The concept was born when master yoga teacher Annie Carpenter commissioned Gabriele to create music to accompany the final, deep relaxation section of class (the yoga posture or "asana" known as "Corpse Pose" or, in Sanskrit, "Savasana") on a DVD for participants in a UCLA School of Medicine pilot study designed and taught by Annie ("Yoga For Women With Hyperkyphosis".)The only guidelines given for the music were that there must be no pulse in the compositions, that they had to be two minutes long, and that several were needed for different sequences.
These short pieces soon found their way to Annie's fellow yoga teacher, music-loving Vinnie Marino of Yoga Works in Santa Monica California. Vinnie found them incredibly beautiful but suggested they be expanded to 10 minutes each to allow for a deeper experience. It was his further request that they be made into a CD to be sold at Yoga Works which he could use in his classes and in his personal practice. "Savasanas I - IV" is the result of these suggestions.
Although they do not contain anything marking time, these works are not formless. They each have central themes which are stated, evolve and reprise as each track develops. Three of the four tracks feature voice as a melodic but wordless component. They employ familiar western instruments: acoustic and electric guitar, piano, synthesizer, and Gabriele's emotional, mood-setting vocal textures. Since its release, Savasanas I - IV has found its way not just into Vinnie Marino's class playlist but that of many other yoga teachers. The music has also been used for these other purposes with excellent results:
Meditation
Massage
Childbirth
Putting adults and children to sleep
Pain Relief
Anxiety and stress reduction
Creative exploration
Dentist Visits
Loving Intimacy
Explore your own inner time experience with the Savasanas. Take a listen. Turn off. Drop in. Tune out.
