5 Things I Learned From Oprah

It's the night before the start of the Oprah's The Life You Want Weekend event in Miami and I've just suffered a massive meltdown that included shouting at the top of my lungs, flinging an object down as hard as could in utter frustration, and bawling uncontrollably into the night.

Am I crazy? Maybe a little.

I hadn't had an outburst of emotion of this magnitude in years. I'd been injected with the calmness and perspective yoga brings, and have grown enough to know that just about everything passes so I should keep my cool and ride the wave of whatever internal or external storm was making its way through my life.

BUT only a few months ago, I packed up everything, hugged my friends and family goodbye, and embarked on a new journey to set up my life in a whole new country and pursue my true passions with razor sharp focus and determination.

Along the way, I've been riddled with anxiety, fear, wonder, joy, challenges, and accomplishments  - all of which I couldn't have envisaged I would have stumbled on along the way. No doubt, that night all my frustrations and insecurities came to a boiling point - only a day away from me seeing Oprah live and direct.

Now, it's a few days post-Oprah and I have to admit, I learned a lot and have gained some serious clarity about how to actually live the life I long for.

Here are some of Oprah's tidbits that struck a chord with me...

1. The life you want begins by embracing the life you have. Yep! If you take time to be grateful for your current situation and see the blessings in the details each and every day, you'll shift your energy from lacking, wanting, and needing to being filled up, joyful and prosperous. That shift alone will bring things to you that you never thought were possible, simply because you have opened your eyes to seeing your blessings. So, you see more of them. And when you see more blessings, you will notice that there are more, and more and more to see. Good stuff :)

2. Don't get stuck in the pain of birthing something new. And, there WILL be pain, pain, and more pain! But, it's okay. That pain is only part of the process. Just imagine a mother in labor - she suffers some unimaginable pain. Or even constructing a building - that's a tedious job that takes lots of hard work and time. So, why do we think building our dream lives will be easy? It never is. We just have to know that the pain of doing it will subside, and if we keep at it, one day we will reap the fruit of our labor.

3. You become what you believe, not what you want. You have to BELIEVE you can have it! Many of us want things, but don't really believe we can achieve it. Believing is a powerful tool. You have to believe with every fiber of your being. Believing is what makes ordinary people achieve extraordinary things - even when people better equipped, more skilled or better positioned could not achieve them. Why? Because those better equipped just never believed they could, and the believer plodding along know they could do it.

4. Gratitude is the fastest way to change your vibration. Gratitude opens your mind to possibility, to beauty, to the synchronicity of the world, to seeing that you're constantly being helped and supported. With that new perspective you've equipped yourself with the mental capacity to endure challenges and take the necessary steps to living your best life. Why? Because if you walk with gratitude in your heart, you'll walk with confidence and an inner-knowing that you can do it, and you will achieve your dreams.

5. Recognize there's no life without a spiritual life. Being grateful, believing in grace, believing in your self worth, knowing that there's something greater than your self, and believing that your life has meaning - are all ways of honoring and living in spirit. Energy begets energy, so once you invest the time to live in a spiritual place, your life will give you enormous returns on that investment.

Thanks, Oprah!

Photos Courtesy of Harpo Studios, Inc. / George Burns

Life Out of the Box

We can actually shape our lives - each of us creating a life that is truly fulfilling and unique to our divinely individual passions. And, maybe, when we've nourished ourselves this way, we are more able to give to the world around us. Meet LOOTB - an example of life-shaping, passion, uniqueness, and giving.

The seeds for Life Out of the Box ("LOOTB" for short), an international social enterprise, were planted when two twenty-somethings decided to leave their 9-5s in California, pack up, and create a self-sufficient lifestyle that would allow them the freedom to travel and make a meaningful contribution to the world.

That leap of faith happened only a little over two years ago and birthed LOOTB, an online spot for purchasing very cool handwoven and leather bracelets that are made by local artisans in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Morocco. Each bracelet purchase gives a child in one of these countries school supplies. So that you can actually see how you've contributed to the greater good of the world through your purchase, the LOOTB team inscribes a number on each bracelet that allows you to view photos and read about the child you've helped. To date they've helped over 3000 children. Awesome stuff!

LOOTB has also recently launched t-shirt and beanie lines which provide nutritional packets and meals for people in need as well.

The duo (Quinn Vandenberg & Jonathon Button) live in Nicaragua, where they say the low cost of living provides them the opportunity to build their dreams and immerse themselves in the local culture so they can keep in tune with the unique needs and values of the people. Quinn and Jonathon have also lived in Morocco and Guatemala.

We spoke to LOOTB co-founder Jonathon, who is only 27 years old but incredibly insightful and inspiring. His ideas about success and culture are really solid. Here's what he had to say:

On Culture...

"When we are going to a new country, it takes time to understand and be a part of a new culture. Instead of imposing who we are on the culture, we allow the culture to change us. That takes time, but it's always truly rewarding. Our eyes become open to what the real needs are so that we can know how to help, and we also gain a greater understanding of the world."

On Success...

"I like the quote that says life is all about the journey, and not about the goal. If you can wake up every day and love what you're doing, and if you're taking steps to achieve your goals - that is success. "

Visit www.lifeoutofthebox.com to buy an awesomely good-looking, cool, inspirational, socially-conscious bracelet, beanie or t-shirt, which range from $15-$25 and will get to your doorstep within four days.

Photos courtesy of Life Out of the Box

Inspiration - Anna Ruth Henriques Jewelry

Beyond striking beauty, Anna Ruth Henriques' jewelry comes with profoundly liberating energy. Anna says she consciously ignites the fires of nature, female empowerment and Source connections in each of her pieces. 

Undoubtedly, the Anna Ruth Henriques line of jewels is art. Each unique piece evokes whimsy, uncanny creative expression and meticulous attention to detail.

Anna lives a colorful life in New York where she has built success as an all-around artistic wonder-woman. She's a visual artist, writer, performer, and of course, jeweler. She's starred in a feature length film called Man Without a World; written and illustrated a book called The Book of Mechtilde (Knopf); has painting collections in New York’s El Museo del Barrio and the Jewish Museum, as well as the National Gallery of Jamaica; and her jewelry can be found in boutiques across the globe.

The elements of inspiration behind Anna's artistry are what makes her work so powerful. "I grew up in the countryside of Jamaica. I spent a lot of time at my grandparents house outside barefoot, running around, playing with animals, including insects. My work is inspired by those times and nature", she says.

Anna's jewelry frequently showcases insect, nature and wildlife detailing, which mix seamlessly with spiritual undertones that she says are roused by notions of universality, embracing humanity and love. She describes her work as symbolic narratives, each telling a story that awakens, inspires, or heals.

"My work is for women who are not really crowd followers. Women who are not conforming to what Western society has imposed on all of us. Women who see that all is interconnected on this planet", Anna reveals.

Anna is also the designer behind the Stars collection of Aayenda Jewelry, a non-profit initiative that creates sustainable employment opportunities for women of Afghanistan by facilitating them in making and selling jewelry globally.  "The star is a symbol of living in the now", Anna shares. "It's a spiritual symbol of heaven being on Earth. When you think of what the Taliban has done to these women's rights, they need a symbol of hope."

"I'm a Jew from a Christian country who has designed a collection for a Muslim group. I practice yoga and adhere to Buddhist philosophies. I see the common thread between all of us and delight in celebrating differences, not judging whose belief system is right or wrong", she affirms.  

         RIGHT ON, Anna. Right on!

View the Anna Henriques line of jewelry at www.annaruthhenriques.com. 

Photos courtesy of Anna Ruth Henriques. 

Global Yoga Warrior Woman: Shiva Rea

Rewind to Wanderlust Tahoe 2012.

After six flights all alone from Jamaica and meeting up with my three awfully-cool-weekend-roomies (thank goodness, because our room was pretty small!), the Wanderlust weekend was a blur of inspiration, utter awesomeness, scenic beauty, exhaustion, adrenaline, and all that good stuff.

I remember wearily stumbling into a Shiva Rea class and feeling a bit surprised to find her yoga-dance-mix-up welcomingly freeing. Before I knew it, the madness of dancing around wildly had rejuvenated me. BUT, that wasn't the highlight. The massive amounts of reggae music pumped into Shiva Rea's class soundtrack stole my heart. Just what I needed - I was right at home, proud as could be.

So, when I spoke to Shiva Rea this week I was even more thrilled to hear that she loved Jamaica and had spent a short stint living there studying Kumina (a traditional Jamaican dance form, which Shiva says is also trance) on a research grant. She adores the African-rooted Nyabinghi drumming, indigenous to the Rastafarian culture, because, as she explains, "It's the rhythm of the heart".  And, she positions Ital food (veganism Rastafarian-style) high on her list of favorites. Sweet.

"I believe there is more that unites us than divides us..." - Shiva Rea. 

Shiva Rea knows a thing or two about the world and its people. She calls herself a global adventurer and has not only travelled to, studied, and taught around the world, but has actually lived all over as well. With a background in studying culture, music, and dance therapy, Shiva has explored the heartbeat of many nations. Today, she integrates that understanding with her spiritual and yogic work to create an offering that includes a unique take on vinyasa yoga, trance dance, culturally immersive yoga retreats, and yoga teacher training programs, along with various events and global activism projects.

She's super-busy. She's uber-successful. Still, she's also deeply grounded and profoundly spiritual - seemingly effortlessly tuned in to the human condition, and always fervently pursuing global change.

Living Your Dreams

Shiva Rea believes that our hearts are the vehicles to living our dreams.

"It's absolutely a miracle to be alive on planet earth. A part of that miracle is our hearts. Listen to your heart. To have a meaningful life is to navigate this journey through our heart. The rhythm of your heart is giving you feedback every moment", she says.

She notes that it's important to tend to our connections to our hearts. This can be done through yoga, meditation, and movement.

Activism

"Anybody who does service has a moment when they say 'Wow, maybe I am actually receiving more than I'm giving'."

Shiva Rea encourages us to look around, both locally and globally, and start doing what we can to activate change - which can simply be by changing the way we do things at home, or by giving time and energy to global causes.

"A life without meaning is not easy to live", she reasons.

Successes & Challenges

According to Shiva Rea, if we keep close to Source/God instead of being led by our ego-minds, we will struggle less in our lives.

"Anything that has come from my life, has come when I have surrendered to God and released the idea that I am in control", she recalls.

"Live love in all ways. It doesn't matter what activity it is, if you do it with love, it will transform."

To find out more about Shiva Rea and her upcoming yoga teacher trainings and retreats in places like Costa Rica, Greece, and India, as well as her many global activism projects and her Samudra Global School, visit www.shivarea.com.

Photos courtesy of Shiva Rea