After a great trip to shoot a magazine cover down in Mexico last week, I’m back in Minneapolis. In daily life, I interact with people constantly and am always intrigued by new faces and the subtle details that speak to me about the person within. I simply ask people on the street, or anywhere for that matter–a cafe or bar, the yoga studio, the beach or at a parade…it often begins with a brief introduction and, “would you like to sit for a portrait?” This is a recent image created with Junauda, in June…we met the day before, following a wonderful vinyasa yoga class.
On a recent summer evening, I got together to chat with fellow Minnesota-based photographer Joey Tichenor…this interview followed our rendezvous and is now live on his blog “Visions from the Heartland”. Below is the introduction to our interview…thank you Joey for the kind words…
The entire blog post and interview: http://visionsfromtheheartland.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/andy-richter-follow-your-heart-your-camera-will-catch-up/
In the sage and pinon covered mountains above Espanola, New Mexico, Kundalini yogis from around the world recently united at Ram Das Puri for their annual summer solstice sadhana celebration. The gathering is an intertwining of several ancient yogic traditions: Kundalini yoga, Karma yoga (selfless service, or seva), Nahd Yoga (sound current), and White Tantric Yoga…a continuation of the legacy of Yogi Bhajan’s life and teachings.
In Kundalini yoga, there are thousands of different kriyas or yoga sets, consisting of pranayama (breathing techniques), postures, and meditations designed for very specific results. Postures are often held for a substantial period of time, the point being to allow the mind to give way to the body’s wisdom…to transcend mind and ego and go deeper…to clear limiting beliefs and patterns within…
Each day, a group of singing minstrels led by Guru Singh walked throughout camp at 3 am each morning encouraging all to “rise up”…from there, mantras, meditation, song and yoga flowed for over a week. After two and a half days of White Tantric Yoga, the last exercise is a blind walk in which 11 people join hands in a chain with their eyes closed, with the exception of the person in front leading. For nearly three hours, the leader guides the group throughout the arid landscape calling out “Waheguru” while those in the line respond with “Waheguru”…an expression of complete ecstatic awe of the Divine…sharing aloud the indescribable experience of going from darkness to light, from ignorance to true understanding.
