12. Secret GardenSongs From A Secret Garden
This features ‘Nocturne’ which I never realised won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995 for Norway. It sounds Celtic and anything that sounds Celtic always captures a part of my heart. Human, heart-centred, beautiful with a strong orchestral leaning. I would have first heard this on a dancefloor during a meditative movement dance class.
Dance classes and workshops are very important to my music. I started in stand-up comedy and this led in my case to my Guiding Laughter workshops – using heavy or focussed laughter to vibrate the self, release tension, to open the breath and let the participant come to a place where they’re lying down after they’re all laughed out – they’re in a state of natural relaxation, as you might be after an hour and a half of yoga. Through vigorous laughing, just 15 minutes, you release the nervous system, the breath, you’re in a post-laughter state that is suitable for meditation. When doing stand-up comedy, I cracked jokes but didn’t necessarily take them to that place. The healing benefits of laughter are well-documented.
