Carrie Grossman (Dayashila), MA, is a devotional singer, composer, and lifelong student of the mystical traditions. For over 20 years, she has studied the art of sacred sound, guiding people into the sublime realms of the heart through her concerts, workshops, and retreats.

At the age of 21, Carrie first traveled to India where she was introduced to kirtan (call and response mantra chanting). The beauty of the practice inspired her to sing, but due to shyness and self-doubt, 10 years went by before the music within her emerged. It wasn’t until a difficult life period that she began to write songs and play the harmonium. She has since produced several albums, including Soma-Bandhu: Friend of the Moon (2010), The Ram Sessions (2016), Pranam (2017), and Homeward (2019).  

Carrie began her journey as a scholar, earning degrees in Religious Studies from Brown University (BA) and Naropa University (MA), but ultimately she longed to experience the teachings directly. This desire led her to study with some of the world’s great masters and to receive further training and certification in yoga, mind-body medicine, and the healing arts.

Also a prolific writer, Carrie is the former editor of Common Ground magazine. She is deeply influenced by her longtime spiritual teacher Amma, and the many guides and mentors she’s had along the way.

Vaclav Havel once said, "The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart." These words reflect my deepest belief that peace begins within. In today's turbulent world, we are facing a spiritual disconnection that is both subtle and pervasive. While our intellects may be sharp and strong, our hearts are withering in the harsh glare of our smartphones. Many of us no longer have a sense of belonging in the natural world, and our existence grows more fragmented with each passing day. 

It's no mystery that we're at a critical tipping point. The pain of our collective grief, fear, and rage is coming to the surface in the face of environmental destruction, racial inequality, corruption, greed, and so much more. Surely we are missing something as we numb our discontent with an arsenal of techno gadgets. It's as if there’s an ambient angst that so many of us feel, exhausted by the fast pace of modern life with its endless distractions and tensions. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by it and find myself falling into anger and despair. It's at these moments that I call on the wisdom traditions for insight and support.

No matter the path, spiritual teachings point us towards our fullest human potential, even when it seems completely out of reach. Perhaps this is why stories of great saints, sages, artists, and social reformers have endured through millennia: they are beacons of light, reminding us that positive qualities like love, creativity, and generosity are possible. Indeed, these qualities can shift the very structures of our society. 

While on the surface, meditation, chanting, and prayer can seem self-indulgent and unproductive, in my experience practices like these don't exist in a vacuum—they are the tools that help us see the sacred in everything so that we can take inspired action. The truth is that none of us is powerless. We all have the inner resources, courage, and power to transform this world by transforming ourselves. Inside and outside—mind and world—are one.