Source: Metal Chris via Flickr Creative Commons.

“Just Breathe” – A Salute to Authenticity & Personal Evolution (Baby)

It happened this week in 1991. I was brushing my teeth in my little one-bedroom apartment in Berkeley, California, going over Latin vocabulary words for a test I had that morning, when I heard a voice coming from the radio, sincerely and triumphantly wailing, “I… ohhh…I’m still alive…” With a mouthful of Colgate, I walked to the stereo and stood there as the song played out, excited and captivated and already certain, after one chorus, that I had a new favorite band. When the song ended the DJ was kind enough to tell me who it was. “A group of guys from Seattle,” he said. “They’re called Pearl Jam.”

Of course I blew off my Latin class so that I could drive into the city, directly to Tower Records, which, back then, was the place I went to get all the brand-spanking new albums. There I learned that the voice belonged to Eddie Vedder—a darling, intense, uber-authentic musician who instantly became my new crush and hero.

Twenty-one years and over 30 concerts later, Pearl Jam is still one of my favorite bands, Eddie is still one of my favorite singers, he’s still on my very short list of crushes and heroes, and watching his songwriting evolve from angst-ridden to more political and spiritual themes has often seemed to run parallel to my own journey of growing up, gaining a bit of perspective, learning about love and mellowing out.

Today’s yoga playlist is dedicated to all things Eddie, for all the joy he’s brought to me and to everyone at Bright Antenna, and because it’s honest and genuine artists like Eddie who are the inspiration behind what we do and why. Today in yoga class we not only salute him, we sun salute him, grateful, as always, to be alive.

    How is life treating you? Better yet, how are you treating life?  ~ Eddie Vedder

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Follow Bright Antenna Records on Facebook and Twitter to receive a heads up when each week’s playlist hits elephant journal. For our pre-elephant journal yoga playlists, including Bowie Yoga, Grunge Yoga and Disco Yoga, visit Bright Antenna’s Spotify page.

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Editor: Kate Bartolotta

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