Laor Oman-Naharin

"The voice is the most healing tool to connect our inner and outer worlds, as it is the only way we can create vibration through the body. With it we are learning again to express what is inside of us, and from there we can sing."

How would you describe the work that you do? 
What I do is hard to put into words. I am a medicine woman, musician, vocal alchemist and a heart healer. Through my music and with ceremonies and concerts, I guide people through breath and vocal expression to reconnect with something deep inside of them, something familiar, or eternal even. I am blessed to have found a channel with my voice, but this is just the tool to connect people back to their hearts and the sense of true love that is in life. When I breathe with people, letting myself be vulnerable so many teachings come from there.

 How does this work help people?
This work can help people cultivate new visions or bring them back on their own path by releasing patterns of things that stand between us and our true purpose. 

 What kinds of ceremonies do you facilitate?
To me it is all a ceremony, whether I am working with cacao, or plants or in a ceremonial concert. Even the voice essence journey is about being in ceremony together. There is a special alchemy when people come together in a moment. I go into the depth of the moment and I alchemize with people to use our life force to create something meaningful and significant and we say, “ah, that was a moment.” 

What led you here? 
I come from theater and yoga, as these were the first two places that I started studying. Yoga made me realize that there was something beyond my mind. Acting was my first entry into shamanism, as theater has its roots in the pagan world as a way of connecting to the gods or spirits. I also met the plant medicine world at that time and started traveling in South America, and meeting teachers who were working with different forms of energy and healing. That was my biggest university. And then I started developing this way of singing and channeling that was coming through me. 

Why is the voice such an important instrument? 
The voice is the most healing tool to connect our inner and outer worlds, as it is the only way we can create vibration through the body. With it we are learning again to express what is inside of us, and from there we can sing. Just exhale and make a sound - hmm, ah, ohh, eeee. The biggest release of energy is through our voice. The times in life where we don’t control our sound are the most ecstatic moments of joy and pain, like orgasm and in grief. As kids our muscle of crying is still so alive, but as adults we start to close. We have a natural knowledge of the body and how to release but we have to be open mentally. 

But what if you can’t sing? 
I always open my workshops by reminding people that in western society we have put music in a box. We are attracted to the beauty and harmony, but it has created a separation between who can sing or not sing. If nobody told us we were talented, we have been cut off from that entirely. But in more earth based societies everyone is taught that we have a body and voice, and this is the way we move energy. We are connected to nature and frequency, we are part of that so everything is music. When people say they are tone deaf I don't believe it - it is hard to be tone deaf because nature is harmony! 

What is music and singing to you? 
It is us! As a baby the first thing we do is cry, and express our voice.  Singing together is one of the most healing things we can do. We use music which surpasses the mind, and through that there is a lot of wisdom that comes through. I see things start to click for people when the mind relaxes. 

What does self growth have to do with collective change? 
Any spiritual leap is an individual thing between you and yourself first. That is why self growth is the most important thing because that is our way to freedom. We jump in individually and then we find like minded people and then we can create beautiful ripples together. 

Where does the community come in? 
It is a bit of a contradiction, because we come into this world and live it alone, but our contract with life is to create powerful communities to bring beauty to the world and healing. We join forces. 

How do you approach this idea of “healing”? 
We really need to keep it simple and have a good sense of humor, because in the end we are just here for a split second in the universe. How do we remember we are alive in this dimension but who knows tomorrow morning maybe I’m not here. How do we hold this understanding and communicate with our beloveds, with ourselves?  If we are great healers but assholes to other humans then we miss the whole point! 

What are some of your daily rituals and practices? 
I find that movement is my best meditation, yoga, walking, or bicycling - or listening to music and free dancing. I let my body find what it needs because every day is different.  I move my voice, just allowing the sounds to come out. Then I light a fire, take a cup of tea, and my writing book, letting morning thoughts, visions and affirmations come out. Being a mommy is a big part of my practice, finding moments of pure play with my kids. 

What do you keep on your bedside table?
In my room is my altar, crystals, flowers, sometimes a power card I connect with. Ceremonial things, like feathers, palo santo, incense, a painting of my daughter, things that are important to me. 

What is the best advice you've ever gotten?
“You're ok also when you’re not ok.” It's so simple, but it’s important to surpass this critical mind that we have and feel that it’s all ok.

What words of wisdom do you always find yourself sharing? 
Love is all we sing - when you express yourself it’s always love.

Three books that you love? 
The Sorcerer's Crossing - Taisha Abelar 

Initiation - Elisabeth Haich

Making Love - Barry Long

Photos by Sofia Gomez-Fonzo