Author: Ananda Leeke

Thriving Mindfully Coach + Author + Artist + Human Design Doula

Ananda’s 9/11 Smith Farm Center Wellness Workshop Adventures @Allen AME Church in DC

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September 11th was a pretty special day for me this year. I spent the entire day at a wellness workshop sponsored by Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts at Allen AME Church in Washington, DC. During the workshop, I taught a short kind and gentle yoga class for African American DC residents. I also had a chance to connect with Howard University Hospital’s Cancer Center representative. We had a great time talking about the work of Smith Farm artists-in-residence at Howard University Hospital.  By the way, I worked as artist-in-residence at Howard Hospital from 2003 to 2009. Great times! Click here to see more photos from my adventures at the wellness workshop.

Ananda’s National Yoga Month Teaching Gig for Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts at Allen AME Church in DC

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National Yoga Month 2010 has been a blast. I taught a kind and gentle yoga class series on September 11, 18, and 25 at Allen AME Church in Washington, DC. The yoga classes were a part of the Healthy U Program for African American DC residents. Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts sponsored the event with Allen AME Church and Union Temple Church. Click here to see more photos from the Healthy U Program.

By the way, I  also work as a Smith Farm artist-in-residence at the National Navy Medical Center in Maryland. Visit www.smithfarm.com.

Audio blog and photos from Ananda’s adventures at DC SheWrites.com Autumn Meet Up on 9/29 at Teaism

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Happy Thursday!

Last night I hosted the DC SheWrites.com Autumn Meet Up at Teaism (Penn Center location) in DC.  Writers Evelyn Bourne (http://twitter.com/evelynwrites), and Beandria Terese (http://twitter.com/joyfullybea) joined me for tea, delicious Asian-inspired food, and great conversation. We  shared news about our writing projects and traded books.

Click on the link to hear our audio blog on Cinchcast: http://www.cinchcast.com/anandaleeke/97692.

Click on the Flickr link to see photos from the meet up: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anandaleeke/sets/72157624939000297.

FYI: The next meet ups are November 29, March 29, and June 29 at Teaism, Penn Center location, 400 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC (a block from National Archives Yellow/Green Line Metro – www.teaism.com) from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

Click on link for more information about She Writes: www.shewrites.com.

Ananda is speaking about digital sisterhood at Blogalicious on October 8!

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Great news! I am co-hosting a discussion with PR guru Xina Eiland on the digital sisterhood experience at Blogalicious on October 8 in Miami, Florida. To learn more, read the blog post about our Blogalicious discussion: http://blogaliciousweekend.com/2010/09/the-digital-sisterhood-experience-at-blogalicious-2010.

Ananda is hosting DC She Writes meet up on September 29 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Teaism

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Calling all DC area women writers!
Join me for the DC She Writes meet up on September 29 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Teasm, 400 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC (located at the corner of 8th and D Streets, NW; visible from the National Archives stop on the green and yellow line). Click here to rsvp on SheWrites.com: http://www.shewrites.com/xn/detail/3506464:Event:158115?xg_source=activity.
Teaism is an Asian-inspired teahouse that infuses the cultures of tea and the ideals of teaism with the informality and casualness of America. It offers Bento boxes from Japan, curries from Thailand, and tandoor breads from India. The group will meet on the lower level. Click on the link for the menu: http://www.teaism.com/Restaurant/PennQuarterMenu7.html.

Happy September & National Yoga Month!

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Happy September and National Yoga Month All!

Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! September is one of my favorite months.  This month I am celebrating National Yoga Month in a big OM kind of way online and offline. Check out the event schedule below. I hope you can join me at one or more of the events.  For more information about National Yoga Month, visit http://www.yogamonth.org.

Got 15 minutes and need yoga?  Check out my online yoga classes:  http://stickam.com/anandaleeke.

Ananda’s September Events

Tonight I am launching a yoga series on Blogatique with Ananda Leeke on BlogTalkRadio at 9:30 pm EST.  Join me for a conversation with yoga teacher, blogger, writer, and life purpose coach Tazima Ayana Davis about her yoga journey and summer yoga adventures in Los Angeles, California. Tazima is founder of Compassionate Renegade: http://compassionaterenegade.wordpress.com.  Click here to listen to the show. http://ow.ly/2Ahyz. If you miss the show, don’t fret. You can listen to the audio (check web site a few minutes after the show airs live; it is available 24/7/365).

I will also talk to yoga teachers, bloggers, writers, and entrepreneurs:

On September 11, 18, and 25, I will be teaching a beginner’s yoga class at the WELLNESS WORKS! Workshop Series sponsored by Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, Allen Chapel AME Church, and Union Temple Baptist Church.  The workshops will be held at Allen Chapel AME Church, 249 Alabama Avenue, SE, Washington.  The FREE workshop series will be held from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm. The workshops are geared to African American residents of the District of Columbia.  The purpose of the series is to inspire African Americans to lead healthier lives through stress reduction, exercise and nutrition.  Interactive cooking demonstrations, samples, recipes, simple techniques to reduce stress and physical activity will be included. To register, please call (202) 889-7296. (Space is limited.) The DC Cancer Consortium; Department of Health, Government of the District of Columbia, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure® funded the workshop series. Visit www.smithfarm.com for more information.

On September 12 from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm, I am moderating Sisterhood the Blog’s Focus Group on I on how women use social media to practice healthy living yoga, meditation, Reiki, massage, holistic practices, physical fitness, spirituality, life coaching, vegetarianism, veganism, and green living at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room A-10, Washington, DC. Click on the link to register for the event: http://sisterhoodtheblogseptemberfocusgrou.eventbrite.com.

Panelists include:

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you are planning to participate in the call, please complete the online survey about women and social media and release statement.  The release statement gives me  permission to use information shared during the event as research for my book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).


Join me on September 13 from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm EST for a juicy conversation on how women use social media to practice healthy living yoga, meditation, Reiki, massage, holistic practices, physical fitness, spirituality, life coaching, vegetarianism, veganism, and green living on  Talkshoe.com’s  Sisterhood the Blog Radio. Click here to listen to the show:  http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015. If you miss the live show, don’t fret. You can listen to the audio five minutes after the live show ends (audio recording 24/7/365)

Guest panelists include:

1) Bianca Alexander, a lawyer turned green/health journalist, spokesperson, artist, and co-founder of Conscious Living TV – http://www.biancaalexander.com, http://www.consciouslivingtv.com, and http://twitter.com/ConsciousTV;

2) Sera Beak, a Harvard-trained scholar of comparative world religions, “spiritual cowgirl,” “redvolutionary,” filmmaker, and author of The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark – http://serabeak.com and http://twitter.com/serabeak;

3) Alice Langholt, a Reiki master practitioner/teacher, blogger, BlogTalkRadio show host, and founder of Reiki Awakening – http://reikiawakening.com and http://twitter.com/reikiawakening;

4) Sommer Poquette, a blogger, teacher, Internet and social networking/marketing consultant, and founder of Green & Clean Mom – http://greenandcleanmom.org and http://twitter.com/greenmom;

5) Latham Thomas, a green chef, yoga teacher, holistic nutritionist, and founder of Tender Shoots Wellness – http://www.tendershootswellness.com and http://twitter.com/tendershoots;

6) Micaela Vega, a healthy food writer, blogger, and web professional – http://strivingbean.com and http://twitter.com/strivingbean; and

7) Gloria Ware, a tree-hugging banker mom, green activist, writer, blogger, avid gardener, and founder of Black and Into Green – http://blackandn2green.blogspot.com and http://twitter.com/bn2g00.

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you are planning to participate in the call, please complete the online survey about women and social media and release statement.  The release statement gives me  permission to use information shared during the event as research for my book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

Join me on September 15 @ 8:00 pm EST for my kg yoga life practices class on MomTV: http://www.momtv.com/kg-yoga.

Happy August! Check out my upcoming events.

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Happy August All!

I am celebrating all of the creative women who inspire me this month. Many of these fabulous and fierce ladies will be featured during my August events. See the schedule below.  I hope you can join me online and offline.

Who are the creative women that inspire you?  Celebrate them this month.  Call or email them. Make time to see them in person. Tell your network about them. Sing their praises on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites. Support their creative efforts.

Ananda’s August Events:

1) August 15 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room 307 (Washingtoniana Division’s Program Room), Washington, DC (Please register for the event: http://sisterhoodtheblogaugustfocusgroup.eventbrite.com)

Join Ananda for Sisterhood the Blog’s focus group on how creative women use the web and social media to express, share, market, and sell their creativity and/or creative services. Come share your thoughts, insights, and lessons learned. Guest panelists include (more names will be added shortly):

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

2)August 16 @ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm EST, Online Conference Call – To access the call, dial (424) 203-8400 and enter Participant Access Code 943041#.

Ananda is hosting a fabulous conversation on how creative women use the web and social media to express, share, market, and sell their creativity.  Guest panelists include:

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

3) August 17 @ 9:30 pm EST, BlogTalkRadio – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/anandaleeke/2010/08/18/blogatique-with-ananda-leeke

Tune into the launch of Ananda’s new BlogTalkRadio radio show Blogatique with Ananda Leeke. People. Passions. Politics.  The first episode features creative woman extraordinaire Toni Blackman.  Blackman is an artist, cultural ambassador, and social entrepreneur, based in Brooklyn, New York. Toni is the author of Inner-Course: A Plea for Real Love.  She is also the founder and director of Freestyle Union, a cipher workshop that uses free styling as a tool to encourage social responsibility. Her “I Rhyme Like A Girl” series is a Freestyle Union initiative. In addition, she is a former Echoing Green Fellow and fellow with the Open Society Institute. Visit Toni’s blog to learn more about her creative endeavors: http://toniblackman.wordpress.com. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/toniblackman.

4) August 18 @ 8:00 pm – 8:30 pm, MomTV – http://www.momtv.com/kg-yoga

Watch Ananda’s kg yoga life practices class on Mom TV on 8:00 pm EST.  The theme is celebrating Shakti, the creative feminine energy.

5) August 24 @ 9:30 pm, BlogTalkRadio – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/anandaleeke/2010/08/25/blogatique-with-ananda-leeke-people-passions-polit

Blogatique with Ananda Leeke. People. Passions. Politics. features Orlando W. Darden, Jr., owner of BodyFitDC (http://bodyfitdc.com) on the second episode of its first season. Darden is a Washington, DC-based certified personal and group fitness trainer,and running coach. He will discuss his life reinvention journey from a seasoned finance professional with 20+ years of experience and a MBA from New York University to a fitness entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people to become more fit and healthy,and improve their overall well-being. Follow Darden’s BodyFitDC on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bodyfitdc.

6) August 26 @ 9:00 pm, Sisterhood the Blog Radio, http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015

Tune in as Ananda continues the creative women and social media discussion with the following creative ladies:

Please register for the show: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/794878503.  This radio show is a follow up to an offline event held on August 15 in DC and conference call on August 16.

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you miss the live show on August 26, don’t fret. You will be able to listen to the audio posted on Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s web site: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

7) August30 @ 9:00 pm, Sisterhood the Blog Radio, http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015

Listen to Ananda’s second discussion about  creative women and social media with the following creative ladies:

Please register for the show: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/814373814.

This radio show is a follow up to an offline event held on August 15 in DC and conference call on August 16.

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you miss the live show on August 30, don’t fret. You will be able to listen to the audio posted on Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s web site: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

8) August 31 @ 9:30 pm, BlogTalkRadio – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/anandaleeke/2010/09/01/blogatique-with-ananda-leeke-shayne-lee-author-of-

Blogatique with Ananda Leeke: People. Passions. Politics. features Shayne Lee, author, sociologist, and Tulane University professor on the third episode of its first season. Lee will discuss his new book Erotic Revolutionaries: Black Women, Sexuality, and Popular Culture.

Happy July! Check out my July events

Posted by on in Ananda Leeke, Ananda's Events, archetypes, Self-Discovery, Sisterhood the Blog Radio, Sisterhood the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women's Online Revolution, Six-Word Memoirs, Social Media, Teleseminars, That Which Awakens Me - A Creative Woman's Poetic Memoir, Women in Social Media, YogaLeave a comment

Happy July!

Below is a list of my July events.  Join me for some incredibly fun adventures online and offline! Enjoy your month!

1) Tune into Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s Women in Social Media series for Ananda’s interviews with digital divas. See schedule below.

-July 5 @9pm EST – Women who attended Blogging While Brown conference on June 18 and 19 in DC
-July 6 @8pm EST – Najeema Thompson
-July 8 @8pm EST – Amanda Jones
-July 12 @8pm EST – Shon Bacon
-July 20 @8pm EST – Michele McGraw
-July 26 @8pm EST – Devra Renner
-July 29 @8pm EST – April Davis

Click here to join the conversation: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

2) Spend an afternoon with Ananda at a book reading for her new book That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery on July 10 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Flow Yoga Center (Shakti Studio Room), 1450 P Street, NW, Washington, DC (located several blocks from Dupont Circle subway station). Click on the link to register for the event at Flow Yoga Center: http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=736&stype;=-8&sView;=week&sTrn;=100000122.

3) Join Ananda for kind and gentle yoga in Malcolm X-Meridian Hill Park in DC on July 11 from 9:00 am to 9:30 am. Click on link for more details:  http://yoga.meetup.com/584.

4) Watch Ananda’s kg yoga life practices class on Mom TV on July 21 at 8:00 pm EST. Click on the link to watch the show: http://www.momtv.com/kgyogalife.html.

5) Listen to Ananda host Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s July 31st episode at 1:00 pm EST featuring a discussion with Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. members about their use of social media during Boule 2010 (national convention) held from July 14 to July 22 in Palm Springs, California.  FYI – Ananda is a member of Sigma!  The show will also include a discussion on how Ananda’s Sigma sorority sisters use social media in their businesses. www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

Ananda’s White House Visit During the Blogging While Brown Conference on June 18, 2010

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Happy Tuesday All!

Guess where I was on Friday afternoon? The White House.

Photo Credit: Michelle Obama Watch Blog Photo - http://pbckt.com/pi.dsciXj

I visited the White House with my fellow Blogging While Brown 2010 Conference (BWB – www.bloggingwhilebrown.com) attendees for a meeting with Corey Ealons, Director of African American Media and Coordinator of Special Projects. Click here to see additional photos from my White House visit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/anandaleeke/sets/72157624182104723.  During the 2008 General Election, Ealons served as director of African American Media for President Barack Obama. Melody Barnes, Director of Domestic Policy Council, and Jessie Lee, Online Programs Director, also met with us. This meeting set the tone for my BWB experience. It inspired and changed me. It also motivated me to step up my blogging and online activism! Look for news about my WhiteHouse.gov Wednesdays project in the coming days.

Click here to read my Examiner.com article about the meeting.  The Washington Post also covered the meeting. Woo Hoo BWB!

Many thanks to Gina McCauley and the BWB team for a fabulous conference! It was the best BWB so far (loved 2008 and 2009 conferences too!).

Here’s a special treat!  Watch an episode of Ananda Leeke TV featuring Corey Ealons speaking at Day #2 of BWB.  He is an amazing person!