WearLuck Blog

Feature Friday: Inspirational Travel

I won’t promise to stick to one topic while doing Feature Fridays, however during the summer, (and possible winter months), I have decided to cover, (every now and then), places to travel that may inspire you. It’s part of what the blog is about, however. I hate to say that I will stick to one topic on this multitopic day, so I won’t .

Do you ever see a picture in a magazine or online and wish you could jump into it right then? These are the kind of places I’d like to cover. I am going to start with is India because it seems just like the perfect getaway right about now. I’m not about to hop on the Darjeerling Limited, however, it could be a nice place to reside for a cup of tea or two.

Hmmm, where would I go first in India? I’m spinning a bottle and letting you know where it magically lands. “Bamboozling. There’s simply no other word that convincingly captures the enigma that is India. With its in-your-face diversity, from snow-dusted mountains to sun-washed beaches, tranquil temples to feisty festivals, lantern-lit villages to software-supremo cities, it’s hardly surprising that this country has been dubbed the world’s most multidimensional. Love it or loathe it, and most visitors see-saw between the two, India promises to jostle your entire being, and no matter where you go or what you do, it’s a place you’ll never forget.” (Source 1)

So I guess our first stop in India would be the Taj Mahal in Agra. A scholarly way to go about traveling, “The Taj Mahal ( /ˈ t ɑː dʒ / or /ˈ t ɑː ʒ m ə ˈ h ɑː l /;^[1] Hindi: ताज महल, from Persian/Urdu: تاج محل ”crown of palaces”, pronounced [ˈt̪aːdʒ mɛˈɦɛl]; also “the Taj”^[2]) is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.”^[3]

Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural styles.^[4]^[5]

In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen.^[6] The construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision, including Abd ul-Karim Ma’mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.^[7]^[8] Lahauri^[9] is generally considered to be the principal designer.^{[10]” (Source 2).}

After seeing the film Slumdog Millionaire and the way the light was captured in front of the Taj Mahal, I have always wanted to travel there. What makes India so majestic? What about it, besides its far distance from home offers entertaining lights and breathtaking experiences? Here’s a few:

“Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, and some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. The Taj is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India. Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble. Its stunning architectural beauty is beyond adequate description, particularly at dawn and sunset. The Taj seems to glow in the light of the full moon. On a foggy morning, the visitors experience the Taj as if suspended when viewed from across the Jamuna river.”(Source 3).

As seen through the eyes of a person who has not been to India, I would actually love to visit the coasts. There are perfect places for meditation and relaxation that seem beyond the realm of ordinary in their capacity to exist. The beauty of these places I see in my mind and in my dreams, but in all reality exist in a place that just takes a plane, train, and auto to arrive at.

Have a lucky weekend! Don’t forget to be inspired by what you see, hear and dream! It is just a thought, click or moment away!

The Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

If you’d like to be reminded to think outside of the box and visit places you’ve always dreamed of, visit our WEAR LUCK Feng Shui Shop:

http://wearluck.com/feng-shui-shop/

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Source 1: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india#ixzz1tFtfXes7

Source 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal

Source 3: http://www.islamicity.com/culture/taj/default.htm

Source 4: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_in_India.jpg

Reminder Thursday: Things to Make Your Smile, Smile!

Sometimes we go through things and for some reason it seems like we’ve lost our smile. Maybe it went to hide behind the clouds for a minute, or maybe we just can’t seem to let it find its way out. Well, for Reminder Thursday we have decided to give you some quotes that will hopefully remind you of why you need to smile and help you to do so.

“Happiness is within you. When you stop the chatter of the mind and expel your worries and fears you find out that happiness surfaces from within you.” (Source 1)

“Happiness is one of the most important treasures. It is within your soul. All you have to do, is dig it out and enjoy it.”(Source 1)

“Happiness is a state of mind. More correctly put, it is the state beyond the mind.”(Source 1)

“It is our attitude that makes us feel happy or unhappy.”(Source 1)

“If you smile while you talk, you make people happy.”(Source 1)

“A calm and detached mind is the gate to true happiness.”(Source 1)

“You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
~ Zig Ziglar (Source 2)

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
~ Albert Einstein (Source 2)

“I think I can, I think I can.”
~ The Little Engine That Could (Source 2)

“The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.”
~ Helen Keller (Source 2)

“I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.”
~ Roy Croft (Source 2)

“A friend is a gift you give yourself.”
~ Robert Louis Stevenson (Source 2)

“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” ~Mark Twain (Source 3)

“A happy thought is like a seed that sows positivity for all to reap.” ~Miriam Muhammad (Source 3)

Hopefully for Reminder Thursday, we’ve gotten you to read some things that have helped your smile and motivated your day. Whenever you get in a place that you don’t want to be, just smile. (is what my grandmother would say), and for some reason the rest of your body follows along with it.

Have a lucky Thursday!

If you’d like to be reminded to think of how to be confident and happy, visit our WEAR LUCK Feng Shui Shops!

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Source 1: http://www.successconsciousness.com/index_000042.htm

Source 2: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/motivational-quotes-to-keep-you-going.html

Source 3: http://www.quotegarden.com/happiness.html

Wednesday Wisdom: Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu was the father of Taoism. After looking through some of his quotes and writings, we were happily surprised to find all that he had in store to offer any person.

Please find below some of his great quotes. They made us think, not only of how wise he was, but how we could think to become wiser ourselves:

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”
Lao Tzu

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
Lao Tzu

“He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.”
Lao Tzu

“All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small.”
Lao Tzu

“Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy.”
Lao Tzu

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
Lao Tzu

“Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
Lao Tzu

“Because of a great love, one is courageous.”
Lao Tzu

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
Lao Tzu

From caring comes courage.
Lao Tzu

Lao had many great quotes. We wanted to share these today with you on Wednesday Wisdom to help you think outside of the box. Think beyond where you normally would. And find strength in places you didn’t know existed.

Have a lucky Wednesday!

If you would like to be reminded to think more wisely, visit our WEAR LUCK Wisdom Shop:

http://wearluck.com/wisdom-shop/

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Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/lao_tzu.html#A6C1WuhlqDUWmT2q.99

Tuesday Tips: First Things First

After people have been in a relationship awhile and even sometimes when the relationship is new and fresh, they forget what being in a relationship is all about. First and foremost when you’re in a relationship you have to think about what it gives you. How does it add to your life? How does it make you feel? How does the gent or goddess you’re with make you feel special?

There is a very simple trick to making yourself and the other person want to stay in a relationship, put them first. When you put someone else’s needs first, you don’t only have it in the bag, but as surprised as you may be… normally they start reciprocating. Due to the fact that I guess our species came from apes, we like to ape what other people we like or look up to do. So, for Tuesday Tips I decided to talk to you about putting another first.

Uno.) Your single, your the shiz and well, you have a great wardrobe, workout, job, and set of friends. Then Bob/Cindy enters your life. As enamored by him/her you may be, you are somehow reluctant to open your heart. Maybe it’s gotten bruised a little, or you just like your freedom. The importance you put on the beginning and throughout a relationship will let Bob or Cindy know how serious you are.

Boys like a catch, so a lot of times girls play hard to get. It goes vice versa too. But instinctively, men look for a woman, (without realizing it), who could bare a child. It’s the way the big man intended them to think. As with women they look for a man who can provide, though many like to provide for themselves and be independent.

To be clear, men and women want someone who not only provides but is able to care for them, their offspring, and their feelings in a way that no one else can. For instance if you let Bob/Cindy sleep over, use your sock drawer for his work days the next day, etc, how do you think that Bob/Cindy is feeling? Well, if I was Bob..or Cindy, I’d start to think that you thought I stunk and that maybe I should meet someone who doesn’t mind if I hang my suit next to their Jimmy Choo rolling bag.

The hardest part about people putting other people first is that humans are accidentally innately selfish. They know what they want. That is the hunter part of the man. And the know what they need, that is is the goddess mother nurturing part of a woman. But when we get stuck in our ways or unable to put another person first, we lose site of how lucky we are to have the other person in our life.

Next example: A couple gets married. He/She has their flaws as all do, but insists that, (because he/she has not let go of his past relationship/memories/etc they don’t buy a new home). Reluctantly the newlyweds move into his/her house that he/she had with another person, or someone else owned. When someone passes or leaves, the feelings of them are still wherever they resided. So it’s very hard to start anew when someone still hasn’t let go. Even if you are a positive person.

One moral to this story is to know that when you date or marry someone, they will not change. (Unless they end up getting amnesia and suddenly remember how much they love to mow the lawn or iron every dress shirt). It’s just the way life is. So when you marry someone with the expectation they will put you first, even though they never have, they most likely never will.

However, if you marry someone who does put you and your relationship first, you know how wonderful it feels. When you quit thinking about what you know and put yourself out of the comfort zone you know so well and try to relate to feelings that you don’t have, you begin to blossom. It’s as if the spring rain has hit you for the first time and your nose is so overwhelmed with honey suckles that the delight in smelling the sweetness of it takes you away to the happiest place.

Communication does not always work that way. You have to learn to say how you feel. How someone else makes you feel. And then them, instead of becoming defensive, wanting to think of a.) how they could be better and b.) how they can grow.

The other side to the story is that if you are to share a home previously owned by one or the other person in a relationship, help them to feel comfortable. Allow them to make changes that makes them feel like it’s theirs too. Allow yourself to compromise to what they like and you like. When you give just a teeny weeny little spec of a crumb, (even for a lamp or rug you may hate), the other person loves you.

When people used to get married in the old days they would stick it through even if at 90 they fought like cats and dogs and despised the others cooking. Nowadays, it’s so easy to get a divorce or end a relationship that the importance of actually caring has gone through the roof.

My last example will be as follows. You date a boy or girl who promises they will do things and won’t. When something important comes up for them, you are there. When something important comes up for you, they fly the coop. DO NOT STAY, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU THINK YOUR BRAIN OR HEART IS FEELING. I hate to be blunt, but they never will put you first. Humans are amazing in the ability they have to change and grow, however, if you see this as a sign in the beginning or even a bit into the relationship, deal with it dead on.

If you are able to communicate your feelings and let them know how it is effecting you and they do not change, that is when it is time to leave. When people love another, regardless of whatever else is going on they will go to the bounds of the earth for them. So make sure in all you do, to do that for the person closest to your heart. And also make sure you cherish your heart enough to know that it deserves the same.

Now onto how to make this work and to think about others.

1.) Give without thought and give more than you ever have: This is probably one of the scariest things in the world to do, but when you give without thought of what you will receive or the action returning you do it from such a good place, that it subconsciously inspires others. Not only do you inspire other people around you, but your heart becomes inspired with love. Not every one was raised in the same family. Everyone is different. That being said, if someone keeps telling you how they don’t feel loved, appreciated, heard.. it might mean you aren’t loving, appreciating, or hearing them in a way their heart and mind understands. So, to stop them from feeling that way, (you already know you love them and this is worth every amount of effort), listen with your heart. Hear with your heart, mind, and body, and feel with every inch of you what they are so you can better comprehend, thus communicate with them in a loving way.

2.) Always think about others feelings: I harp, I harp, I harp, (I may as well own one and sit on a cloud to play it;) ), it is the hardest thing in the world to do, but when you start to do it, it will change your life and your heart. It makes you more able to comprehend their feelings as well as think before you act. (Both are super hard, believe me you). To think about what you’re doing whether making plans, not telling a person something, or realizing the effects of your words and actions- you not only make yourself wiser immediately, but become stronger internally. It brings a sense of self and outer awareness like nothing else in the world can do.

Imagine being covered in a a blanket and then being bare. Imagine how naked you feel. I have dreams where I still haven’t finished high school and am naked, (but honestly I have finished college, so being naked in a classroom setting could be uncomfortable), and it is terrifying. Imagine unraveling a blanket and feeling how it feels to bare yourself. You feel cold. You feel exposed, and well, unless you are cleaning your house, with a vacuum and singing, you may feel uncomfortable.

When you start to think of other people, that is how you should feel. It will not come to most people in a way that they understand. So they are defensive, they cover themselves with what they know and reject what other people have already seen of them. Well, let’s be frank, Frank. We already know we’re all scared. We already know we’re all different. So why not try to help ourselves to grow? That is how we should feel. Instead of feeling cold, we need to find a way to find warmth in embracing love for others.

3.) Give again

4.) Instead of thinking of yourself, (not to the extent that you will be harmed), think of others: Lastly, when you feel really bad or down about something the best way to make yourself feel better is to do something for someone else or a person in need. If you have a family member that doesn’t get much attention, go help them fix a lightbulb or pick the figs from their fig tree, or bring them cheez-its because you know they love them. Alternatively if a man or woman lives by themselves cook for them or help them fix something they can’t do themselves. When you give love without expectation, you miraculously receive it in the most magical way.

5.) Pay attention: Sometimes we think we know what other people need. But just like when you were a baby and you would and cry, you can’t pretend that you know, because unless someone tells you, you don’t. So listen to what they need. If they ask for something, try to do it. If it is out of your realm tell them. But the biggest thing to give anyone in the world is unconditional love. Meaning, even if you don’t know how to love, you figure it out so that their heart and yours can be filled with joy.

This article was written not so that you quit thinking about yourself, as you should come first in most circumstances. However, in relationships, when you learn not to be selfish and open your heart to possibility as well as love, you give an opening that can’t be described. You open a door that is rarely opened in some relationships and you teach the people in the world around you to love unconditionally.

What you have to do is open your heart to what you don’t know. What you don’t necessarily want to know because it scares you. You have to see that the person farthest from who you are -you can relate to and be there for. Meaning that our hearts are made to comprehend and love everyone around us. Regardless of who we are, where we came from, or who they are. So we should. Our biggest gift was getting to see everything around us. Through smell, sight, love, touch, embrace, and thought, we have been given the gift to understand in a way we rarely challenge ourselves to. When you feel upset, think of the littlest thing, (even a bar of soap), that you are grateful for. It will bring you back to reality in a heartbeat.

Even if you have the best life in the world, it is always better to get to have memories, thoughts, and moments with someone else. So don’t take for granted the people the world has placed in your life. You will be surprised to know that they were all put their for a reason, as a present to open. When you learn to love and understan others you never know what you will find inside… because it will be love. And when you learn to think of them in the most loving way, you will not only fill their hearts with love, but yours as well.

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Inspiration Monday: Love Your Imperfections

On many of the morning news programs you see things on fashion, food, culture, and well, just about anything you can think of. Being in love with the Today Show, secretly, (oops, my secret is out), I always am reluctant to leave when they say they are about to feature some new way to use marshmellows in cooking or an interview with a celebrity that in hind’s site, most likely really don’t care about.

But sometimes, instead of the news being depressing, it shows you how people can actually be good. Like a man that saved a woman’s life by not getting off of the phone when he asked her if she was okay. Even though she said yes, wasn’t and called the police and saved her life. Or a woman who was a taxi cab driver in London who loved makeup and did a youtube video on how to do a smokey eye and got her own make-up line. (Why didn’t we think of that?).

Part of the way to get ahead is to put yourself out there. After realizing that deep down I have a shyness with strangers or a social anxiety disorder, (that may be a little much), maybe reserved, I started to try to figure out why. After realizing that I can make friends with a wall, but at times clam up inside to the point of gooseness, I started to look at myself and my confidence levels. I was confident, but something was missing. What I learned is that being a creative and intelligent person led me to think a lot. So when I spoke I ended up critiquing myself. That’s a big nono so if you do that now, slap your hand lightly.

How can you be a better person? I have just the person to inspire you. Teenagers are bullied for many reasons, but a main problem can be acne. The kids who don’t have it, love to poke at the ones that do, and then they end up feeling badly. A.) Your friends should not be decided by clear or unclear skin, (I’m pretty sure it is hereditary), shape, color, size, ethnicity, yoga ability, or gender. B.) Once you love yourself you see people in the world around you differently.

After my grandmother passed, I became a fake spokesperson for Proactive, because though I had never had acne, the stress of her death began making me have zits, when I had never had any acne or zits to speak of before. Before I skipped out of the door this morning I saw on the Today Show a girl who had changed probably about a billion teens lives. She did so by showing them not how to rid themselves of acne, but to apply makeup in a way to cover it so they could feel good about themselves. She posted a video on YouTube that is viral and well, we give her props.

Everyone should feel good about themselves. If you feel socially awkward because of a disability, a flaw, or really anything. Start with one easy way of accepting it and loving yourself for who you are. Even people who you think are perfect, aren’t, so to make this easier to comprehend, just love you, the more you accept and love yourself, the more that other people will too, and believe me, you are loveable, regardless of your flaws.

Cassandra Bankson, 19, model, did just this. She wasn’t only brave to show her flawless face to nation with over 2 million views, but also taught us to love ourselves from the inside out. She rocks and so does her confidence!

If you want to be reminded of the confidence you have, visit our WEAR LUCK Confidence Shop:
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Feature Friday: Tadasana Yoga & Music Festival in Santa Monica

In less than one hour and 24 minutes, Tadasana will begin. Why do I seem so excited? Well, a few reasons. One being that WEAR LUCK is launching there today in their ecofriendly marketplace. Secondly, I’m dying to hear about the experience that the rest of our team has while there. What is Tadasana? Tadasana is a yoga and music festival held in Santa Monica. Some of the most renowned yoga teachers, speakers and musicians grace the yoga community with their presence. I’d like to touch on a few that I’m super excited about, but, what else does this have to do with? They are celebrating during Earth Day, one more reason to embrace your chance to heart <3 Mother Earth.

Some info from the website:

What is Tadasana?

60 World Class Yoga Teachers
32 Incredible Music Acts performing in yoga classes and at night
40 Amazing Speakers in The Daily Love Lounge
An Eco-Village featuring 70 Booths
Top Artists, Organic Food Court, the Santa Monica Beach + Unparalleled Fun

The Tadasana Festival of Yoga & Music is a three-day transformative experience in Santa Monica, CA, to be held over Earth Day Weekend, April 20-22, 2012. Attendees will be able to choose from 60 master teachers offering 75+ classes and workshops with live, in-class musical performances by artists from around the world, as well as dozens of lectures and an eco-conscious shopping market in an outstanding location, a mere five-minute walk from the famed Santa Monica Pier.

The Tadasana Village, located at the edge of the beach facing the Pacific Ocean, will feature five themed yoga tents, The Daily Love Lounge Lecture Dome, artwork, chill zones, an organic food court, 60+ booths of eco-goodness and so much more!

Tadasana will treat attendees to an outstanding community experience, featuring world class yoga and one-of-a-kind musical events, in a city that has become the epicenter of yoga in America. A typical day begins around 8 am with beach strolls, smoothies, organic food and of course, yoga. Morning meditations will be on tap for early risers. Throughout the day, attendees choose from a variety of classes, workshops and lectures. In addition to practicing yoga, the Tadasana Village will offer an awesome place for people to connect, shop, eat and hang. (Source 1)

So what are they doing for Earth Day?

The Tadasana Festival is proud to partner with Sustainable Works in helping create a zero waste festival over Earth Day Weekend. Our greening efforts include:

City-wide effort to carpool, bike, walk and use public transportation to get to Tadasana Festival.
Marketing Materials printed with soy-based inks on FCS recycled paper
Zero-Waste Stations: Recycling, Composting and Reuse
Our Wate Management Program will work in conjunction with the City of Santa Monica to strive for a low waste event
Organic cotton used for Tadasana t-shirts
Stainless steel water bottles sold on-site.
Community Education Program: The Tadasana Waste Team will work with participants to better understand the size of their carbon footprint and and how to lessen it.
Lecture Series: Showcasing environmental topics from business to everyday living.

Overall, Tadasana will strive to reduce our transportation footprint by ensuring carbon offsets as well as waste diversion for the entirety of the festival. (Source 2)

There are so many cool people who will be speaking, playing music, and teaching yoga, I suggest you look at the program and lineup of all. I’ll touch on a few so you can see the awesome people who will be there. Wow.

1.) Baron Baptiste was born into a lineage and heritage of health, yoga and spiritual educators. For over twenty years, he has impacted hundreds of thousands of people as a teacher, trainer, leader and catalyst in the realm of personal growth through his best-selling books, video/audio products, public speaking engagements, live trainings. Baron’s books have been published and translated into more than 12 languages and continue to remain among the top yoga books in the world. (Source 3)

Baron Baptiste

2.) Derek Beres has devoted his life to exposing people to international music, yoga and mythology as a means of creating better individuals and a more understanding global culture. Derek spends his days and nights employed as a multi-faceted journalist, DJ and yoga instructor. He is also the Creative Director for the Tadasana Festival. He has taught at Equinox Fitness since 2004, recently relocating to Santa Monica from his New York base. Derek is one half of global music producers EarthRise SoundSystem, which creates innovative contexts for 21st century music and cultures to be explored. He is the creator of EarthRise Yoga, and he co-founded the Sacred Strength EarthRise Yoga School at Equinox in 2008. Currently also at Yogis Anonymous, he spends his days writing about health, yoga and music for Women’s Health, Yoga Journal, National Geographic, Rolling Stone Middle East, Departures, Huffington Post and others. (Source 4) (I’m kind of jealous of him;))

Derek Berres

3.)Seane Corn is an internationally renowned Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher and spiritual activist. She is well known for her passionate and inspirational style of teaching and the work that she is involved in throughout the world using yoga for positive social change. Seane first got involved with activism when she created the yoga program at ‘Children of the Night’, a shelter that houses and educates adolescent prostitutes.

Since 2007, Seane has been training leaders of activism through her co-founded organization Off the Mat, Into the World®. She has spent time in India, Cambodia and Africa working with prostitutes and street children, teaching yoga, providing support for child labor and educating people about HIV/AIDS prevention. Her award winning DVD’s are available through Gaiam and Yoga Journal. (Source 5)

Seane Corn

4.) Krishna Kaur, a dynamic heart centered yoga teacher, began studying with Yogi Bhajan in1970 and has been teaching the art and science of Kundalini Yoga and Self Awareness for 40 years. She is certified by the 3HO Foundation and the Kundalini Research Institute as a Kundalini Yoga Teacher and Trainer of both Level I and II. Krishna also founded and runs Y.O.G.A. for Youth, a non-profit dedicated to training yoga teachers to work with at-risk youth and creating yoga programs in schools and juvenile facilities. She also teaches regularly in West Africa. Prior to dedicating herself to yoga, she had a successful career in the theater, co-starring in the original Broadway hit Sweet Charity with Gwen Verdon and in Jean Genet’s The Blacks with Lou Gossett Jr.. Krishna is based in Los Angeles and teaches yoga throughout the world. (Source 6)

Krishna Kaur

5.) Tej Kaur Khalsa was brought to the teachings of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation through a USC psychology experiment in 1972. Having studied counseling to heal people from their troubles, I realized after my first three months of yoga training that the practice took me light years ahead of anything else in a very short time. So fascinated was I by it all, I began a side hobby of transcribing and archiving the teachings. This quickly became my passion for decades, a way to saturate and submerge myself in the subtle essence of it all. I feel we are now on a magical mystery tour that is revealing itself quickly to those with a destiny to elevate humanity. May the seekers be supported. Sat Nam.

Tej Kaur Khalsa

6.) Saul David Raye is an internationally acclaimed teacher, healer and spiritual activist known for his empowering and transformational approach to yoga, healing and spirituality. Through the grace of his teachers and guides he is able to bring alive the ancient wisdom teachings for modern seekers. The depth of Saul’s teaching allows students to connect deeply with their own authentic power, spirit and truth. A pioneering and inspiring presence in yoga’s evolution in the west, Saul’s authentic and heart-centered teaching has influenced thousands of students and teachers around the world. He holds certifications in yoga, bodywork and energy healing and is an ordained minister and musician who infuses his classes with healing music and chants. Saul shares this work through teacher trainings, workshops, classes, sacred journey’s to ancient power sites and sacred music. (Source 7)

Saul David Raye

7.) Masood Ali Khan, PhD was born from Indian parents and raised in London, UK. He is a student and practitioner of various yoga aspects for two decades, as well as an instructor of the school of Human and Universal Energy Spiritual Academy. Masood was head of the teaching faculty for Human and Universal Energy at the Open International University for Complementary Medicines in Colombo, Sri Lanka while studying acupuncture. He has worked as a top international fashion model, which provided an excellent platform to study and infuse fellow workers in the fashion business with some much needed healing and spiritual awakening. Masood and his wife, Alyson Khan, a yoga teacher from Svaha Yoga school, Amsterdam and certified Yoga therapist, host regular yoga classes with music in Santa Monica. A musician of eclectic qualities, playing the didgeridoo, guitar and hand drums, he discovered a fairly new, enchanting percussive instrument created in 2001 by Panart in Bern, Switzerland called the Hang (pronounced hung). (Source

Masood Ali Khan

8.) Amadou Fall is a native to Senegal, West Africa and comes from a family of musicians. His father, Mamadou Fall, was a guitarist who played with several well-known Senegalese musicians, including Baaba Maal. Amadou is the one that brought the kora – a 21-stringed instrument constructed of wood, a gourd and cow skin – to his family at the age of 10. While he was growing up, Amadou’s family lived near a city of Griots (West African story tellers and keepers of tradition). He often visited the house in which the Griots lived and there he was taught how to play a few songs on the Kora. Amadou fell deeply in love with the instrument and went back to his city and built himself one from scratch. He started his new journey of mastering the art of Kora playing from the little he had learned and the rest has been self-taught . Amadou has been playing kora for 20 years and has performed with Baba Maal, Fatou Lowbe, Ibrahim Ba, Djembe Rhythm and Irene Tassambendo and many more. (Source 9)

Ame Kora

9.) Ryland Engelhart is a minister of love. His ability to “BE LOVE” has created a Be Love movement that is the underlying practice of the Cafe Gratitude community. Ryland is the son of Matthew Engelhart, the co-founder of Cafe Gratitude. The apple did not fall far from the tree; in fact, they stand together as an abundant orchard. Ryland has been managing in the company for over 4 years, and is spearheading the Cafe Gratitude expansion to Los Angeles. Ryland is also the inspiration and co-creator of the award winning transformational documentary film “May I Be Frank.” Ryland has just stepped into marriage and has declared that “The Search Is Over.” Love is his pathway to Oneness. Ryland was born to be a “cult” “ture” leader. He is funny, open, humble, and shares passionately from his heart. (Source 10)

Ryland Engelhart

10.) Waylon Lewis is a “Dharma Brat,” or second generation Buddhist. Founder of elephantjournal.com and host of the Top 10 US Green Video Series “Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis,” he’s interviewed Seane Corn, Bill McKibben, Alice Walker, Michael Franti, Deepak Chopra, Michael Pollan, Amy Goodman, Chris Sharma, Terry Tempest Williams, Dr. Andrew Weil and hundreds of others. Named Treehugger’s Eco Ambassador & Changemaker, Discovery Network’s “Green Hero,” “Prominent Buddhist” by Shambhala Sun, Greatist’s 100 Influential People in Health & Fitness, & 5280′s Top Denver Single, Waylon is a mediocre climber, lazy yogi & 365-day bicycle commuter. His first book, Eco Boy vs. Yoga Girl, is scheduled for Fall 2012. For more: @elephantjournal (top #green on twitter nationally two years running). (Source 11)

Waylon Lewis

11.) Claire Wineland is the founder of Claire’s Place Foundation, a 501c3 committed to helping others living with cystic fibrosis like herself. She has had more surgeries and hospitalizations than she can count and has survived a 17-day coma. Yet through all of her many challenges, she continues to spread joy and help kids and adults alike to find their purpose and live a fulfilling life! (Source 12)

Claire Wineland

12.) Kute Blackson is utterly unique in the world of human potential. Unlike those who promise to simply help people “get” what they want, Kute’s life work instead reveals to people what they have to give, by liberating who they are most truly and deeply. The focus: Freedom. Today, the venue for his message may be one-on-one, a vast stadium setting, a corporate seminar or anything in-between. His electrifying presentations are sought out worldwide. Kute is a bold voice for a new generation. (Source 13)

Kute Blackson

13.) Mallika is Tara and Leela’s mom. She’s written two books inspired by them – 100 Promises to My Baby and 100 Questions from Her Child. She started Intent.com to realize her personal intention to connect with others by sharing and listening to each others stories.

Mallika Chopra

14.) Kipp L. Stroden is the Co-Founder of BeON Holdings Inc. and VP of Business Development for Essential Living Foods Inc., a leading organic superfood importer, distributor and retail brand based in Santa Monica, CA. Kipp maintains a family tradition of healthy living introduced to him by his mother at a young age. He continues to share his passion for good nutrition and living an organic lifestyle with others through Essential Living Foods. The company sources high quality, ultra nutritious organic foods from small farms and indigenous groups around the world.

Kipp Stroden

15.) Festival Program: http://www.layoga-digital.com/layoga/201204#pg71

I just wanted to show you the diversity of the people who are teachers, speakers and musicians. There are so many good people, that I had to just pick a few, as if I could put the whole line-up on here, I obviously would. Tadasana is a place of inspiration. It has not only inspired us, but given people in the yoga community a unique experience like no other. If you haven’t checked out their website, you should take a moment to do so. Rock on!

If you’d like to be inspired in your life, visit our WEAR LUCK for Lissa Coffey and WEAR LUCK Feng Shui Shops:

http://wearluck.com/lissacoffey/

http://wearluck.com/feng-shui-shop/

Have a lucky Friday!

WEAR LUCK Health Goal Tank

Happy Earth Day! Stay focused on what you can do to be inspired in your life and be healthy!

Sources:

Source 1: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/what-is-tadasana

Source 2: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/earth-day-greening

Source 3: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/baron-baptiste

Source 4: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/derek-beres

Source 5: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/seane-corn

Source 6: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/krishna-kaur

Source 7: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/saul-david-raye

Source 8: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/masood-ali-khan

Source 9: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/ame-kora

Source 10: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/ryland-engelhart

Source 11: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/waylon-lewis

Source 12: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/claire-wineland

Source 13: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/kute-blackson

Source 14: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/mallika-chopra

Source 15: http://www.tadasanafestival.com/lineup/kipp-stroden

(All photos were taken from the Tadasana website, as well as the bios of the people listed).

Reminder Thursday: Remembering to Love Mother Earth

I guess it is easy to forget all of the things that the earth provides us with. First and foremost,..life. It is very important to realize what we are given from the earth and how we can learn not to take it for granted. Here are some easy tips and events for helping to provide the earth with love and a caring heart.

1.) The Nature Conservancy’s Picnic for the Planet: Picnic for the Planet —the world’s largest and most delicious Earth Day celebration — by attending, hosting or donating to a picnic.

How does it work? The Nature Conservancy will give back a dollar for every dollar donated up to $500,000.

“Every day the Earth provides nourishment for over 7 billion people. This April, let’s give back. All you have to do to join the world’s largest and most delicious Earth Day celebration is fundraise or donate to a picnic.

Learn more about how to get involved and find tips to green your picnic by clicking here. Your picnic can even be a part of our world record attempt. Just follow these guidelines.

So, why should you raise money? The Nature Conservancy is the world’s largest conservation organization, working in more than 30 countries and all 50 states. We work closely with the people who provide our food – farmers, ranchers and fisherman – and with your support we can continue to protect the most vital habitats on Earth. ” (Site below).

http://www.nature.org/earthday/index.htm?src=CPC.sbing.CE3.AG240.CC71.CL2.MT4.KW2333

2.) Ride your bike or walk: It’s hard to imagine the pollution the we produce from vehicles and our transportation. Instead of hopping in your car, hop on your bike or walk. Every little bit counts, and hey, your getting exercise at the same time.

3.) Educate yourself on the earth and ways to protect it. There is so much to know about the earth it could be close to impossible to know everything. That being said, what can you learn about the earth? Well for starters, it provides us with so many natural resources we are spoiled beyond anything imaginable. Secondly the harm that we have done to it is causing negative health to the people living hear and global warming. “Most people agree that to curb global warming, a variety of measures need to be taken. On a personal level, driving and flying less, recycling, and conservation reduces a person’s “carbon footprint”—the amount of carbon dioxide a person is responsible for putting into the atmosphere.” (Site 2)

4.) R3: Reuse, Renew, Recycle: Plastic bags, I take from the store if I forget to bring my recyclable bag, I use to bring my lunch in, once they are no longer usable, I collect as many as I can and take them to my grocery stores recycling bin. How can you reuse things that could harm the planet? Learn about what you can recycle. Here are some great facts on recycling.

Below are some of the latest facts about recycling:

Each person creates about 4.7 pounds of waste every single day
In the US 33.4% of solid waste is either recycled or composted, 12.6% is burned in combustion facilities and 54% makes it’s way into landfills
In 2007 99% of lead acid batteries were recycled, 54% of paper and paperboard were recycled, 64% of yard trimmings are recycled and nearly 35% of metals were recycled
The amount of recycling in 2007 saved the energy equivalent of 10.7 billion gallons of gasoline and prevented the release of carbon dioxide of approximately 35 million cars
The number of landfills in the US are decreasing while their size is increasing. In 1998 there were 8,000 landfills but only 1,754 in 2007
Each ton of mixed paper that is recycled can save the energy equivalent to 185 gallons of gasoline
Approximately 8,660 curbside recycling programs exist in the United States
There are about 3,510 community composting programs in the United States
Disposal of waste to landfills has decreased from 89% in 1980 to 54% in 2007
Recycling 1 ton of aluminum cans conserves the equivalent of 1,665 gallons of gasoline
In 2007 the United States recycled and composted 85 million tons of the 254 million tons of municipal solid waste created (site 3)

5.) Start a compost pile: Any garbage that can be used for your garden or yard, use to make a compost pile. The easiest way to think about what to put into a compost pile is if it came from the earth and has been eaten or gone bad, it can be made to go back into the earth. This includes mostly fruits and veggies, coffee grounds and eggshells, but to learn how to build your own compost pile, visit the link below:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2112166_compost-pile.html

6.) Get a group together to pick up neighborhood trash: many people on Earth Day will gather together to clean interstates and highways, but look at your neighborhood. Could it use some sprucing up? Get a group of people together to collect trash and remember to recycle what can be used to do so. If your neighborhood is already on top of it, go to one that isn’t and help them out and ask for their support and help. Once you start seeing how great the earth looks green and clean, you won’t want to stop!

7.) Give away what you can’t use: There are many people who don’t have enough, if you have too much find a way for someone to use what you have. This can include pantry items, clothing, toys, shoes, appliances and pots and pans. Anything that you are thinking of trashing, give to another, by reusing you are helping to reduce waste.

8.) Shop local: Find your nearest farmers market and hit it up. Try to cook with items that are locally grown. This helps to keep your local economy healthy, as well as the earth:).

9.) Help a local farmer: By using the land we have, we keep it happy and full of nutrients. We have a friend who’s an urban farmer, by using and reusing the land and keeping it healthy and full of yummy foods he is not only giving to us, but to the earth as well:). If you don’t want a farm, you can always have a garden, or a tree..

10.) Earth Day Network-A Billion Acts of Green: “Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network (EDN) works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.”

http://act.earthday.org/

Earth Day Pic

Earth Day Ideas

How Can You Help the Earth?

Would you like to be reminded to be more wise about how you treat the earth? Visit our WEAR LUCK Feng Shui Wisdom Shop:

http://wearluck.com/wisdom-shop/

WEAR LUCK Wisdom Paisley Owl

Site 2: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview/

Site 3: http://recyclingfacts.org/

http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Earth-Day

Wednesday Wisdom: Earth Day & 3 Wise Men

Some people instinctively do good things for the earth. Others, take a little more pushing. However with Earth Day 2012 being right around the corner, (this Sunday, April 22), we decided to tell you about some very wise men, in fact the one’s who invented Earth Day. After doing some research, it seems that through a collaboration of efforts by John McConnell, Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes Earth Day came to be. Through the celebration of what the Mother Earth gives us, people have been celebrating all week. If you do not know much about the environmental issues that we face today, you should look into them and see what you can do to help the earth and yourself become better. Because when you do something to better the world in which you live, you are not only helping it, but yourself and how long it will last.

“The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis, patron saint of ecology. Earth Day was first observed in San Francisco and other cities on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature’s equipoise was later sanctioned in a Proclamation signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations where it is observed each year. About the same time a separate Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations.^[5]^[6] Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues.” (Site 1).

“The idea came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media; persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair; and recruited Denis Hayes as national coordinator. Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land.

As a result, on the 22nd of April, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. “It was a gamble,” Gaylord recalled, “but it worked.

As 1990 approached, a group of environmental leaders asked Denis Hayes to organize another big campaign. This time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1995) — the highest honor given to civilians in the United States — for his role as Earth Day founder.” (Site 2).

“By the early 1960s Americans were becoming aware of the effects of pollution on the environment. Rachel Carson’s 1962 bestseller “Silent Spring” raised the specter of the dangerous effects of pestisides on America’s countrysides. Later in the decade, a 1969 fire on Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River shed light on the problem of chemical waste disposal. Until that time, protecting the planet’s natural resources was not part of the national political agenda, and the number of activists devoted to large-scale issues such as industrial pollution was minimal. Factories pumped pollutants into the air, lakes and rivers with few legal consequences. Big, gas-guzzling cars were considered a sign of prosperity. Only a small portion of the American population was familiar with–let alone practiced–recycling.” (Site 3)

“International Mother Earth Day was established in 2009 by the General Assembly under Resolution A/RES/63/278. The Resolution was introduced by The Plurinational State of Bolivia and endorsed by over 50 member states. ^[1] It recognizes that “the Earth and its ecosystems are our home” and that “it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth.” The term Mother Earth is used because it “reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit”. It is decided to designate April 22 as International Mother Earth Day.

General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann welcomed the creation of International Mother Earth Day, saying: “International Mother Earth Day promotes a view of the Earth as the entity that sustains all living things found in nature. Inclusiveness is at the heart of International Mother Earth Day; fostering shared responsibilities to rebuild our troubled relationship with nature is a cause that is uniting people around the world.”^{[3] (Site 4)}

Earth Day is important, not only because it brings focus to how we can help the earth be a better place, but it also allows us to focus our efforts on making the world in which we live more sustainable. By it being an international event, regardless of where you live or if you are traveling, there are things throughout the world that you can do to support this movement.

What we have to focus on is where we want our children, our children’s children, and their children live. By making a world that is healthy and full of life, we make our chances of creating a place to live for generations to come even more realistic. We have to respect the earth in which we live and think of everything we can do to make it a beautiful place for years to come!

Stay tuned for our Thursday Reminder post on activities you can participate in for Earth Day through the rest of the week!

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY EVERY DAY!

If you’d like to be reminded to think of how to think of creative ways to help the earth, visit our WEAR LUCK Creativity Shop!

http://wearluck.com/creativity-shop/

WEAR LUCK Creativity Compass Tank

WEAR LUCK Creativity Luck Bamboo Tee

Sites/Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day

http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement

http://www.history.com/topics/earth-day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mother_Earth_Day

Tuesday Tips: Making Connections and the Magic of Social

After traveling to the Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference a few months ago, we not only learned from the bloggers who were present how they used social media, but also realized how much social media had impacted ours and their lives. By creating a blog, regardless of what you love you are putting yourself out there. That in itself is something to be proud of. Making connections through social media make the world go round.

Where as before Facebook and Twitter existed there were six degrees of separation, that no longer exists. With Twitter there may be one degree of separation, with Facebook, there may be one or two; Linked in may cause a few more, but the reality of the situation is, you can reach out and connect with anyone you would like. The more you connect with others in the same field of writing as you, the more present you will be in their world.

Having written for quite sometime, I used to reach out to people in the same industry of writing that I was in. I especially loved to let other writers and bloggers know how much I enjoyed them. The reason that this is important is that you should always have respect for the other people in the same field of work that you are in. Giving anyone a boost at some time is good for them and you.

By writing this, I want to encourage the other bloggers out there to not only reach out to other bloggers, but to not fear making these connections. By doing this you will forward your own blog and be recognized by others. And through social media there is at least one tool that allow us to respond quickly to another.

If you look at the difference between social media and a magazine, it is quite plain. Bloggers are becoming the promoters of clothing lines before magazines even hit the shelves. Take Bryan Boy for example, he goes into Barney’s snaps a pic and then before you know it, the item has sold off the shelf. Bloggers are becoming the current magazine for the internet. They are becoming what people look to for advice on such a range of topics, that you can actually save yourself the money you would end up spending on a magazine by looking at them online and get ideas on just about anything.

So why blog? It helps you express something you love or are interested in. You can blog on just about anything, so be inspired by the wide variety of topics you will see. One thing we learned from the Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference was that by putting your blog on Bloglovin or having a feed to Feedburner through Google, you are helping yourself get noticed almost instantaneously. I suggest when you start off a blog, look up ones that are on the same subject you want yours to be on and see how you can learn. How does it inspire you? What can you gain from writing or blogging? Who can you reach out to?

The best thing about blogging is that people who blog are usually some of the nicest people to reach out to in the world, as they all had to start off somewhere to get where they are now. They will be able to understand and easily answer questions you may have.

So today for Tuesday Tips, we offer you the advice to speak how you are. Take pictures of what you love. And never be afraid to shine for who you are or what you love!

Have a lucky Tuesday!

Bryan Boy

La Carmina at IFBC

If you’d like to be reminded to have confidence or creativity for or in your blog visit our Confidence & Creativity WEAR LUCK Feng Shui Shops:

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WEAR LUCK Confidence Goal Tank

WEAR LUCK Creativity Flower Power Shirt

Inspiration Monday: Be Confident!

The health of your mind can make or break how you feel. With an upcoming surgery and no control over how my back is, (except for my posture of course;)), I felt upset that I was going through what I was. So, instead of being angry I have been inspired. Right now it is pouring rain which reminds me of the first time my child was left outside.

I was terrified. He was my child. Instead of what I expected to find, I came home to a prince dancing in the rain and making me smile larger than the sky.

Right now it is thunder storming. I watch him walk outside, feel the rain on his head dance in the rain, wag his tail, then sit next to me to watch the thunderstorm.

The fear that lets your children not get struck by lightning or have anything happen to them is out of your control. However, how you decide to deal with what happens either makes you fearful of life or grateful for the one you are given.

Sometimes you become scared because you don’t know what is or will happen. What we have to realize is that we have no control over fate, what we do have control over is how we live our lives and respect the people around us. We have the control to sing when it rains and be blessed with the love we are given. And to have confidence through things that otherwise would have caused fear in our lives.

So instead of being sad. Or scared. I am happy and thankful for not only my dog and my other child, (my fat cat), but my mom, my brother , my sister, my grandad, my family in law, my friends, my great husband and most of all the life I was given!

I hope that you are inspired to do something good in your life today. To make a difference in your life towards the better, to do something kind for someone else, and to always see the rain as a blessing .

Have a lucky Monday!

If you would like to be inspired in your life, visit our WEAR LUCK Feng Shui Shop:

http://wearluck.com/feng-shui-shop/

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Feature Friday: Inspirational Travel

Reminder Thursday: Things to Make Your Smile, Smile!

Wednesday Wisdom: Lao Tzu

Tuesday Tips: First Things First

Inspiration Monday: Love Your Imperfections

Feature Friday: Tadasana Yoga & Music Festival in Santa Monica

What is Tadasana?

Reminder Thursday: Remembering to Love Mother Earth

Wednesday Wisdom: Earth Day & 3 Wise Men

Inspiration Monday: Be Confident!

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