Judith Hemstreit

Judith Hemstreit

Musician
Advanced Taketina Teacher
Remedial Teacher for People with special Needs

What has touched me since my first encounter with TaKeTiNa is a notion of freedom, of simply being able to be myself and fully arrive in the present moment.
The unpredictability of the Here and Now evokes a kind of magic that has the power to dissolve boundaries — boundaries between people and boundaries between me and myself.
In my understanding, TaKeTiNa is a path to explore the transrational realms, to open the senses to what thoughts cannot grasp, and in this way to develop presence on multifaceted, deeper levels.

As a woman, mother, and musician, I've been journeying for years — creating, seeking and finding awareness. The tenderness of sunlight, the gentle power of water, the mystery of the earth, and the vastness of the sky keep bringing depth and inspiration to my life.

I love people and their unanswered questions — people and their unique stories. Life is change — being alive is being connected to what is. Touching the world, perceiving it with all our senses, embracing it.

For years, I have enjoyed a heart-opening collaboration with my partner, Robert Anrather — in our Taketina rhythm journeys, we share meditative and ecstatic moments. Improvisational music from our Duo „Inali“ is a recurring element in our workshops.

We are so looking forward to refreshing, authentic encounters and to everything the moment releases! <3

My thoughts on...

* “Music is Medicine”
Even as a child, music was medicine to me.
Fleeting sunlight in the swaying birch branches, fragrant pine needles, bright red vine leaves in autumn, and the stillness of floating snowflakes — my joy, my sorrow, my fear, and the power that causes our mere existence... The mystery of life and death — music conveys everything that words cannot express.
Music is the gateway to the inner space where countless subtle layers of consciousness merge — an inexhaustibly deep cosmos.

In feeling and experiencing these landscapes of the soul, connection arises, and with all my senses, I perceive what is true. Surrender to what is true — surrender to what is — makes me feel whole.


* Robert
There aren't many musicians who have learned to listen as sensitively as Robert. His gentle, relaxed way of playing is the expression of a devoted attitude that gives space to music for its own sake. A master of "less is more," whom I appreciate for his profound earthiness and precision. And, of course, for his appearance in my life as Inali, the black fox, with whom I can share so much!

In the field of frequencies, rhythms, and sound spectra, we delve deeply into the experience of improvisation — as if on a plane beyond space and time. Where spirits fly free, a path opens to states of consciousness that leave us absorbed, ecstatic, and fully present.
Boundless, connected, and alive.
Robert's joy, his courage, his sensitivity, spontaneity, and enthusiasm support the expansion of a space where it is easy to just float - and relax into the Here and Now.


* TaKeTiNa
Many years ago, when I first encountered TaKeTiNa, I knew immediately that I had stumbled upon something essential.
This direct, intuitive access to rhythm and voice... This dynamic, sensual experience of groove through movement, with sensory perception serving as a key to understanding it on a deeper level — all of this resonated with my own way of approaching music to a degree that captivated me.
Within a very short time, I found myself in a state that stirred up joy and revealed a deep authenticity on the faces of the people in the circle. Touched by the connection, freedom, and vibrancy of the experience, which unfolded the full spectrum of what music means to me, I was certain that I wanted to learn to work with TaKeTiNa someday.

It took a long time before my life finally allowed space for it... All the more intense, then, was the process initiated by engaging with this tool.
Both as a person and as a musician, I experienced an expansion of my skills through a more precise perception of internal and external dynamics.
In music, a deeper connection to pulse and rhythm gave me a foundation to venture into states of improvisation more freely, grasping that roots are the grounding we need if we long to fly high.
In the space where music transcends the audible, the whole world becomes frequency, vibration, colour, consciousness, sensation — and we can delve into playing and exploring beyond the limits of our mind... The way we did when we were children.
The fascination with TaKeTiNa persists and grows stronger the deeper I go.
The state of not-knowing, the imperfection of being human, the surrender to the flow, seems ever more enchanting.


* Inspiration
The proximity to the earth and the sea, to flying sparks of fire and drifting clouds in the sky always was, and still is, the source from which I draw. Every song that finds me is connected to sensory impressions and vivid memories of the place where I sat with my instrument, when melodies and rhythmic patterns, bright and dark tones fell upon my strings — in an unobserved, playful moment of connection.
In one of those moments when suddenly the incredible beauty and depth of life is palpable.
I don't create these melodies. I catch them. Listening to the inaudible in the vibrant emptiness that smells of earth and that is full of delicate birdsong, murmuring water, sunbeams.


*Evolving
I believe that our deepest longing is the longing for progress and transformation.
In my experience, real evolution is rooted in the moment connection is created — connection to whatever it is within me, that is waiting to be seen, felt, and perceived; connection to the person in front of me and the living beings of the Earth; connection to the forces of nature and elements around me.
When I choose to surrender to what IS, my space expands and my world grows — time and time again.
Grateful for the transformative power that relationships have unleashed in my life, I still find myself on the path of learning what love truly is. Being a daughter, sister, mother, woman and companion has not always been easy, but undoubtedly it was one of the greatest gifts life has given me. “There’s a crack in everything — that’s how the light gets in,” writes Leonard Cohen... Transformation is sometimes painful, but always liberating!

Ultimately, I was able to collect valuable experience accompanying people with special needs for many years. Challenging, touching and funny, this work always offers a way to gain even more authenticity and become aware of what really counts – when communication happens beyond words.