Wade Morissette

Wade Imre Morissette (born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian kirtan and indie pop-rock musician, yoga instructor, therapist, and author.

Early life

Wade Morissette was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the son of Georgia Mary Ann Feuerstein, a Hungarian-born teacher of Jewish extraction, and Alan Richard Morissette, a French-Canadian high school principal. Wade is the twin brother of Alanis Morissette,^[1] whom he names as "one of the biggest influences in my life";^[2] they have an older brother, Chad.

Music

Wade took to music at an early age, studying piano as a child and guitar and djembe in his teens. During a trip to India, he encountered devotional yoga and chanting, and decided to combine his interests in yoga and music, to create his own blend of indie rock/pop music with Sanskrit and English chants.

In 2004, Wade was asked to be an ambassador for Lululemon, the popular yoga-inspired athletic apparel company. At the same time, he had self-released his debut album, Sargam Scales of Music. This turned into a world tour to promote both his album and the clothing line with the company signing on as a sponsor. The Lululemon Yoga Pilgrimage kicked off in 2005 and took Wade to Tokyo, Hong Kong and 32 cities in North America and continued on through early 2006 with stops in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.

In late 2006, Nettwerk Music Group CEO and yoga enthusiast Terry McBride signed Wade to the label's Nutone Music division.^[3] Wade has since released his second and third albums, Strong as Diamonds: Om Vajra Kaya Namaha, in 2007 and Maha Moha – The Great Delusion in 2008.

During live performances, Wade often begins with bliss dance and ends with a kirtan. Wade, on guitar and harmonium, sings out a phrase; the audience responds until the musicians and audience mesh.

Yoga, Reiki and other

Wade has been practicing and teaching yoga since 1995. He has completed Iyengar, Classical Ashtanga and Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga teacher training. He has studied Vinyasa, Viniyoga, Anusara and Kriya yoga, as well as zazen, Vedic chanting, and active movement and sound meditations with some of the best-known teachers in Canada, North America, and India. He is also a Reiki master, certified Phoenix Rising yoga therapist, and Viniyoga Therapist. He leads teacher trainings, workshops, retreats, and music-dance evenings internationally.

Writing and speaking

Wade has had features published in the Yoga Journal and Macleans Magazine. He is currently working on his first book, "Living Your Joy: 12 Gateways to Finding Your Bliss" due to be published in 2009, and planning a series of motivational seminars.^[4]

Discography

• Sargam Scales of Music (2004)
• Strong as Diamonds: Om Vajra Kaya Namaha (2007)
• Maha Moha – The Great Delusion (2008)

Videography

• Together and Calling (2007)

Tours

• Lululemon Yoga Pilgrimage (2005/06)

See also

• Kirtan

Notes and references

External links

• Official website
• MySpace page
• Nutone Music artist info page
• CBC Radio 3 artist page
• Give Peace a Chant! profile page