In honor of National Women’s Health Week (May 12-18), I am celebrating the many contributions women yoga teachers make to women’s health and wellness. Sariane Leigh, a Washington, D.C.-based yoga teacher, health activist, blogger, writer, and wellness instructor uses her Anacostia Yogi web site, blog, podcasts, classes, and workshops to promote health awareness and yoga for women and individuals recovering from trauma-related experiences such as HIV/AIDS diagnosis, conflicts, natural disasters, poverty, and institutional racism. Leigh’s healing approach marries Hatha and Kemetic yoga principles to the psycho-social healing tradition from African-American women’s spirituality.
I really enjoyed listening to their interview about their musical journey. They told stories about staying motivated by their passion and writing music that touches people’s hearts. Their creative energy was so POSITIVE.
Their live performance had me dancing nonstop. I got quite a workout. After the concert, I decided to create a Pandora music station and to purchase their CDs on Amazon.com this summer.
While I was at the event, I had a chance to hang out with my digital sister Thien Kim and her cool family. We took lots of photos since we had front row standing positions.
If you are looking for some great music, Be sure to check out Far East Movement. Click here to watch a video of Far East Movement performing “Rocketeer,” my new favorite song for the spring season! Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post about the Macy’s event. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.
Maiden Nation was founded by my digital sisters Willa Shalit, Elizabeth Schaeffer Brown, and Juliana Um to empower women through ethical fashion and to create a marketplace where items are designed with both beauty and social consciousness in mind. Maiden Nation’s designers are of the moment, their products are ethically sourced, and profits are reinvested into women’s entrepreneurship projects. Famed designers such as Yoko Ono and Chan Luu have contributed designs. See photos below.
Photo Credit: Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace braceletPhoto Credit: Chan Luu’s Kiss Kiss bracelet
Chan Luu’s “Kiss Kiss Bracelets” – named for the signature Haitian greeting of a peck on each cheek – are part of a line of Chan Luu jewelry created especially for Maiden Nation members of Hands Together Cooperative in Haiti, in partnership with the Glamour Women of the Year Fund Initiative and the United Nations Ethical Fashion Initiative. Each purchase will help the survivors of the 2010 earthquake build a new life by supporting this new business. Additionally, for every bracelet sold, $6 will be donated to Sean Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief Organization to support community development in Haiti. Additionally, to support victims in the U.S. and Haiti coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Maiden Nation will also donate $2 to the American Red Cross.
Click here to visit the Maiden Nation online marketplace.
Happy Mother’s Day Shopping!
Disclaimer: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with product from Maiden Nation to review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.
In honor of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, I invite you to click here to watch “From Shanghai to Harlem,” a documentary trailer my digital sister Sylvia Wong Lewis and LS3 Studios created to celebrate her family’s Chinese Caribbean and African American heritage. The film traces the migration of Lewis’ paternal Mississippi line and immigration of her maternal Chinese and Caribbean ancestors as they settled in Harlem, New York.
Photo Credit: Sylvia Wong LewisPhoto Credit: Sylvia Wong Lewis (her trip to Shanghai, China)
Lewis’ firm, Narrative Network recently won a Telly Bronze Award in the category of Film/Video – Non-Broadcast Productions – Low Budget (under $700 per minute). The film also won the AVA Digital Gold Award earlier this year.
During an afternoon tea meetup at Teaism in February, my digital sister and fellow yoga teacher Julia Coney, founder of AllAboutThePretty.net, suggested I read The Way of the Happy Woman: Living the Best Year of Your Life by Sara Avant Stover. I am so glad Julia made the recommendation because Stover’s book, e-newsletters, and web site have become a lifeline for me as I deepen my yoga practice and commitment to greater health. The Way of the Happy Woman offers easy and natural self-care practices including yoga and meditation that help women minimize their stress, become aligned with their natural cycles, and honor the four seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter. I adore and have incorporated the yin and yang yoga practices for the spring season. They have helped me nurture my spirit, heart, mind, and body with greater care. Click here to learn more about Stover and her amazing work.
What books do you use to deepen your yoga practice?
Mother’s Day is almost here. Are you ready? Have you found a unique gift for your mother and/or the women in your life who are mother figures?
This year, I am giving my mother a gift that promotes social good: a handmade picture frame made by a Haitian artisan who creates beautiful work for the Heart of Haiti collection at Macy’s (see photo below).
Heart of Haiti picture frame
The Heart of Haiti collection features more than 40 home decor items including qulits, metalwork, ceramics, and paintings made my Haitian artisans. The Heart of Haiti is a “Trade, Not Aid”initiative that was launched by artist and social entrepreneur Willa Shalit, The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, and Macy’s after the 2010 earthquake. The initiative provides Haitian artisans with an opportunity to make a living, feed their families, and pay their children’s school fees. To date, the initiative has employed 750 artisans resulting in financial benefits for an estimated 8,000 in Haiti. What a powerful way to give back and do social good!
In 2011, I traveled as a Heart of Haiti blogger ambassador to Haiti and met the artisans who make the metal frames and other home decor items. Seeing them create and talk about their artwork helped me truly understand how powerful “Trade, Not Aid” programs are. Since then, I have continued my work as a Heart of Haiti blogger ambassador by using my blog and social media presence to raise awareness and celebrate the artistry and regrowth of my Haitian brother and sister artisans.
I encourage you to give back to the Haitian artisans by purchasing a Heart of Haiti gift for your mother and/or the mothering women in your life. Click here to explore the collection on Macy’s web site. Happy Social Good Shopping!
DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.
Last month, I read Eric Maisel’s new book, Making Your Creative Mark. It was filled with tough love for my creative soul. Why? I’ve been stuck and whining about the publisher’s comments on my manuscript for my upcoming book, Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online since December. I’ve struggled with making the required edits and had so many moments of doubt. Making Your Creative Mark offered me a series of opportunities to get real about my book and creative life as an artist, coach, and writer.
The book begins with a forceful statement that has become my mantra: “Your first task as a creative person is to “mind your mind.” Maisel’s words forced me to go deep within to define, accept, and take full responsibility for my career as an artist, coach, and writer. It also helped me better understand my doubts and fears.
My favorite chapters (Chapter 1 on the Mind Key, Chapter 2 on The Confidence Key, Chapter 3 on The Passion Key, Chapter 3 on The Freedom Key, and Chapter 8 on The Identity Key) helped me develop a series of affirmations and action steps I am using to:
Ground myself daily.
Complete my Digital Sisterhood book edits by May 31.
Finalize my book publication process with my publisher by June 30.
Finalize and launch my book marketing plan by July 15.
Increase my creative expression opportunities, clients, and revenue streams as an artist/coach/writer on a monthly basis.
In short, the book was a game changer for me!
If you are an artist, writer, painter, singer, filmmaker, musician, sculptor, dancer, actor, and creative person or professional who is faced with challenges, doubts, and fears in your creative process, click here to buy a copy of Making Your Creative Mark. Enjoy!
Photo Credit: EricMaisel.com
Maisel is amazing! He is a creativity coach and the author of many books including Creativity for Life and Coaching the Artist Within(two books I plan to read this summer to further develop my own practice and services as creativity coach). He has blogs on the Huffington Post and Psychology Today and writes a column for Professional Artist Magazine. Visit www.ericmaisel.com.
Disclaimer: This blog post was written as a review for New World Library.
During the celebration, Far East Movement, a Los Angeles-based hip hop band quartet that launched in 2003, will discuss how their culture has influenced their musical style. They will also perform live! I’ll be live tweeting and posting Instagram photos during the event. On May 9, check Twitter for tweets from @anandaleeke, @Macys, and @FarEastMovement.
DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post about the Macy’s event. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.
As an Internet Geek and new media professional, I enjoy learning about communications, marketing, public relations, and social media best practices and strategies. That’s why I am headed to the Demand Success 2013 Vocus Conference on June 20 and 21 at the National Harbor’s Gaylord Hotel. Demand Success is an industry marketing conference that brings together marketers, businesses, thought leaders, and Vocus experts to learn about and discus efficient marketing that yields real results. Vocus is provider of cloud marketing software that helps businesses reach and influence buyers across social networks, online and through media. Click here to register for the conference.
I am really excited the Demand Success agenda includes a keynote address by one of my “digital diva sheroes,” Arianna Huffington, author of Becoming Fearless (one of the best books I read this year) and President and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post Media Group.
I am also excited about attending Wendy Harman‘s session on Lessons from the Social Media Command Center. Harman is one of my digital diva sheroes. Her leadership and work at the American Red Cross during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti was AWESOME!!!
The sessions on the Content Marketing Revolution, Social Media Strategy, Digital Journalism in Flux, Brand Journalism, and Facebook Futures caught my eye too! The Facebook Futures panel features some of my favorite thought leaders including Katya Andresen, Shashi Bellamkonda, and Geoff Livingston.
Be sure to check out the Vocus blog, follow @Vocus on Twitter (use #Demand13 to follow the conference tweets), and LIKE the Vocus Facebook page.
PS: I will live tweet from the conference. So be sure to follow me @anandaleeke on Twitter and Instagram on June 20 and June 21.
I love writing and reading stories about characters who practice yoga. One of my favorite yoga-inspired fiction books is Yoga Mamasby Katherine Stewart.
Yoga Mamas, one of my favorite yoga fiction books
Yoga Mamas is a great chick-lit book to read during the spring or summer seasons. It tells the story of four pregnant women who take an exclusive prenatal yoga class at a Soho yoga studio in New York City. The main character Laura is the book’s narrator. When the book begins, it seems like the only things Laura has in common with her three chic, well-to-do, Prada-wearing mothers-to-be is her pregnant belly and a yoga mat. They do lunch (like the Sexy and the City gals) and become fast friends as they share stories about their lives and partners. You’ll travel with them through their NYC and Long Island adventures. You’ll also witness the unravelling of a juicy secret that gives birth to scandal (it’s a good one….). So pick up the book and read it!
What are your favorite yoga-inspired fiction books?
I love the DC Yoga community. Why? They come together each year to offer yoga lovers an opportunity to practice free and $5 yoga classes during DC Yoga Week. This year, over 40 yoga studios are participating in DC Yoga Week which will be held on April 29 through May 5. The week closes on May 5 with Yoga on the Mall at the Constitution Gardens by the Vietnam War Memorial. The event will begin at 11:00 a.m. and end at 1:00 p.m. Three of my favorite studios, Embrace Yoga, Flow Yoga Center, and Tranquil Space are participating in the week-long celebration. Smith Center for Healing and the Arts is a partner for the event (FYI – I work at Smith Center as an artist-in-residence). Click here to learn more about the events.
If you are in DC, are you planning to participate in DC Yoga Week?
If you would like to read about my yoga journey, check out my memoir That Which Awakens Me on Amazon.com. It is available on Kindle
My debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One features a main character who works as a yoga teacher in Washington, D.C. Click here to visit the Love’s Troubadours’ Pinterest board which contains some great information about the novel. You can purchase the book on Amazon.com.
Ananda Leeke 