I had the honor to interview the altruistic founder of Kids of Kilimanjaro, George Namkung, on his praiseworthy Charity that provides lunch to 15,000 kids a day in the beautiful mountaintop of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Just published in Bask Magazine, an Orange County Lifestyle magazine, Winter Issue:

 

A beautiful insight look into a country we know so little & limited about.

Hello Afganistan, I hope we can meet soon.

With Love,
Jackistan

Namaste mi Amigos & Yogi mates!

As some of you may or may not know, I completed my 200 hour certification training with Yoga Works (Larchmont- Center for Yoga) the end of June after 12 dedicated weekends. I did it mainly to deepen my Yoga practice. Teaching is an option in the near future on the side. We learned soo much- the different styles of Yoga, as well as all the benefits it has for our Body, Mind, Spirit. The anatomical aspect can help re-align your spine/posture. The breathing will help you stabilize the mind and learn more about yourself & patience, in a city (a world) that doesn’t suggest that so much.

I would love to share the information I’ve learned with you as part of my Karma Yoga practice. I’m offering free Yoga classes all summer, so this won’t be the only one in case you cant make it. Ill be off to China next Saturday for 2 weeks, but when I return in mid-August, we’ll schedule some more.

Come for an opportunity to tour the historical Artist Brewery Lofts in Downtown LA – 676 s. Ave 21 #400, Downtown LA, 11am (Please arrive 15 minutes earlier). These unique housing will blow your mind! Bring your yoga mat, I’ll provide some refreshments and we’ll do some level 1/2 Yoga flow.. Invite anyone, just please RSVP so we know!

 

 

Please e-mail or RSVP on Facebook! http://on.fb.me/r0Q7Dr

In Sanskrit, Klesah means Obstacles. Avidya means Ignorance or Misperception, which comes from illusions. I’m learning these concepts during my path of deeper Yoga studies. In the Bhagavad Gita it is noted that all sufferings and limitations imposed by the ego come from Avidya. We have to seek knowledge, with which hatred, injury and greed are incompatible.
Food for thought- Could it be that that which we don’t like in this world, we don’t understand? In hopes that this thought will encourage us to seek more knowledge from outside our realm & live a more compassionate life.

This is what travel & books do for us. News do sometimes, but you have to also realize that the news rely on ratings. It doesn’t have our ‘enlightenment’ or ‘peace of mind’ as a priority. Especially today, when our country is having war with the middle east. When we watch the news and see that the middle east is fighting amongst each other. When we see drug wars in Mexico. When we don’t understand communism in China, or poverty in Africa. It’s not to say that one will ever fully understand this world. There’s no way, there’s too much. Nor is it to say that once we’ve understood the nature of certain hate crimes, that we will forgive completely. But in each step we take in discovering new countries, outside of the resorts and into the off beaten paths, we may learn that these countries that are our “enemies” contain 99% of individuals who are innocent, and live day to day like us. They have beliefs and religions that they go by, with a different name of “God” – Yahweh, Ishvara, Allah, Vishnu, Shangdi, Elohim, Jehovah – that has to do with love and care. Hoping that will cure hatred in the US among our neighbors that may be of that descent.

Karma Yoga:: The achievement of union with the Supreme Universal Soul through action.

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My dedicated practice to Yoga resembles that of my Life. I practice Yoga, wherever my nomadic soul ends up at the end of each day. I have about a stack of schedules from 10 gyms/Yoga studios in my glove compartment. And that defines Los Angeles. You can do & find just about anything here. Some people may critique Yoga, among other Eastern practices as a “trend”, as something not as authentic as it may be where it originated. But I see it as a bridge of the East to West. I am proud to say that California’s flower child, Liberal, flip flops/beach vibes welcomes new ideas and changes than most of our neighboring states. It’s not to say that California is responsible for bringing Eastern ideas to the States. But very welcoming and open.

Yoga for me is a way of meditation. A way to unwind daily. Jogging outdoors and hikes do it as well. But there’s something about being in 1 spot, a reach within the vicinity of your body. Yoga started for me as an exercise, then an addiction for the clarity I had when I walked out that room.

I went to Power Yoga, a donation based Yoga studio in Santa Monica, for the 2nd time since years ago last Friday at 4:30pm. The studio offers All levels, beginner, intermediate/advanced. And being donation based, exonerates this karma-cosmic energy to the studio. Before the Yoga class even started, I found this peace within myself. There was something about sitting on my mat, in that room, with these beautiful strangers around me that whispered inside me “this is exactly where I need to be. Right now.”

That feeling I find more on random moments while traveling. Certain nature scenes, certain individuals I meet, certain food I eat. But the usual day to day here in LA, the hustle and bustle of Business, traffic, time crunches, I rarely find that Zen. I felt amazing being able to feel that, at the busiest time of the week – outside that room on a Friday late afternoon – traffic & for some, happy hour.

The instructor came in and started the class a few minutes late. Nobody complained, we were all there not in a hurry to the next time slot on our blackberry agendas. Power Yoga, as insinuated in it’s name, is a more intense form of Yoga, typically 90 minutes using more physical strength and Vinyasa flows. You will definitely break out in a sweat and feel a core workout in that room temperature meets intense body heat (you’ll practically be stacked on top of one another in there). He turned up some more upbeat music while doing tougher poses which upped the energy level while still keeping, or attempting to keep, my meditation.

Now that I’ve practiced Yoga for a few years, learned to meditate my body, I am now focusing on the mind meditation part. It is probably the most difficult thing for me to do in life. To shut my mind completely and think of Nothing. For those that have read/seen “Eat, Pray, Love”, it’s the scene of her trying to meditate at the Ashram in India, and every thought pops up. It’s no joke. I tried the same in India 3 years ago, and checked out the next morning because I couldn’t meditate for more than 2 minutes. And the thought of being at a temple and perform Seva, meaning ‘selfless work’, and relax was a frightening thought to me. But for every time we fail, is one step closer to succeeding. And I know that perfecting meditation will perfect my life gradually.

So that is my next goal in Yoga:: clearing the mind 1 minute at a time, releasing all negative thoughts at minimum, even just for that 60-90 minutes I’m in that room. Checklist of 2011.

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Power Yoga @ 2 locations: 1410 2nd St & 522 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica. Every 2 hours of the day.

From the Power Yoga website:

“Picture a web, with all its strands interconnected and sharing its burden. What’s happened to us is, all the weight on the web has been placed on a single strand: the intellect. And we can’t survive on intellect alone. The web that holds us together, as humans and as a planet, is ripping apart! The cause is intellect ruled by the ego, which creates a very scary level of self-indulgence. This is a no-holds-barred self-indulgence in which almost everything else is forsaken. And this is planet earth, Twenty-First century style!

To heal our planet, we need to heal ourselves…because we are the source of the imbalance. We need to quiet down, stop thinking, stop controlling, and start listening. Our bodies are the natural world, even as we live in an unnatural environment. If we quiet down and listen to what our bodies need (instead of telling it), we can then feed ourselves naturally and properly, and become more in harmony with the natural world. All our activities and endeavors will resonate with this harmony and we, as well as our planet, can begin to heal. No longer will our actions be governed by ego or intellect; they’ll be guided by the deeper wisdom within. We can then use the intellect as it was meant to be used: to help us shape the wisdom coming through.”

Happy Holidays!! The season of giving. The season of Love. I think we’ve all humbled down on the materialistic gift giving these past 3 years as our economy went into turbulence. I see it as a beautiful thing for our souls, as we are putting more effort in buying experiences and creating memories instead.

Non-profit Organizations are another wonderful gift to give, to loving strangers across the world, creating a better overall energy. Creating World Unity. This week, I will introduce you to Kiva.Org, chosen as one of Oprah’s favorite things in 2010.

The twist to Kiva is that you are lending money to Entrepeneurs across the world who are less fortunate to start up their business, instead of donating money. Kiva has facilitated over 100 million $ in loans by November 2009.

From the “About” Section::

Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.

Kiva was born of the following beliefs:

• People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
• The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
• By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.

A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.

****Special deal today on Grouponicus for 25$ in value for only 15$!!!

For late nights when you’re relaxing or meditating, I want to share music I just randomly found on youtube tonight as I was listening to “Desert Rain” by Sting.. which turned to “Missing” by Everything but the Girl ~ “..and I miss you.. like the Desert miss the rain….” which lead me to youtube “desert” and I found this YouTube channel with a collection of over 100 videos of soothing music started by a Muslim guy in Spain. Love it! Similar to Buddha Bar music..

As one of Life’s universal Joy is Music.. I wish you all beauty in your life. Different languages may build borders between us all, but there are no walls in soothing melody. As they say, “When words fail, Music speaks.”

Peace & Meditation. Namaskar.

Theramat is an Acupressure mat, which has been an extremely popular Health Mat in Sweden, sold over 500,000 in the recent years. It’s a mat you lay on, recommended on the bed or the floor, any time of the day, bare-back, with 11,550 spikes which works as Acupressure (similar to Acupuncture).

The actual effect of lying on a bed of nails is very similar to the feelings one can experience after running or a good workout. Some refer to it as “runner’s high.” This natural high is not only caused by feelings of self satisfaction but is caused by chemicals produced in the brain. One of those chemicals is Endorphin. It is mostly known as a chemical that is released to help the body deal with pain. When your back is in contact with thousands of acupressure points you will naturally experience some level of pain. Initially, this may be an uncomfortable feeling. However, it will soon be replaced by a very comfortable state of natural high.It is simply a result of your natural pain relievers (Endorphins) being circulated into your blood stream.* They work (and may produce the same feeling) similar to drugs such as Morphine.** Having this chemical released into your body can decrease different kinds of pain, and cause feelings of Euphoria. Although most of our customers use the TheraMat to deal with back or neck pain, many others report better sleep and lower levels of anxiety which are also natural results of elevated levels of Endorphins in your body. Whether you deal with pain, or simply seek a healthier more stress free life style, you will find that this simple and natural concept works!

Order yours today for only 69$!! Theramat.com