Steve Vai (b. 1960) is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer of Italian origin. During his long career, he has sold over 15 million albums. Photo: vai.comSteve Vai on meditation
Steve Vai, one of the longer-running guitar gods of his era, attributes a large part of his success to regular practice of meditation. In a recent interview, Vai said:
“Meditation is one of the best ways to find inner peace and balance in your outer life. It has an effect on everything you do. The David Lynch foundation promotes Transcendental Meditation. I highly recommend checking out his site and seeing first-hand the testimonials and benefits of that kind of meditation. More and more people are understanding the deep value in taking control of their minds because most of us do not have control of it. It controls us, and until a shift is made out of the egoic thinking stage, all bets on awakening to our own consciousness are off.” – Steve Vai interview to Jayden Wilson, published on Tone Deaf
Steve Vai started his musical career in Frank Zappa’s band in 1980. He then launched a successful solo career, releasing several solo albums and winning many music awards. Steve Vai has also recorded and toured with bands like Public Image, Alcatrazz, and Whitesnake. In February 2005, Vai premiered a dual-guitar (electric and classical) piece with classical guitarist and fellow meditator Sharon Isbin in Paris.
Photo: Wikimedia CommonsThe latest album by Steve Vai – “The Theory of Light“ (2012) – is filled with themes of spiritual discovery and meditative introspection. It is interesting to note that although known for the wider public mostly for his virtuosity on guitar, Vai considers himself foremost a composer.
For a celebrity and a rock star, his personal life is pleasantly ’dull’ and harmonious. He lives in California with his family, raising two kids and keeping bees to produce his own honey. Vai is a long-time vegetarian.
“Being a vegetarian has affected my music. In a way I believe that what we put in our bodies has a reflection on the way we think. And the way we think has a reflection on what we create. So I can’t tell you consciously how being a vegetarian affected my music but I’m sure it has. I think everyone has to find what’s right for them. I don’t judge anybody for what they eat. That’s their world and everybody has to find what resonates with them.” – Steve Vai to Veggies-Rock.com
Steve Vai is also an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in public schools throughout the U.S.
