Chopin and Erik Satie. His is inspired by his family, poetry, fine art, space and astronomy, the study of religion and nature.

From his Website Biography…

“I have a perpetual need to create,” explains Speir, “and making music teaches me many lessons in life. I hope that my creations enhance the ambience in the listener’s life, and in doing so, the listener holistically benefits. This kind of music lends itself to solace, relaxing, thinking and reflecting on life. Studying your inner life and identifying your personal beliefs is serious business, but I believe that serious things can bring great joy. I want the music to feel like taking a pastoral retreat, or going to space and then returning to earth, but afterwards feeling more at one with things. I feel strongly that each person needs to contribute in some way to our world. With my music I try to do my small part.” Read More

About Part of a Kindly Plan

Part of a Kindly Plan contains mostly acoustic instruments – acoustic piano, steel and nylon string acoustic guitars, wooden flute, cello, harmonica, rain-stick and singing bowls. A couple of the tunes also include a little synthesizer (primarily replicating a string section.)

In addition Speir states: “…. silence has a big part in my music and I pay a lot of attention to the space between the notes”

Some of the inspiration for Part of a Kindly Plan comes from the Thomas Hardy poem. “On a Fine Spring Morning” . The poem was written in the early 1900s and Speir has included it on the back of the album cover. Speir explains…

“At the beginning the poem asks a question: What is solace? Hardy says it is not this or exactly that, but at the end he is happy and content because he says everything is part of a benign or kindly plan that is proof that earth was made for man. I liked the sentiments expressed so I paraphrased the various lines for the name of the album and several tune titles”

You can read more about the various tunes also in his biography at his website. Here is the  link.

 Thoughts About Part of a Kindly Plan……

I find Part of a Kindly Plan to be a nice quiet and relaxing album. It is a nice album to use for meditation, not a perfect meditation album but damn close. One of the tracks that I’ve heard the most and have really enjoyed is track two “As We Turn” The track features an acoustic-steel string guitar blended with piano, rainstick shaker some sampled tympani and synth strings. Speir says the following about the track:

“There are lots of turns in life, and as we grow older our perspective of life changes.”

As I was driving to Walmart this morning listening to the album, I thought about what Speir had written about the use of space between the notes in his compositions. I really noticed that in practice on the tune ‘Praxis”  The song mixes nylon-string guitar and Native American flute with a rhythmic drum-sound created by Speir hitting the cello fretbound with his open hand.

“The idea behind this piece”, relates Speir is that everyone should choose a discipline of some sort, seriously practice it, persevere, improve and also enjoy the journey.”

Anyway the album is, like Speir says a beautiful and varied collection of acoustic music and is well worth checking out. I think that it will be in my New Age rotation for quiet a while!! And it’s not just me who likes this album. The album was number 8 on the MusicZoneReporter.com Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart for April

Artist’s Website

Nathan’s Blog

Amazon

The Playlist

2026 Post Update

Nathan Speir Discography Since Part of a Kindly Plan

  • Searching for Nepsis (2019)
  • Finding a Way to Be (2020)
  • Polyhedric Hearts (2020)
  • Ambient Piano Improvs (2021)
  • Pilgrim (2022)
  • Over Earth Under Stars (2023)
  • Tapestries for Seasons (2023)
  • Ethereal Moments (EP, 2025)
  • Interstate X O (Single, 2025)
  • A Night of Poetry (2025)
  • Beside a Sanctuary for the Brave (Single, 2026

Looking at this list, I have to ask myself a question. Why haven’t I listened to more of Nathan Speir’s music? Since writing this original review he has released a considerable amount of music, and judging by how much I still enjoy Part of a Kindly Plan, I think I have some listening to do. Perhaps one of these albums will become the soundtrack for my next yoga session, meditation, or early morning reflection.

Phil Ochs and the States of Nixon and Trump -Still Relevant!

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Phil Ochs I Ain't Marching Anymore. Album where Here to the State of Mississippi appears

Daily Roots will be a recurring feature of this site. It is a a way of revisiting music, books, and ideas that first took hold decades ago — not out of nostalgia, but because some things refuse to stay in the past. This felt like the right place to begin, because Phil Ochs wrote songs that keep rewriting themselves every time history circles back on itself.

This post was originally written in 2017 during the first Trump administration but it’s even more relevant here in 2026!

Phil Ochs and “Here’s to the State of Mississippi “

As I have watched the unfolding of the events surrounding the President over the last few weeks the similarities to Trump and Nixon get stronger every day. These similarities led me to the songs of Phil Ochs. Well at least to one song “Here’s to the State of Mississippi”

Way back in the mid-60s during the height of the Civil Rights struggle many people were aghast at the actions of the people of Mississippi. Folksinger Phil Ochs responded through song and wrote the classic “Here’s to the State of Mississippi”. In the song Ochs sang….

Here’s to the state of Mississippi,
For underneath her borders, the devil draws no lines,
If you drag her muddy river, nameless bodies you will find.
whoa the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes,
the calendar  is lyin’ when it reads the present time.
Oh here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!….

Complete Lyrics Here

Updating the Song “Here’s to the State of Richard Nixon”

Fast forwarding several years and Phil needed to update the song and change Mississippi to Richard Nixon. In updating the song he added a new versus just for Tricky Dick…..

And here’s to the government of Richard Nixon
In the swamp of their bureaucracy
They’re always bogging down
And criminals are posing
As advisors to the crown
And they hope that no one sees the sights
And no one hears the sounds
And the speeches of the president
Are the ravings of a clown

Complete lyrics Here. Here’s Phil performing the song……

Hmm, seem like any government we may know??? Yep! Old Tricky Dick and Donald are like twin sons of different mothers!!

And Now – Here’s to the State of Donald Trump

While I was searching YouTube for Phil’s version of the song I can across this updated version of the song. It includes verses for Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions along with dear Donald! Enjoy!

And after 50 plus years the question remains “why do Republicans hate poor people?”

Links

Remembering Phil Ochs
Facebook
Instagram
AllMusic

Youtube
Amazon

About Phil Ochs

Philip David Ochs was an American songwriter, protest singer, and political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, and political commentary. He wrote about 200 songs in the 1960s and 1970s and released eight albums. Wikipedia

Born: December 19, 1940, El Paso, TX

Died: April 9, 1976 (age 35 years), Far Rockaway, New York, NY

Spouse: Alice Skinner (m. 1962–1976)

Parents: Jacob Ochs, Gertrude Phin Ochs

Siblings: Michael Ochs, Sonny Ochs

 

Peaceful Being by Richard Noll leads to Being a Peaceful Being

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Peaceful Being - Richard Noll

2026 Reflections on Peaceful Being

When I first wrote this post, I was searching for ways to slow down, relax, and perhaps rediscover a meditation practice that had slipped away. Two years later, Richard Noll’s Peaceful Being still finds its way into my morning routine.

Much has changed since then. I’ve returned to running, become more consistent with yoga, experimented with CPAP therapy, and spent countless hours babysitting grandchildren, working at Target, and rebuilding my websites. Yet one thing I have learned is that peacefulness is not something you achieve once and keep forever. It is something you practice.

Looking back, I find it interesting that the album’s title can be interpreted in two ways: feeling peaceful or being a peaceful person. At this stage of life, I think the second meaning speaks to me more than the first.

There are still busy days, stressful days, and days when my mind jumps from one project to another. But there are also mornings when a few minutes of yoga, a little quiet reflection, and music like Peaceful Being remind me that slowing down is sometimes just as important as getting things done.

With that in mind, here’s the original post I wrote about an album that continues to accompany many of those quiet moments.

Over the last month Peaceful Being the debut album from Richard Noll has been he soundtrack for many of my morning yoga routines and meditations. Overall, it has become one of my favorite albums. And listening to it has led to some of the most relaxing and calming meditations I have ever had.

Richard Noll -a Peaceful Being

About Richard Noll’s Music

Richard Noll is one of the few recording artists who plays primarily recorder and he is amazing! On Peaceful Being he plays both tenor and alto recorders. He also plays an electronic wind instrument, the EWI 4000s. But he doesn’t stop there. He also plays electronic keyboards. He uses the keyboards to create piano, percussion gamelan-like tones and other instrumental sounds.

Noll explains “Even though I play transverse flutes from time to time. I concentrated on using the recorder on this album since many of the pieces were composed on that instrument. Of course recorders are a type of flute, an internal duct flute, and I generally play them in the style of a native or indigenous wooden flute”

Nature is a primary inspiration for Noll’s music. He relates” Most of my early music came to me as I sat with my wooden recorder in the mountains or along rivers and streams of Northern New Mexico”

About Peaceful Being

He explains “ I collected eight of my songs for Peaceful Being that I felt were soothing meditative songs that could inspire, uplift and nourish a listener.” “ I believe these songs can be supportive during times of reflection and inner process, as background for yoga, meditation or other daily practice, during massage or other bodywork sessions, to create meditative energy for groups, or offered wherever calm and spacious music would be appropriate”

I have experienced Noll’s music as both background for yoga and meditation. So,I can attest to the fact, it is perfect for both!!

The title of the album Peaceful Being can be understood in two ways: feeling peaceful, or as a peaceful person.  Noll explains, “ The meaning that emerges depends on whether “being” is understood as a noun or a verb. ”Either way peacefulness is the end result of listening to Noll’s relaxing yet invigorating music

Final Thoughts and an Experiment

Peaceful Being is a pleasure to listen to. One of the most calming and relaxing to which I have ever listened.. I know it’s going to be in my music rotation for a long time. So check it out!

Finally let’s try a little experiment. Noll relates the following, “ I was sitting by a waterfall along a small stream in the mountains in New Mexico  when I wrote “Peaceful Being”. It evokes for me the lush, specious and nurturing presence of the pristine earth and the quality of being alive, nourished and supported by nature.”

The song “Nightfall” celebrates twilight, the transition from the light of day to the dark of night when the diminished light softens the edges of all things as the shadows take over, and I feel a sense of mystery and wonder. I composed this as dusk fell while camping at a river in the Gila Wilderness in Southern New Mexico.”

Ok so now I want you to re-read the above. Then listen to the appropriate track below and see where the music takes you!

Then listen to and enjoy the whole album here.