Sound Bath with Mari Tanaka And David Ellenbogen

Musicians Mari Tanaka and David Ellenbogen of Unplugged Retreats utilize the power of acoustic instruments like gongs, tanpuras, and Himalayan bowls to create just-intonation soundscapes ideal for meditation and journeying.

Yoga mats and cushions are provided. Bring an eye mask for the deepest experience.

About the Musicians

Born in Kyushu, Japan, Mari Tanaka was raised in Shinto and Japanese Zen philosophy. After a near-death experience, Mari explored ancient techniques for her own self-healing and began studies of energy work in earnest. She is a lifelong practitioner of meditation, fascinated by the nexus of mind, body and spirit.

Mari also explores the potential of sound to affect consciousness, utilizing the Indian classical drone instruments—the tanpura and shrutibox—to create sonic spaces for meditation and journeying. From Lincoln Center to Carnegie Hall, Mari has collaborated in a wide range of musical projects with notable musicians like NEA Jazz Master Reggie Workman, Brandee Younger, Amir El Saffar, and Eric Whitacre.

As a producer and musician, David Ellenbogen has worked with a who’s who of global artists including Grammy winners Zakir Hussain, Toumani Diabate, and Terry Riley. David’s role as guitarist and Artistic Director of Brooklyn Raga Massive has led to praise in the New York Times for “preserving the past while blurring genres in an inventive spirit” and the Wall Street Journal for “expanding the notion of what raga—the immersive, epic form of Indian music—can mean.”

With Brooklyn Raga Massive, David has appeared multiple times at the Rubin Museum over the last decade. He has studied and performed music in over a dozen countries including India, Mali, Cuba, and Brazil, and has expanded the audience for global music through his radio broadcasts on WKCR, his podcast NYC Radio Live, and ambitious productions like the Ragas Live Festival, a 24-hour, 24-set opus featuring 90 musicians in 15 cities.

In 2009, David co-founded the Acoustic Mandala Project (Putamayo), which explores the potential of raga-based ambient music for yoga and meditation. He has since led many sound and yoga retreats from upstate New York to Costa Rica.

Lead support for the Rubin Museum is provided by The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Noah P. Dorsky, Fred Eychaner, Christopher J. Fussner, Agnes Gund, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global, Henry Luce Foundation, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, The Mellon Foundation, Matt and Ann Nimetz, Rasika and Girish Reddy, Shelley and Donald Rubin, Tiger Baron Foundation, and Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation. Public funds are provided by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

General operating support of the Rubin Museum of Art is provided by John and Daphne Cunningham, Anne E. Delaney, Dalio Philanthropies, the Estate of Lisina M. Hoch, Andres Mata, Dan Gimbel of NEPC, Inc., The Prospect Hill Foundation, Basha Rubin and Scott Grinsell, Linda Schejola, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Tong-Tong Zhu and Jianing Liu, with generous donations from the Museum’s Board of Trustees, individual donors and members, and corporate and foundation supporters. Public funds are provided by New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.