Feel Good Guru

I just watched a Penn & Teller episode of “Bullshit” discussing how old people are stripped of their dignity thanks to ongoing stereotypes like old people can’t drive, old people don’t have sex and old people smell bad. It’s shocking to hear the younger generation perpetuate these myths and heartening to see the older generation attempt to dispel them.

It’s no wonder our life expectancy in North America is 15 years lower than the capacity of the human body as science presently knows it. Who would want to stick around much past 75 when you’re closeted away, made to feel redundant, mocked, and largely ignored? But the fact is, if we want to, we can. Watch the vid below to find out how: (more…)

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Tomorrow when you get up, try counting how many products get put into or onto your body before you leave the house. Chances are good it’ll be around 12. Then try counting the chemicals. It’ll be in the hundreds, most of them not even tested for safety. This is the reality of toxins in our cosmetic products.

Annie Leonard, who brought us the brilliant “Story of Stuff” has recently released “The Story of Cosmetics” in which she exposes the grim truth about how our regular everyday household shampoos and lipsticks are loading our bodies with carcinogens, neurotoxins and reproductive toxins. Annie entertains and informs with this 8-minute piece. (more…)

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A phonecall, a cupcake, a toonie, a book, a hug, a coffee, a recommendation, an email, a secret ingredient, a bottle of wine, a compliment…this is my tally so far after 11 days of giving and yes, it feels good.

Small things to give, but according to Cami Walker, author of 29 Gifts - How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life, these little things, given consciously every single day as a practice, can be transformational.

Cami was diagnosed with MS just a month after her wedding day. She quickly sank into depression and a dark vortex of too many prescription drugs to numb the physical and emotional pain. (more…)

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In a world gone mad, it’s heartening as hell to hear good news. Here at FGG we love love love people, ideas and things that make the world a better place and we live on delight and optimism, mirth and merriment, joy and jubilation. When we heard the story of four Bolivian circus lions who’d lived their lives in a cage on the back of a rusty old truck being set free at PAWS Sanctuary in San Andreas, California, we just had to share it with you!

Pat Derby, founder and director of PAWS, says in the video below “This is a monumental rescue.” Indeed. For the first time in their lion lives, these lucky beauties will get to feel grass under their feet and roam free as lions should. Adore. Cry. Pass it on;) (more…)

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By Kelly Sullivan Walden, dream therapist, author & hypnotherapist

We’ve all heard about the law of attraction, affirmations, vision boards, and goal setting…yes? Well… according to the American Hypnosis Association, our conscious mind represents 12% of our mind’s power while our subconscious mind represents 88%.

Our conscious mind is where our logic, reasoning and willpower reside, while our intuition, psychic ability and access to higher guidance and knowing resides in our under-visited subconscious mind.

Don’t get me wrong; our conscious mind is amazing in all that it can accomplish (you’ve seen “The Secret”, yes?) But, wouldn’t it be an interesting “experiment” to see what would happen if you joined your conscious AND subconscious mind in a manifesting experiment? (more…)

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“I did not own the land and I was feeling out of luck; all I had to grow my own food was my old gray pickup truck…” From the guys who brought us King Corn comes a homegrown, song-filled YouTube series and documentary, Truck Farm!

Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis start out by asking the question, “How do you grow your own food in a city if you ain’t got no land?” Then they set out to learn how, using green roof technology and an old Dodge Ram. They install solar power on the roof of the truck to film every little step, and with song and time lapse photography, they deliver an entertaining lesson in funky truck urban gardening. Dig it! (more…)

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Nature makes me silly happy. I love to skinnydip in a warm Canadian lake in the mountains on a hot summer afternoon after baking in mud from the Dead Sea. Or bathe in the healing waters of a hotspring in a eucalyptus forest in Northern California populated by spotted deer and soaring condors. Or sail in an ocean to Catalina, Sicilia or Mombassa, carried by soft salted winds.

Sitting by a campfire catching a purple midnight sunset on the inky Yukon River in gratitude and wonder. Lucking into dancing northern lights on a cold clear northern night, walking through an ancient rain forest entangled with millions of mosses and infused with the scent of the cycle of life, swinging from a tree in an alpine meadow breathing wafts of sage and evergreen… (more…)

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I’m lost down the rabbit hole of this detailed look at chemicals and “nanoparticles” in cosmetics and body products by David Suzuki and wanted to pass on the map so you could join me;)

While we’re supporting our system from the inside with high quality foods, it’s only logical to concern ourselves with what we put on our bodies too… Now that we’ve made the leap to organics in our produce, let’s demand more transparency from cosmetics companies and vote with our dollars for products that are safe for our skin, our hair, our nails and the environment. (more…)

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In many ways, springtime is really the beginning of the new year. It’s when everything in nature wakes up. The earth begins to warm, animals emerge from their winter dens and we get the urge to open the windows and doors to let the fresh air flow through. Spring is a time for activity, for planting seeds, both in the garden for nourishment throughout the year and in our life plan to sustain our happiness and well being.

More powerful than any other time of year for setting intentions, the expansive, almost explosive yang energy of spring supports our desires and actions with nearly effortless forward momentum. Perhaps even more fitting than January 1st for setting resolutions is the Easter weekend - a time for renewal, rebirth, and reconnection. (more…)

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Yes, it’s the event we most look forward to in Venice every year - the post-Genesis Awards Animal Lovers Brunch. It’s grown in size and legend in four years and every year beautiful new people attend, along with many (now old friends) who haven’t missed a year. The menu, too, has evolved, this year featuring a cosmically insane 20 items for 50 people over the course of the afternoon.

It’s a decidedly “Venice” affair - a laid back garden chillout with a super casual vibe where superstars in the animal rights, vegan and humanitarian worlds mingle in the sunshine over awesome eats - no speeches, no swag bags, no anti-fur placards necessary. Below are some of the highlights: (more…)

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The other day after a vigorous yoga practice, I took half an hour to luxuriate in the warmth and silence of the steam room. After about 10 minutes in the heat, I entered that delicious realm of relaxation - that blurry place where the conscious and thinking mind and the beautiful mystery of what lies beyond intersect.

I love experiencing in meditation or in waking dreams those few delicate seconds stretched beyond time where puzzle pieces slip magically into place and solutions to problems are revealed with incredible ease and simplicity.

Don’t you wish you could access that tap of wisdom at will? Imagine employing the power of your subconscious to create the life of your dreams… (more…)

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Your green commute just got charged with a bat cave load of cool - a whole new class of personal transport invented in New Zealand as the simplest way to get from A to B with the aid of a machine small enough to go anywhere with you in the city.

YikeBike ($4450) goes 10kms on a 30-minute electric charge, will carry you upright at 25kms/hr, and folds up into a little 10kg package you can sling over your shoulder so you can keep it close when you go indoors. Take the stairs, though, cause you’ve just missed out on the exercise you used to get on your 10km pedal to work…

YikeBike = Totally groovin’ with the woowoo! Check out the vid~

(more…)

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“You never change something by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Buckminster Fuller

British banking heir and “environmental daredevil” David de Rothschild, otherwise known as “Eco Bruce Wayne” is challenging us to consider our waste as a resource. With 12,000 plastic bottles and some cashew glue, he’s built a catamaran he hopes to sail from San Francisco to Sydney, an 11,000 mile journey inspired by the 1947 journey of the primitive raft, Kon-Tiki. It’s a publicity stunt of gigantic proportions to attract attention to an enormous and growing problem out in the middle of our oceans. (more…)

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February is *love* month. Chances are good we’ll be hosting a L.O.V.E. Cafe in the Venice garden right around V-day - drop us an email if you’d like an invite. We keep ‘em intimate, so V-day is a perfect day to bring your lover or friend to the Local. Organic. Vegan. Evolutionary. Cafe Underground where sweet jasmine, quenched by the days of rain and emboldened by a full one of sun, breathed into being her fullest expression, all pink blossoms and perfume and nectar for the bees. Yes, it’s a heavenly affair best shared with kindred spirits.

If you can’t make it to the L.O.V.E. Cafe for V-day but you want an eco-sexy gift idea, here are our top 10, from hand crafted natural fiber stockings to soaking au naturel in a hotspring: (more…)

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“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.” Buddha

Is there someone in your life who simply glows with an aura of radiant good health? Do you have a friend or acquaintance who flows with boundless energy, great physical presence and an endlessly positive attitude?

Perhaps this description fits you? Perhaps you’re the one who wakes up every morning fresh and enthused to tackle the challenges of the day. You laugh often, accept what the day brings with a smile, react to events with positivity and a can-do attitude, and have the endurance and stamina to stay present until bedtime. You sleep like a baby and dream sweet dreams, then awake with renewed inspiration for another glorious day on the planet… (more…)

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This family in suburban Pasadena has its own homegrown revolution going on. They’ve turned every square foot of their front yard, driveway and back yard into food growing farmland. They have citified farm animals, a truck that runs on vegetable oil and an outdoor solar shower. They have no jobs other than the growing of food. They are totally groovin’ with the woowoo.

Formerly social misfits, they now sell their “local” produce to high end restaurants, host children’s educational programs and throw happenin hippy neighborhood potlucks, complete with free entertainment and good vibes.

Though they talk about it being a “frugal” way of life, it is also obvious that it’s a healthy one. Check’em: (more…)

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Oprah Winfrey, Food Inc., and Brammo Enertia among recipients

For Immediate Release

VENICE, CA, January 18, 2010 - The first annual Feel Good Guru WooWoo Awards were held on Sunday at a private function in Venice California, attended by artists, filmmakers, and environmentalists.

Winners included; Oprah Winfrey for “Social Change Wizard”, feature film Food, Inc. for “Consciousness-Raising Communicator”, electric motorcycle Brammo Enertia for “Shiny Thing”, farmed animal sanctuary Animal Acres for “Animal Angel”, and The Great Klondike International Outhouse Race for “Mirthful Gathering”.

Additionally, the “Hero Of The Year Award” was presented to activist Mark Horvath of Invisible People TV, in recognition of his tireless efforts to help shine a light on homelessness throughout America. The award included a $500 cash prize from corporate sponsor Arpix Media.

Presenters at the awards ceremony included United Nations-affiliated Dream Project founder/author, Kelly Sullivan Walden (”I Had the Strangest Dream”), filmmaker/director Allan Moyle (”Pump up the Volume”), music impresario Johnny Brower (”1969 Rock And Roll Revival”), and author/historian Ritchie Yorke (Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, John Lennon).

The show was opened with the official “Dropping of the Sword” - the plunging of a 27-inch sword down the esophagus of world-record-holding sword swallower, Brett Loudermilk of the Venice Freak Show. Additional entertainment was supplied by Albuquerque, New Mexico based artists Fast Heart Mart and Venice boardwalk street musician, Joey.

The WooWoo Awards make extensive use of technology and social media, using Twitter.com as a call out to online voting site Esurveyspro.com, live internet broadcast on Livestream via livestream.com/fggtv, and Skype, which allowed presenter Yorke to to appear live from Brisbane Australia.

Moira Nordholt, founder of Feel Good Guru and the WooWoo Awards says,

“If we could bottle the enthusiasm, compassion, creativity and love of all our participants, nominees and winners, the world would truly be a better place.”

The WooWoo Awards celebrate people, ideas and things that make the world a better place.

FeelGoodGuru.com is an online destination for wellness and optimism.

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT CAN BE FOUND HERE.

AND HERE.

Contact: Ron Proulx
(310) 450-8034

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If you’re a regular visitor to FGG, you know that we love people who are doing good for the world. Our recent naming of Mark Horvath as our Hero of the Year sparked a great idea that we’d like to share with you and invite you to be a part of.

We’ve created the WooWoo Awards to focus attention on people, ideas, and things that help make the world a better place. And we’ve decided to honor Mark at the First Annual WooWoo Awards with our “Feel Good Guru Hero of the Year WooWoo”! (more…)

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I joined Twitter just over a year ago not knowing much about it but recognizing its enormous potential as a zeitgeist discovery tool. I immediately set out to find my tribe, and met some beautiful souls - beauty in 140 character spurts. I soon craved more “social” from my social media, so decided to reach beyond my monitor for some human-2-human contact with my followers and the first “Tweetuplift” - a tweetup with a positive purpose - was born.

I invited my followers from Twitter in the Los Angeles area on Christmas Day 2008 to bring leftovers down to the beach to give to homeless people. Michael Liskin called it “flash philanthropy” after ten people showed up in the pouring rain to give food and raincoats to some cold and hungry people. In my mind a higher purpose for Twitter was affirmed. (more…)

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I have a friend who does his Christmas shopping in July. He’s a flight attendant, so when he’s in India and finds a gorgeous Pashmina he can’t pass up, he picks several up, brings them home, perhaps gifts one to his mother-in-law in July and tucks the others away until December. Come Christmas day, each of his girlfriends is blown away by his thoughtfulness. I mean who does this, right? Not I, and probably not you.

I actually opted out of Christmas shopping years ago and I can confirm that it’s extremely liberating… (more…)

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