Jess and Deena Robertson feel pretty lucky to have grown up with hippie-activist-yogi parents on a heritage farm in northern Ontario! Their parents introduced them to yoga as well as a diverse range of music.
Both Jess and Deena were raised with a deep respect for the environment and a drive to tread lightly. Lila’s CD Myth and Myrrh was created ultra green. It was made with recycled plastic and cardstock, as well as eco friendly ink.
Jess found kirtan through her teachers Jai Uttaland Daniel Paul, both longtime students of the Ali Akbhar Khan school of music. She fell for that loveable pump piano – the harmonium, sang back up for a couple years, and toured as bass flute accompaniment before beginning to lead kirtans. Although her music taste remains very diverse, she adores chanting alone and in a kirtan setting and could pretty much do it all day!Jess is the co-founder of Moksha Yoga, a growing international community of over 30 environmentally inspired hot yoga studios. She is also the co-founder of the New Leaf Yoga Foundation, a registered charity bringing yoga to at risk and incarcerated youth.
Deena’s first introduction to a love of music was in her mother’s belly! Throughout her childhood, the whole family would spend their summers traveling from folk festival to folk festival She spent many bedtimes under the stars, lulled to sleep by stories sung and told by different instruments and melodies. Injuries from provincial level competitive sports led Deena back to her childhood roots in yoga. Soon she found herself happily studying with renowned traditional Ashtanga teacher Baba Hari Das. He inspired her to view singing as a meditation and a pathway to true joy. She realized that the more she sang the better she felt. Deena is grateful to have had the opportunity to study with Jai Uttal and Daniel Paul. She plays harmonium and guitar and is also very passionate on the egg shaker.