ALMA is a Spanish mantra of oneness expressing the principle that there is no distance between souls—only light and calm. Composed by Mariana Ingold and arranged by Joby Armond, it appears on Deva Premal's album The Inevitable Blossoming of the Heart. The song carries the weight of sacred transmission: it was "received" through Ingold's channel as she works singing sacred songs with children, and offered to Deva Premal as a gift fulfilling a long-held wish for a Spanish-language mantra.
What is the core message of ALMA?
ALMA opens with a profound affirmation: "There is no distance between your soul and my soul." The refrain repeats and deepens this non-dual recognition, adding "Only light, only calm." The word "alma" itself means "soul" in Spanish, making the title a direct invocation of this teaching. The mantra is not presenting a philosophical argument but an experiential truth—the collapse of separation at the level of consciousness itself. By singing these words, the practitioner moves from intellectual understanding into embodied recognition.
What makes ALMA distinctive is its cultural and linguistic grounding. Rather than translating existing Sanskrit mantras, this work emerges from Spanish-speaking spirituality, honoring a channel of transmission that has often been underrepresented in contemporary mantra practice. The simplicity of the lyrical content—a single core message repeated and varied—reflects the power of mantra as a technology of consciousness: not complexity, but depth through repetition and resonance.
How did ALMA come to Deva Premal & Miten?
Deva Premal contextualizes the song's origins with care and reverence. Mariana Ingold, a teacher and facilitator from Uruguay, composes and sings sacred songs with children as part of her spiritual work. ALMA emerged from this practice—what Deva Premal describes as the song being "received by her channel by her." This language points to a shamanic or contemplative understanding of artistic creation, where the artist becomes a vessel through which a song flows, rather than the ego-driven author constructing it.
When Ingold offered ALMA to Deva Premal and Miten, it arrived as a gift at precisely the right moment. Deva Premal notes, "We've been wanting and waiting for a song in Spanish to sing." For decades, Deva Premal's practice has centered on Sanskrit mantras and the Gayatri tradition. The conscious invitation to work with ALMA reflects an openness to expanding the lineage while honoring its integrity—not diluting the practice, but enriching it by welcoming voices and languages beyond Sanskrit.
What is the production and arrangement of the song?
The version released on The Inevitable Blossoming of the Heart features production by Joby Armond, who brings his signature sonic aesthetic to the piece. Deva Premal emphasizes the vocal contributions of Lady Phil (Joby's daughter), whose harmonies carry a particular delicacy and technical mastery. The description of her singing—"such an amazing intricate way of being able to touch the notes with lightness and ease"—suggests a tone that honors the mantra's message without ornamentation or excess. Her voice doesn't dominate but rather creates a responsive counterpoint to Deva Premal's lead, embodying the very principle of non-duality the song expresses.
Lady Phil is described as "a great spirit, great human being, an incredible beautiful singer" who is also touring with Deva Premal and Miten. Her participation is not merely technical but relational—she is part of the community of practitioners bringing this mantra to life. This speaks to how contemporary mantra music functions as a collaborative sacred art form, built on relationships and shared intention rather than virtuosity for its own sake.
What album does ALMA appear on?
ALMA is part of The Inevitable Blossoming of the Heart, Deva Premal's latest full-length album. The title itself gestures toward the album's thematic focus: the opening and unfolding of the heart as an inevitable spiritual process. Rather than presenting heart-opening as a goal to be achieved, the album's title frames it as something that unfolds naturally when conditions are met—a shift from striving to trust. ALMA contributes to this arc by establishing at the outset that the separation we perceive between self and other is illusory; if there is no distance between souls, then the heart's opening is not an individual achievement but a recognition of what already is.
The album is described as "a deeply meditative and heart-opening collection of mantras," positioning it within Deva Premal's lineage of devotional music while signaling a specific emphasis on somatic and emotional opening rather than solely intellectual understanding.
What is the role of mantra in Spanish spiritual practice?
While Sanskrit mantras have dominated the contemporary global mantra movement, ALMA signals an important shift: the recognition that mantra practice—the use of sacred sound to anchor and transform consciousness—is not exclusively tied to one language or tradition. By offering ALMA as "a Spanish mantra," Deva Premal legitimizes the idea that Spanish-speaking cultures have their own channels of sacred transmission worthy of cultivation and shared practice.
Mariana Ingold's work singing sacred songs with children is particularly significant. Children are often understood in spiritual contexts as being closer to the source of being, less filtered by conceptual thinking. By composing and sharing sacred songs with them, Ingold creates a reciprocal transmission: the children benefit from the encoded wisdom in the mantra, and the mantra itself is refined and clarified through their innocent reception. ALMA carries this lineage forward.
Where to go from here
To engage with ALMA fully, listen to the version on The Inevitable Blossoming of the Heart and allow the repetition of "There is no distance between your soul and my soul" to work on you over multiple listens. Notice whether your understanding shifts from conceptual (acknowledging the words) to felt (experiencing the non-duality the words point toward).
Consider Mariana Ingold's approach: how might you offer your own gifts or creative expressions as service rather than product? How might you work with sacred song not as performance but as medicine and teaching?
Explore Deva Premal's broader discography and practice, including the Gayatri Sangha community and the upcoming Euro Tour and Gayatri Gatherings for immersive retreat experiences. The full album The Inevitable Blossoming of the Heart can be found through the links in Deva Premal's official music platforms.
