Category: Meditation

HAPPY 2ND ANNIVERSARY THRIVING MINDFULLY MEETUP GROUP

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Happy Second Year Anniversary Thriving Mindfully Meetup Group!

I am deeply grateful for everyone who has attended the Mindful Monday Meditation classes since April 16, 2018, at Qi Kratom CBD Tea. It’s been a blessing to share meditation, mindfulness, self-care practices, gentle yoga, silence, hugs, and delicious tea with you. Building community with you is powerful!

In case you didn’t know, our powerful community was launched as a Meetup Group during Stress Awareness Month and on Stress Awareness Day to support folx who wanted to practice meditation and mindfulness in community, felt stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious about issues in their life, career, and business.

I have learned so much from everyone. Your presence has been a gift that continues to bless me even now that we are living in a new normal with new opportunities to embrace loving kindness for ourselves and others virtually. My prayer and intention for our third year is to continue to open my heart and serve our diverse community with your support.

REFLECTION AND SHARING

Check out the photo slideshows below and leave a comment that expresses how the community has helped you. Feel free to share your favorite moments like my poetry and favorite meditation cues, Martin’s poetry and amazing baked treats, Sincere’s sound baths, the guest teachers Angel and Corey, my favorite sayings, or the fabulous tea blends that Qi Kratom CBD Tea served.

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WHAT’S NEXT

We will continue to meet on the first Monday of each month via our new virtual platform on Zoom. Check the Meetup Group page here for the dates in May and June.

Right now, I am leading Mindful Monday Meditation and Sound Bath, a donation-based series, on Zoom from 7-8 p.m. ET in April and May. Sign up here. Invite your family, friends, and colleagues to join you. The first May session will serve as our monthly Meetup Group.

SPECIAL THANKS

Special thanks to ee, Kai Kai, Gigi, Sincere, Naima, and Vince of Qi Kratom CBD Tea for hosting our group, providing tea, and being a vital part of our community. You have been an amazing community partner.

Many thanks to Angel Dungee, Corey Castle, ee, and Sincere for leading the classes when I was away.

Deep bow of gratitude to Martin Parker for your support, poetry sharing, and tasty baked goods.

Together, we have successfully laid the foundation for an awesome and diverse mindfulness community that supports folx in and who visit the DC area. I look forward to serving our community together in our coming year!

FINAL WORDS WITH NEW RESOURCES

Have you heard about the Thriving Mindfully Academy, an online learning platform that provides personal and professional development education, coaching, training, and resources in the areas below.

  • Mindfulness 101
  • Mindful Self-Care
  • Mindful Creativity
  • Mindful at Work
  • Mindful Communication
  • Mindful Relationships
  • Mindful Leadership
  • Mindful Technology

In March, I decided to to offer a soft launch of the Thriving Mindfully Academy to support and help people just like YOU and mission-driven companies, organizations, and communities navigate the COVID-19 emergency. Go here to learn more about it. Feel free to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues.

May we all continue to take great care of ourselves with loving kindness and embrace Thriving Mindfully in everything we think, feel, say, and do!

Keep in touch!

Blessings,

Ananda

 

 

Embracing Home Sweet Home with Mindfulness

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During this week’s Wellness Wednesday Meditation Class on Facebook Live, I shared a quote from the “phenomenal woman,” Dr. Maya Angelou, one of my favorite sheroes, about home.

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

I used Dr. Angelou’s quote to introduce a mindful reflection on how we are nourishing our physical home and the homes we inhabit in our body, mind with our thoughts, emotions with our heart, and soul with our spirit.

I also shared an excerpt from my poem, “Home” that is published in my book, That Which Awakens Me (available on Amazon).

Go here to watch this week’s class video on Facebook.

In case you missed last week’s class, watch the video here.

Sign up and get ready for the April 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th classes here.

Watch the class on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/anandaleeke64.

Special Treat: Thriving Mindfully Podcast Episode

 

Listen to the latest Thriving Mindfully Podcast episode on embracing your home sweet home with mindfulness. It includes a reading of my poem, “Home” that is published in That Which Awakens Me (available on Amazon).

Mindful Journaling Exercise

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Guess what I have for you? A mindful reflection and/or journaling exercise that will help you explore your relationship with your home.

Check out the questions below. You may want to share the questions with your loved ones to spark a discussion.

  • When you hear the word ‘home’ what comes to mind?
  • How does your current home nurture and support you?
  • Do you feel at home in your body, mind, heart, and/or spirit? Why or why not?
  • What can you do in the next 30-90 days to support yourself in feeling at home in your body, mind, heart and/or spirit?

BONUS QUESTIONS: If you want go deeper, spend time exploring these questions.

  • Who will serve as your accountability partner and support you in taking the actions steps in the next 30-90 days?
  • How will you celebrate your small, medium, and big wins from the action steps in the next 30-90 days?

Meditation and Mindfulness 101 Session Videos

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This week, Meico Whitlock, Founder/CEO of Mindful Techie, and I have led a series of Meditation and Mindfulness 101 sessions during the Plugged In Nonprofit Tech and Transformation, a free digital conference hosted by Keela. see the videos below. Feel free to watch them with your loved ones at home. We hope they will support your mindful self-care practice.

Wanna join me for the March 26th class? Sign up here.

March 24th class led by Meico

 

March 25th class led by your truly

Do You Need Help?

Help

Does your company or organization need help in navigating the new normal of working from home?

Do you and your colleagues and clients need training and coaching support to learn how to mindfully work from home, manage stress with mindful self-care practices, use mindful creativity and communication practices to be more effective, and use technology mindfully to be more productive?

If you answered YES or MAYBE to one or both of these questions, contact me to see how we can work together: ananda@anandaleeke.com.

Go here to complete my online client in-take form to get the ball rolling!

I look forward to hearing from you in the coming days and weeks.

PS: I am happy to support you and your team with online coaching and trainings. It’s something I’ve been doing for years!

Thriving Mindfully Academy

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I decided to offer a soft launch of the Thriving Mindfully Academy to support and help people just like YOU and mission-driven companies, organizations, and communities navigate the COVID-19 emergency.

The Thriving Mindfully Academy is an online learning platform that provides professional development education, coaching, training, and resources in the following areas:

  • Mindfulness 101
  • Mindful Self-Care
  • Mindful Creativity
  • Mindful at Work
  • Mindful Communication
  • Mindful Relationships
  • Mindful Leadership
  • Mindful Technology

April is Stress Awareness Month. Outsmart stress in your life, career, and business during my Wellness Wednesday Meditation classes on April 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and April 29th from 7-7:15 AM ET via: Facebook.com/AnandaLeeke64.

If you miss the class, I will post the replay on my social media channels.

Mindful Self-Care Weekly Themes

Watch my video to learn how you can bring more mindful self-care into your life, career, and business with the Thriving Mindfully Weekly Recipe of Themes (for each day of the week; includes tips).

Spring Reading Recommendations

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Check out my three mindfulness books (available on Amazon): Love’s Troubadours, a yoga-inspired novel; That Which Awakens Me, a mindful creativity memoir; and Digital Sisterhood, a mindful technology memoir. My books make great gifts for yourself and others.

Mindfulness & Self-Care Resources for Navigating Coronavirus Emergency

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Hey Groovy People!

How are you and your family and friends doing with navigating the coronavirus emergency?

How are you practicing mindfulness and self-care?

If you need support with your mindfulness and self-care practice, check out the resources and video below.

Go here for more free resources on my website.

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Check out the Thriving Mindfully Podcast episodes below.  Go here to listen to the over 100 Thriving Mindfully Podcast episodes on mindfulness, meditation, self-care, and wellness. Share them with your family, friends, and colleagues.

Watch my video (above) to learn how I’m using the coronavirus (kora-virus is what I call it by accident; read the description on YouTube to find out what kora refers to) as a personal development growth and service opportunity to support you with the soft launch of the Thriving Mindfully Academy next week (mindfulness exercise is included at the end). Look out for more news about the launch of the Thriving Mindfully Academy and online events next week.

2020

Have you thought about how you want to live your life in 2020 and beyond? Do you need support in planning out your year? Looking for accountability? I’d love to work with you! Check out my one-on-one coaching below.

ONE-ON-ONE COACHING: I love coaching and supporting people just like you who are committed to exploring mindfulness, meditation, and mindful self-care in their lives. My coaching areas include:

  • Mindfulness 101
  • Mindful Self-Care (can incorporate meditation, gentle yoga, reiki, crystal therapy, journaling, chakra healing, and rituals from world cultures, eight phases of the moon, astrology, and goddesses)
  • Mindful Creativity
  • Mindful at Work
  • Mindful Communication
  • Mindful Leadership
  • Mindful Technology

Interested in exploring how we might work together to manifest your heart’s desires for your life, career, and/or business this year?

Fill out my client intake survey and then let’s set up a free 20-minute consultation call.

Click here to complete the survey. I will follow up with an email once you complete it.

I offer an hourly rate and three-month and six-month packages.

Ananda Leeke’s September Meditation Classes & Mindfulness Workshops

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Get ready for the autumn season with my meditation classes and mindful movement and creativity workshops in September. See the dates, descriptions, and links below.

And remember to share my offerings with your family, friends, colleagues, and online network. Invite them to come with you. I look forward to seeing you all soon!

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The #MindfulMonday Meditation is offered every Monday (except Labor Day and the last two Mondays in December). During the class, you will practice mindfulness meditation and learn mindful at work practices on September 10th, 17th, and 24th from 6:15-7:30 p.m. Bring a family member, friend or colleague!

Click here for more information about the #ThrivingMindfully Meetup Group and classes. Don’t worry if you are not a member of the #ThrivingMindfully Meetup Group. You can still attend the class. Drop by and meditate with us!
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Register on Eventbrite for Wellness Wednesday Meditation on September 12th from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Femme Fatale DC, 4620 Wisconsin Avenue, NW in Washington, DC. Bring a friend, family member or colleague!

 

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I am super excited about leading the Mindful Movement Workshop in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Unity World Day of Prayer at my church, Unity of Washington, DC on September 13th from 4-5 p.m. at 1225 R Street, NW in DC. Visit Unity’s website for more information.

 

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When’s the last time you allowed yourself the space to dream, imagine, and create? Come explore how to open your heart to your own creativity through the power of mindfulness at the Open Your Heart to Mindful Creativity Workshop on September 16th from 1-3 p.m. at Femme Fatale DC, 4620 Wisconsin Avenue, NW in Washington, DC.

During the workshop, I will help you explore your inner archetypes (or personalities) and the role they play in your creativity through deep breathing exercises, meditation, journaling, and discussion. The takeaways include ways to tap into your intuition, imagination, and nurturing energy as growth opportunities during the autumn season.

Register on Eventbrite. Bring a family member, friend, or colleague!

Join Ananda Leeke for a Conversation on Meditation on WHUR FM on May 17 @7PM ET

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Meditation is the practice of resting your mind and focusing your awareness on what’s happening inside of yourself – what’s happening in your spirit, heart, mind, and body. In meditation, you can use your breath to help focus your attention and cultivate stillness by observing and coming back to it when your mind is distracted by thoughts.

Meditation can help you become friends with your mind when you offer yourself compassion and nonjudgment. It can also help you increase your self-awareness, relax, improve concentration, reduce stress, strengthen your emotional and physical well-being, and encourage a healthy lifestyle.

Join me on May 17th at 7 p.m. ET on WHUR 96.3 FM for a conversation about meditation on The Daily Drum with Harold Fisher, my Morgan State University classmate, and Sherrell Moore-Tucker of Faith & Flow Yoga. You can listen online here.

UPDATE: LISTEN TO SHOW’S AUDIO RECORDING.

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Check out the #ThrivingMindfully 31-Day Challenge, events, and books below.

TM-31DayMeditationChallenge-FacebookPostIf you want to create more mindful moments in your life, join the #ThrivingMindfully 31-Day Challenge. It is a self-directed challenge. That means you do it at your own pace. Here’s how the #ThrivingMindfully 31-Day Challenge works. There at 31 #ThrivingMindfully podcast episodes that include guided meditations, breathing exercises, short talks, tips, and resources. They are divided into three sections: mindful living, creativity, and technology. Follow the steps below to access the podcasts. You can follow them in numerical order or pick and choose the ones that resonate the most with you. Use what works and leave the rest behind. Read my blog for more details and links to the challenge. Enjoy your #ThrivingMindfully 31-Day journey!

EVENTS

Join me for “Breathe & Meditate,” a free Facebook Live series, on May 20th and 27th from 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. EST: http://www.facebook.com/anandaleeke64. Each morning I will guide you through three short meditations and offer tips on how to create mindful living moments in your daily life.

If you live or visit the DC area in May, consider joining me for two #ThrivingMindfully Meetup Group meditation events on May 19 and May 21. Go here for more details.

BOOKS

Looking for mindfulness-inspired books to read? Click here to learn about and buy my three books on Amazon: yoga-inspired novel Love’s Troubadours, mindful creativity memoir That Which Awakens Me, and mindful technology memoir Digital Sisterhood.

 

 

National Meditation Month: Breathe & Meditate with Ananda Leeke on May 1, 13, 20 & 27 on Facebook Live

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Meditation has been a part of my life for over 25 years. During this period of time, I have come to know meditation as a mindful living practice that helps me make friends with my mind. In meditation, I make the choice to focus my awareness on what’s happening inside of myself – what’s happening in my spirit, heart, mind, and body. Through the power of my breath, I cultivate stillness by observing it and coming back to it when my mind is distracted by thoughts. Meditation has helped me increase my self-awareness and self-acceptance, relax, improve concentration, outsmart stress, cope with panic attacks, strengthen my emotional and physical well-being, develop deep listening in my interactions with others, and commit to a healthier lifestyle.

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This month I am using National Meditation Month to offer “Breathe & Meditate,” a free Facebook Live series, on May 1st, 13th, 20th, and 27th from 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. EST. Each morning I will guide you through three short meditation sessions and offer tips on how to create mindful living moments in your daily  life.  Join me on  www.facebook.com/anandaleeke64! 

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Need more mindfulness in your life? I invite you to join the #ThrivingMindfully 31-Day Challenge to incorporate more mindful living, creativity, and technology moments in your life. It starts May 1st and is self-directed. That means you do it at your own pace.

Here’s how the #ThrivingMindfully 31-Day Challenge works. There at 31 #ThrivingMindfully podcast episodes that include guided meditations, breathing exercises, short talks, tips, and resources. They are divided into three sections:mindful living, creativity, and technology. Follow the steps below to access the podcasts.

Step 1: Each day go to the #ThrivingMindfully Soundcloud page and click on the #ThrivingMindfully 31-Day Challenge playlist.

  • Mindful Living: Listen to episodes 1-15, 29
  • Mindful Creativity: Listen to episodes 16-21, 30
  • Mindful Technology: Listen to episodes 22-28, 31

Step 2: Select the podcast episode for Day #1, #2, #3 etc. and listen to it. You can also choose to listen to a podcast that resonates with you. Make the challenge your own. Take what you need and leave the rest behind.

Step 3: Practice the breathing, meditation, and reflections exercise(s) throughout your day and/or week.

Step 4: Join the A Mindful Cup of Tea Facebook Group and share your experiences with others.

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Check out my resources page.

If you live or visit the DC area in May, consider joining me for two #ThrivingMindfully Meetup Group events on May 19 and May 21. Go here for more details.

Looking for mindfulness-inspired books to read? Check out my three books on Amazon: yoga-inspired novel Love’s Troubadours, mindful creativity memoir That Which Awakens Me, and mindful technology memoir Digital Sisterhood.

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My online offerings and events are offered as a gift. If they have blessed you, I invite you to show gratitude by supporting my work with a donation on PayPal or with the Cash app: http://www.paypal.me/anandaleeke or http://cash.me/$AnandaLeeke. Thank you for your generosity. It is deeply appreciated!

 

11 Ways to Use Mindfulness for Unplugging & Sleeping Well

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One of the lessons I learned during National Day of Unplugging last weekend was about sleeping. I discovered a better way to enjoy sleeping by turning my smartphone off and allowing myself to wake up without the alarm on Saturday and Sunday. Read my opinion piece on unplugging that was published in the Afro-American Newspaper to learn more.

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On Sunday evening, I decided to use Sleep Awareness Week (March 11-17) to add several mindful sleep practices to my daily routine. Check out the practices I used below. Since today is the last day of Sleep Awareness Week, consider trying one or more of them.

  1. Place your smartphone and digital devices in your living room, kitchen, or home office. Mute the sound on your phone ringer and notifications. If you can, turn the phone off. Use an alarm clock. Muting the sound on my phone and placing it in my living room really helped.
  2. Give yourself a few hours off from using social media, email or texting in the evenings. Set a curfew. Try 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. I tried a curfew of 11:15 p.m. to 8 a.m. on several days.
  3. Express gratitude for people and experiences. This practice opens my heart.
  4. Say a forgiveness prayer for yourself and others before you go to sleep at night. My forgiveness prayers help me release anger, disappointment, grudges, judgments, thoughts, and stories I have made up about myself and others. They help me clear my mind and cleanse my spirit and heart.
  5. Drink your favorite decaf tea before bed. I love to sprinkle turmeric in hot water or use Trader Joe’s turmeric and ginger tea.
  6. Use your favorite sheets and blankets on your bed. I love my purple sheets and cream blanket.
  7. If you are NOT allergic to scents, smudge yourself and your bedroom or home with a smudge stick to remove any negative energy. I use my smudge stick in the morning and evening.
  8. If you are NOT allergic to scents, burn your favorite incense or candle in your bedroom or home an hour or two before you sleep. You can also use a room freshener with essential oils to spray your bedroom or home. I like to use Mrs. Meyer’s lavender room freshener.
  9. Take an evening shower or bath to relax yourself. Showers are my favorites.
  10. Meditate for a 1, 5, 15, 20 or 30 minutes before going to sleep. Meditation with breathing exercises is a great mindfulness practice that can help you slow down and become aware of your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. It can also help you go within and connect to your higher self. I like to practice a short meditation while laying in child’s pose, one of my favorite yoga poses, before going to sleep. Listen to my #ThrivingMindfully Podcast Series for a guided mindfulness meditation. Here’s a guided compassion meditation to open your heart. Check out my Mindful Living podcast playlist for more resources.
  11. Try gentle yoga. Like I mentioned above, child’s pose helps me relax before sleep. Go to YouTube and try my teacher Faith Hunter’s gentle yoga session. Also, do a search for gentle yoga or restorative yoga for beginners on YouTube. Check out Yoga In Bed: 20 Asanas to Do in Pajamas by Edward Vilga, one of my favorite yoga books. Learn more about my journey as a gentle yoga teacher (includes my yoga, reiki, and meditation services) and my yoga-inspired novel, Love’s Troubadours (available on Amazon). My novel tells the story of Karma Francois, a 30-something yoga teacher who is on a self-discovery journey that allows her to heal, forgive, and reinvent her life with art, meditation, mindfulness, spirituality, therapy, yoga, travel, and the support of family and friends.

If you are unable to try these tips today, I encourage you to use Sleep Awareness Week as inspiration for getting more rest in your life in 2018. Try one or more of the tips and let me know what happens in the comment section.

Happy Unplugging and Sleeping!

Photo Credit: National Sleep Foundation

 

Mindful Living: Mindfulness 101

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I discovered mindfulness when my career as a young lawyer and investment banker did not produce the level of success I expected. Mindfulness is the practice of taking a deep breath, coming into the present moment, and paying attention without judgment. The present moment is where you can access awareness, balance, and calm with loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. Mindfulness is the gateway to who we truly are. It helped me overcome panic attacks, release my career expectations, develop self-care practices, and pursue my calling as an artist, author, Reiki master practitioner, speaker, and yoga teacher.

Are you new to mindfulness?

Looking for information on how to practice mindfulness in your life?

Curious about how to use mindfulness to practice gratitude, identify your fears, and become aware of the stories you tell yourself?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, check out my Mindfulness 101 Podcast playlist with 15 episodes. The episodes feature small steps you can take each day to practice mindfulness with guided meditations, a body scan, a mini toolkit, and more.

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Need more mindfulness tips and information? Check out my resources page with three free gifts created especially for you!

Click here to learn more about my mindful living offerings. Contact me at ananda@anandaleeke.com to learn how you can work with me as a speaker for your next event, trainer for your organization, or coach (one-on-one or group sessions). I look forward to hearing from you.

ALWebsite-LovesTroubadoursLooking for a great book to read? Check out my yoga-inspired novel, Love’s Troubadours and learn how the main character Karma uses mindful living practices including meditation, prayer, therapy, and yoga to heal her spirit, heart, mind, and relationships, and reinvent her career.

 

 

 

 

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PS: Don’t keep me a secret. Use the links below and share me with your network!

5 Mindfulness Resources: Podcasts to Jumpstart 2018

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January 2018 is almost over. How is it treating you? How are you treating it? When is the last time you slowed down and breathed deeply? How often are you present and aware of what’s truly happening? Need more mindful moments in your life?

I’d like to you invite you to explore how mindfulness can support you in your daily living, creativity, and career with the podcast resources below.

1) Mini Mindfulness Toolkit (43.40 minutes): Includes a reflection on the meaning of mindfulness, a tune-in (pre-meditation check-in with breathing exercises), a guided meditation, and journaling exercises

2) Be Present (16.31 minutes): Includes a body scan to help you relax and come into the present moment

3) Outsmart Stress with Meditation (16.56 minutes): Includes a basic guided mindfulness meditation

4) Open Your Heart with Compassion Meditation (20.07 minutes): Includes meditation that helps you have compassion for yourself when dealing with difficult people

5) Mindfulness on the Go (6.15 minutes): Includes breathing exercises and a guided mindful moment