Ep46: Spirit And Song - Nicki Wells
In this interview I am joined by Nicki Wells, internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter and composer.
We learn about Nicki’s Himalayan upbringing in Dharmsala, India as part of the Sahaja Yoga group, a tradition of awakening that exposed Nicki to profound states of meditation as well as Indian classical music.
We go into depth about the Sahaja Yoga system, including its approach to kundalini energy, darshan, and spiritual evolution, as well as Nicki’s own spiritual epiphanies.
We explore Nicki’s career as a singer and composer, from collaborating with composer Nitin Sawhney and scoring for film and television, including Khyentse Norbu’s, also known as Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, 2013 film Vara – A Blessing.
We also discuss Nicki’s solo work, including her 2018 debut album Ocean, her 2019 album of spiritual songs entitled ‘Shloka’, and learn about the deep spirituality the permeates her performances and creative process.
Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Stitcher – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Topics Included:
0:00 – Intro
1:00 – Nicki’s childhood in the Himalayas
4:32 – Childhood meditation in the Sahaja Yoga System
8:36 – Kundalini energy and transmission in Sahaja Yoga
15:27 – Moving to Australia and Nicki’s spiritual epiphany
21:15 – Facing hardship and challenge as a practice
23:59 – Nicki’s passion for evolution and growth
24:42 – Motivation for the business side of music
28:30 – Childhood exposure to Indian Classical Music
31:24 – Returning to the UK and launching her career
34:10 – Touring and collaborations with Nitin Sawhney
36:52 – Working on Khyentse Norbu’s 2013 film ‘Vara – A Blessing’
40:33 – The story behind the name ‘Turya’
43:51 – Creative process for the next album
45:14 – Nicki’s 2019 album of spiritual songs called ‘Shloka’
48:20 – Nicki sings and explains ‘Vishuddhi’
52:08 – We play and discuss ‘Rivers to Sea’
59:19 – We play and discuss ‘When It Goes Quiet’
1:03:57 – More about Nicki’s spiritual path and Sahaja yoga
1:07:50 – Stories of introducing others to Sahaja Yoga
1:10:17 – Subtle body awareness
1:11:07 – More about Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
1:12:26 – Nicki’s personal time with Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
To find out more about Nicki Wells, visit:
For Nicki’s Covid Calm series, visit:
The meditation site Nicki mentioned is:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James