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Catch Bibi McGill and other musicians Wanderlust Squaw Valley July 20-23<\/a>. For a complete summer festival lineup, click here.\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Bibi McGill<\/span><\/a>, renowned rock guitarist, yoga teacher, wellness educator, and sustainable living and health food advocate, is nothing short of a Renaissance Woman. Not only has she toured as lead guitarist for artists Pink and Beyonc\u00e9, she is also the founder of Bibi Kale Chips and has traveled extensively, teaching and studying the ancient tradition of yoga and its iterations in various countries across the globe. So how does this wonder woman keep up with her busy schedule? Balance, she says.<\/span><\/p>\n I had the pleasure of speaking with Bibi about performing, touring, and cultivating mindfulness while traveling the world. Growing up on Earth Wind and Fire, Heart, The Isley Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden, it\u2019s no surprise that McGill grew to become a shredder of the same caliber. Her style is unapologetic, enthralling, and ecstatic. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Randy Rhoads<\/span><\/a> was and still is my favorite guitar player,\u201d she tells me. Her taste has since become more eclectic, evidenced by her fusion of Hendrix-esque riffs with Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s contemporary R&B, pop and soul. The synthesis of these two incredibly adroit, albeit distinct musicians is akin to pure magic. \u201cI love any music as long as it sounds good to me.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Bibi began playing guitar when she was 12 years young. She reminisces on her youth, explaining that her family was also very musical\u2014Bibi\u2019s older brother and sister played the classical piano.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy mom would have liked to play an instrument, but she grew up on a farm and had to work to help her family. She loves to live vicariously through me and my music,\u201d she says. McGill received her Bachelor\u2019s Degree in Music, Scoring and Arranging from the University of Colorado. When she graduated, she moved to LA to work for a record company. She found yoga in 1996. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI went to a class in Santa Monica and when I came out, I felt like my life was changed,\u201d Bibi says. She began to explore different yogic lineages, including Kundalini, Hatha, Anusara. Later on she discovered Ashtanga and fell in love. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI realized it was a practice I could do on my own while I traveled the world. Doing yoga at studios in LA just wasn\u2019t taking me deep enough, so I traveled to Ko Samui Thailand in 2004 to do my teacher training with Paul Dallaghan at Centered Yoga.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Touring and traveling for music allowed McGill to explore yogic traditions around the world. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhenever I toured I would always immediately ask the hotel concierge where the nearest yoga was,\u201d she tells me. She estimates that she has practiced in over 50 countries while touring. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSpiritually, yoga is still helping me to evolve and find a greater sense of understanding of myself and all things. I draw on it for strength and peace. I\u2019ll forever be a student.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Bibi is also a strong advocate of studying yoga from its philosophic roots, as opposed to the diluted Western interpretation of this ancient practice. She wants people to know that yoga is for everyone, not just the ultra-limber millennials we so prevalently see on social media. Citing Patanjali\u2019s Yoga Sutras<\/a>, McGill says that yoga is \u201creally about calming the fluctuations of the mind and breathing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She notes that calming the mind does wonders for creativity. For McGill, the creative process happens spontaneously, and possessing a quiet mind allows those ideas to flow without interruption.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMindfulness helps me to create music from a place of clarity and space,\u201d she explains. \u201cI\u2019m one of those people who can work well under pressure if I have to, but I need to be grounded and have peace in order to create and be in the Divine flow.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Bibi notes that despite the joy of touring, there are a challenges. She\u2019s constantly moving, and taking on a lot of responsibility, which makes it hard to find time for herself. To stay grounded, she prioritizes consistent yoga practice as well as simply breathing and eating clean.<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n But even with self-care practices and boundaries, Bibi notes that she\u2019s often still exhausted. The best way to combat this exhaustion, she notes, is to foster kindness to herself, or doing what is necessary in the moment, and being gentle, knowing that she can\u2019t do it all. When she does have a sliver of down-time, she takes a moment to rest and do things that don\u2019t require too much thought. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really all about finding the balance,\u201d she says. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Balance, indeed. Even with her schedule, Bibi still makes time for philanthropy. The artist has worked with numerous youth organizations including an organization called Street Yoga, teaching youth who struggle with difficult living situations. She shares her mindfulness, music, and writing practice with students, and helps young people to develop compassion, emotional resilience, calm, and self-awareness. <\/span>
\nForever a Student<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Art of Finding Balance <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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