Yoga Reviews

 

"Gina holds a sacred space which allow me to find peace within myself. It is her devotion to spirit that resides and flow through each one of us. This inspires me to be the gift of divinity I was meant to be. Gina has been a blessing to my world and I'm grateful she is in my life." —Lynn Long time student

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"Gina's Yoga class is a wonderful blend of breath, posture and mantra. After on of her classes, you feel so connected in your body, mind and spirit. I have been doing Yoga with Gina for 6 years and I love it now as much as I did the first class." —Sue Long time student

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Music Reviews

"Gina Marie is a talented performer with a special gift for relating to young children. Her recent performance at the Frankfort Public Library showcases original music from her CD and had caregivers and children actively participating in yoga poses. Her program was an excellent combination of the arts and physical activity, which concluded with Gina receiving spontaneous hugs from the children at the conclusion of her performance."

—Gail A. Komer
Head of Youth Services
Frankfort Public Library

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"Unlike other albums for children, this one has a different bend: yoga. Perhaps being a yoga instructor helped artist Gina Marie to create a breath of fresh air with this fun grouping of singsong. It’s not the familiar compilation of Mother Goose Rhymes or fairy tales. These songs focus on the pure and real themes of being alive and being human.

Gina Maries’s playful lyrics, though simple, do not fail to educate and encourage. “The Blue Alligator” can teach us to be open-minded: why not color an alligator blue?  Songs like “Lion” “Strong as a Tree” and “Poppy Tot Hero” boost us to be confident with ourselves. “I Don’t Want to Be Myself Today” and “Silly, Willy Blue” get us using our imaginations, letting go and even engaging with the lyrics by wiggling our ears and puckering our lips like fish. The valuable songs “Butterfly” and “Breathe” are reminders to listen to our breath and let go of stress and anger. Wait a minute…this is supposed to be a children’s album, right? Whatever preconception you may have of the word singsong, throw it out the window now and “Just Listen.” I think adults can learn a thing or two from Gina Marie’s life lessons as well.

The music by Kev is earthy, fun, alive, and creates a perfect and colorful atmosphere around Gina Marie’s sweet and wholesome voice. I have never seen a children’s yoga class, but somehow I can imagine these songs being the perfect accompaniment for a motivating and exciting session. The songs are easy to remember and you’ll be singing along in seconds. 

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve got The Blue Alligator ear worm and hope Gina Marie creates many more albums like this one." 

—Clarissa Novales
Singer/Songwriter
Chicago Musician and yoga-lover
December 2008

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"I sat down with an advanced copy of “The Blue Alligator” by Gina Marie (a new children’s CD) expecting to hear the typical “La-De-Da” sound effectual “ooompa-ooompa” just for kids style of music that can only relate to the very young at heart! My pre-conceived notion was “how am I ever going to review this”? As I listened to the very first song (the actual title cut in the first position order) “The Blue Alligator”, I was taken aback and began humming the tune and singing the words to the song immediately, carefully looking over my shoulder to see if my wife would walk in and give me one of her comical antidotes. The rest of the songs, every single one had the same effect on me and they will you too. “The Blue Alligator” is NOT just a children’s CD, it is a family CD, and one of the first of its kind with Gina Marie, a very sweet soothing and even childlike vocalist, singing her heart and soul here. Every song has a powerful message for kids and parents about love, anger, frustration, life, dreaming, and imagination. Then there’s Kev Wright, who not only produced and composed the entire CD, but played every instrument as well, melodically and in the vein of some the most creative Folk style music I’ve not heard in a long while. I must say that the production is pristine, engineered by Brent James and recorded at Wolves Den Recording Studio. Simply put, The Blue Alligator made me happy. I won’t take the time to tell you about every song (there are 13 total) they are all wonderful. The second half of the CD seems to be a Yoga oriented which I am not familiar with, but the songs are just as great nonetheless. A closing piece of advice, remember that this is a children’s CD. You won’t expect the music and production to be so great, but it is. This is a CD that should always be purchased in groups of twos. One for yourself, and one to give away to anyone else with kids."

—Brian
Musician/ Songwriter
Hammond, Indiana