Diana Zaheer: Over The Counter Meditations
Diana Zaheer: Over The Counter Meditations
Discover inner peace and mental clarity with Diana Zaheer’s Over The Counter Meditations – a powerful spoken word album created in collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer Lincoln Parish
After thousands of client hours helping people navigate their lives during Covid, the sought-after DIANA ZAHEER (Inner Harbor Teachings: Inner Work Teacher/Energy Healer) joined forces with an unlikely collaborator, GRAMMY-nominated LINCOLN PARISH (Cage the Elephant rocker turned Nashville Talk Box Rodeo music producer) to give people support in key mental health moments with a powerful and innovative spoken word album, OVER THE COUNTER MEDITATIONS (The Orchard, Nov 2, 2023).
The positive and creative approach to accessing support on music platforms is also scientific, as music is known to activate the limbic system triggering emotion in listeners. “Lincoln created soundscapes and music – across many different genres – that move my short concentrated teachings in ways we did not even imagine,” says Zaheer, for whom the collaborative passion project has been a dream after working with so many clients and talented artists over thirty years.
OMTimes is proud to interview the “Over Counter Meditations” and to bring you the best of these new soundscapes.
OMTimes: Why did you feel a need to create OVER THE COUNTER MEDITATIONS?
DIANA ZAHEER: The Over The Counter Meditations project came out of a deeply committed time doing healing work with people during COVID-19, especially during lockdowns. I have been an inner work teacher for three decades, virtually and in person, and had never seen so many people show up to learn and find ways to care for themselves during such an unexpected tragic time.
For two years, I met privately with about 10 people per day, seven days per week, in different time zones. We also started regular groups. I taught people everything I could and offered creative reminders. I realized that these teachings could help many others. I began to explore ways of sharing this content. I am working on writing projects, but the musical idea jumped out and wanted my attention first. I have the privilege of teaching many creative artists, including musicians in Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York. Several of these people came together to support the project, and things naturally flowed. We got a green light from the universe.
OMTimes: Can you explain what a spoken word album is? What is the connection between words and music?
DIANA ZAHEER: The spoken word genre of music is a relatively small one. Some famous musical artists have recorded songs where they only speak instead of sing. This idea made sense to me because I wanted to share concentrated, inspiring teachings and reach people, especially younger people, through a medium they already enjoyed. In general, young people aren’t necessarily seeking out meditation, but they spend a lot of time listening to music.
I wasn’t sure this would work. It was a cool idea in theory. When Nashville producer Lincoln Parish and I started creating together in the studio, we got excited about the powerful blend of deep teachings and customized soundscapes around them. The music moves the teachings. It’s a wonderful combination.
The album became a curated healing journey, a collection of mini-healing sessions by topic. Listeners can take the full journey or choose a song based on the teaching topic or the music genre of that song. Some sound like lullabies. Others are more compelling. We even have a few dance tunes.
OMTimes: How do you feel music is able to alter a person’s emotional perspective?
DIANA ZAHEER: People often go to music for comfort, companionship, for the experience of feeling understood. Musical artists generously offer us healing gifts with their creations. I have witnessed musicians take the difficult moments in their own lives and use their songwriting and musical skills to transform and transmute their confusion and pain. We can feel those transmissions in their music. We feel personally seen, heard, known, and understood. For some people, music is their most reliable healing tool.
OMTimes: Tell us about your collaboration with Lincoln Parish.
DIANA ZAHEER: Lincoln is a genius and an exceptional human being. I first met him in 2021 when he produced a powerful album called Inner Child Work for Alicia Blue, one of my beloved clients. I went to Nashville to be part of Alicia’s studio team. I met Lincoln during my other visits to Nashville and in 2023 proposed a collaboration. He was intrigued, and that’s how it all started.
I’m not sure that many producers would have had the patience, curiosity and openness to this project. I went into a meditative kind of space and did spontaneous teachings. We weren’t really sure what would happen. There was some special magic in our collaboration. Lincoln created music that captured the tone of what I was teaching.
There are 10 songs on the album, each with a different teaching. Lincoln created a special song for each one. We would brainstorm in advance about possible styles of music for the different teaching topics, and then he would go into his creative zone and compose something unique and incredible. It was a wonderful experience for me.
OMTimes: What is the takeaway you hope for your listeners?
DIANA ZAHEER: My hope for listeners is the same as what I always wish for people who want to learn and grow — that we can all become better friends with ourselves, with our present moment, with our history, with our feelings, our sensations, and our thoughts.
Our interior world is often an uncharted territory, and it can frequently feel like harsh terrain. Learning how to have a compassionate and curious inner relationship can change our lives in ways we can’t even imagine. It is our biggest potential for harmony inside and outside. It is an ongoing unfoldment available to us if we want to grow this inner friendship.
(Photo by Tammie Valer Official)
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