Feel Good Guru

A big reason I started “Feel Good Guru” was to create and be a part of a community of CHUPPIES – conscious, healthy urbanites with passion & power to inspire evolution.

I’m humbled by the number of people who stop by here regularly to see what’s cooking, to cleanse their way to impeccable wellness, to catch a green travel tip or to be inspired. Through this community I’ve met some incredible people who care deeply about their health, the health of the planet and the well-being of the world around them. (more…)

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.” – Buddha

Feel Good Book Review by Lara Kleinschroth~

How wide open are your eyes? How much beauty do you see in the world around you? What are you passionate about? What is your purpose?

Thanks for asking…Yikes!

“We are all meant to shine, as children do.  As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  –Nelson Mandela (more…)

I came across this video on Seth Godin’s site and wondered whether I’m Guy #1, 2, 3 or 49. I hate to think I’d be guy #49, or even worse, guy #300, because as Seth says, “Guy #49 is irrelevant…no bravery.”

But I know I’ve been guy #49. We all have. It’s Guy #3 the world needs more of. He’s the guy forming a movement, lending credibility to Guy #1 and Guy #2. Guy #2 is cool too. He’s happy and he knows it and he knows his tribe.

Much as I love Guy #3 and his guts, I love Guy #1 and his guts better. I prefer to think of myself as Guy #1 – out there making an effin fool of myself, utterly oblivious to any judgment that might be tossed my way…having the time of my life, enough moxie to stick it out past the uncomfortable phase (everyone else’s), and into that magical moment when gravity and magnetism and stardust intersect in a contagious infectious outburst. And sweeping change happens in an instant…

Who are you? Guy (or Girl) #1, 2, 3 or 49? Or are you sitting on the grass too cool for school, still waiting to be counted? (more…)

Feel Good Book Review by Lara Kleinschroth

So, whose life is what they ordered!? For any of you out there, following the exact path you laid out for yourselves as kids or teens or young adults, well–kudos! For the rest of us–and may I go out on a limb and suggest that would be the majority of us–life continually throws us curve balls, fast balls, knuckle balls. And how often do we take those pitches and hit home runs, how often do we strike out?

Change of course is what makes life fun, interesting, challenging. All the ups and downs, trials and tribulations, highs and lows. How well we navigate these changes and transitions helps determine the quality of our lives. And having some great friends with you along the way just makes it all the sweeter. (more…)

…Maybe you’re afraid of success… I can’t count the number of times I’ve had dreams where I was unable to accomplish something I’d set out to do, or unable to get somewhere on time, or unable, due to too many obstacles, to be with someone I loved. It can feel like a night of banging my head against a metaphoric brick wall, and I often wake up exhausted and frustrated, wondering what point or purpose all that head-banging had served.

Dream Guru Kelly Sullivan Walden helps shed some light on dreams of frustration with her interpretation below, suggesting that Christi’s frustrating dream of not being able to make her speaking engagement is a venting dream – venting fear of success… (more…)

Last year I slung beer and had a blast. This year I hung with Stacy at VegNews handing out free copies of this month’s fab issue to all the peeps who came by our booth. Worldfest rocks! Check the vids below.

Worldfest is Los Angeles’ Green, Compassionate Living, Music Festival filled with entertainment, education and enlightenment for the whole family. The food all over the park all day long…entirely plant-based.

It’s cosmically insane to be surrounded by so many animal-loving, health-loving, environment-loving peeps – an incredible example of the famous Gandhi quote rocked en masse – “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  (more…)

The website header for Trapeze School New York (in Los Angeles) taunts, “Forget fear. Worry about the addiction.”

Yes! It’s scary as hell, but you’re not gonna die and you may just gain some tools for living – team building, conquering fear, release, trust, ease, grace, humility, self-empowerment and faith in your own abilities.

If I knew about Cirque du Soleil as a 3-year-old, if I knew “circus performer” was a job, I’d have run away at six or eight and joined. So last week, when I was invited to join the “Amazing Flying Vegans” for a morning, I leapt at the opportunity. (It’s easy to say yes when you’re not under the net looking up, way up the ladder to the platform.) (more…)

…And Flushing in the New!

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak of India creates a new social order: In a surprising way he flushes out the old…and flushes in the new~

by Feel Good Yoga Guru Helen Duggan

Several years ago, one of my yoga student teachers asked me how could the culture that delivered the profoundly heart-opening, soul-elevating discipline of yoga also hold to the ugly tradition of prejudice, discrimination and the caste system; the Untouchable class still exists today. (more…)

Review by Feel Good Book Guru, Lara Kleinschroth

“Courage has color – it is the weaving of all these colors into a tapestry that reminds us that we are braver than we know and stronger than we ever imagined.  Courage has sound – it comes as a whisper and sometimes a roar.  Courage is the willingness to aspire, reach, and believe in the promise of tomorrow.” Mary Anne Radmacher

Mary Anne Radmacher is an inspirational writer and artist living in Washington State. She conducts workshops on living a full, creative, balanced life, as well as teaching online writing courses (called ON(e)LINE–one on one, progressive sessions, in which she acts as a guide not an editor or critic). (more…)

“Magical places are always beautiful and deserve to be contemplated. Waterfalls, mountains and forests are all places where the spirits of Earth tend to play and laugh and speak to us.” Wicca from Paulo Coelho’s “Brida”

review by Feel Good Book Guru Lara Kleinschroth

Many of you have read – or at least heard of – “The Alchemist” by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. It is a beautiful, allegorical tale of searching for our own personal legends – our treasures. Since first picking it up a few years ago I have read many other of Coelho’s books. All follow the same simple, honest storytelling style, and many explore similar themes – the search for self-knowledge, love and wisdom. (more…)

It’s Earth Day, fellow Earthlings, and I find myself wondering what’s a CHUPPIE (Conscious Healthy Urbanite with Passion & Power to Inspire Evolution) to do beyond turning out the lights, turning off the tap while brushing, and turning up the eco megaphone…What are YOU doing to honor your home planet?

Despite staggering statistics and overwhelming evidence that we are destroying all life on Earth, we’re still, for the most part, acting as if we can somehow give back all we’ve “borrowed” at a later, less inconvenient date. But let’s face it. Just like the world banks, we’re greedy and we have no intention of paying our debt to the planet. At least the banks get to restructure. Unfortunately, humanity doesn’t get a bailout… (more…)

Forty-eight hours after watching “What About Me?” at the Downtown Independent in Los Angeles, I am still vibrating with excitement. I’m listening to the soundtrack as I write this and can barely contain my enthusiasm.

“What About Me” is a musical meditation around the planet that explores the complexities of human nature, revealing our universal connection through our creativity and our collective insanity. Yes, we’re mad! And we’re fabulous! We’re on the tipping point of an evolve-or-die planet. “What About Me” makes evolution feel within a mere thought or idea’s reach. Flip the switch in your mind and we’re there… (more…)

What: A brave new show on HBO Sundays at 11pm, produced by Russell Simmons, narrated by Queen Latifa.

What?: A series that follows teenagers from around America as they compete in poetry slams, ultimately vying for the title “Youth Poetry Slam Champion”.

Why you care: These are the voices, the rock stars, the “Brave New Voices” of the next generation. This is the future of America.

How it’s not American Idol: One 16-year-old girl shouts into the microphone, “America! When will we reawaken to our humanity?!” That’s slam, fellow earthlings, and that’s groovin’ with the woowoo.

…Creating Balance

by contributing Feel Good Yoga Guru, Helen Duggan

“A teacher of fear can’t bring peace on earth. We have been trying to do it that way for thousands of years. The person who turns inner violence around, the person who finds peace inside and lives it, is the one who teaches what true peace is. We are waiting for just one teacher. You’re the one.” Byron Katie

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How often do you wake up saying that? And how often do you find yourself wondering what your strange dream means?

I had two strange dreams back-to-back the other night, and when I awoke, I couldn’t shake them. That’s why I keep my friend Kelly Sullivan Walden’s book “I Had the Strangest Dream…The Dreamer’s Dictionary for the 21st Century” beside my bed, along with my iTouch for notes. Though I believe that a good portion of my dreams these days with info-overload are simply a discharge of data from the trash can of my subconscious, occasionally I remember one that feels like a cryptic crossword puzzle which, once solved, will help bring clarity to my waking life…   (more…)

=Heart-Warming Coolness! Cold February nights in Toronto call for more than another log on the fire and a snuggle on the couch with hot cocoa and another episode of whatever. Cold February nights in Toronto call for a huge dose of foolish joy to jolt you out of the rabbit hole of hibernation and depression. I’d say even a little insanity is necessary to match the derangement you’ve been feeling at the thought of another eight weeks of winter. And Toronto the Fabulous has the perfect prescription for your family and friends on suicide watch: WinterCity Festival! Worth a trip out of hibernation just to see Pi-Leau by Close Act of The Netherlands transforming Nathan Phillips Square into an underwater fantasy where the sea level is rising and all creatures struggle for life and love… (more…)

I love this man. He’s a passionate speaker, columnist for the NYTimes, best-selling author of the popular “How to Cook Everything” books, including “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian”, and the recent “Food Matters – a guide to conscious eating”. He’s also an advocate of an “incrementalist” philosophy.

He preaches to Americans that they’re killing themselves and the planet with the way they eat. “Too much meat. Too much junk food. Too big a footprint.” He’s not a vegetarian, but he recommends a “vegan til 6″ diet, which, I think, is brilliant. It’s a message that doesn’t feel restrictive and punishing, rather, a positive challenge that’s easy for the masses to swallow… (more…)

Daily yoga is a big part of my life and something I consider to be an integral piece of the “feel good” package. I’ve been wanting to incorporate more yoga wisdom, on and off the mat, here at Feel Good Guru and have finally got some help to do so. I’m honored to introduce to you our first and most awesome contributing writer, Helen Duggan. Helen is a very good friend and a woman whom I admire deeply. I studied yoga with Helen while on Vancouver Island years ago and have been learning from her ever since.

She is an amazing, beautiful woman who embodies her practise in every thing that she does. We are lucky to have her as an ongoing resource of inspiration. Without further ado…Here she is! (more…)

…If You Ran the World? That’s the question Shelly Rachanow asks in the title of her book. It’s a great question. I’d have Barak Obama as my Press Secretary, Michelle as my Head of Education, David Suzuki as my Minister of the Environment, Bono as my Human in charge of Humanitarianism, Richard Branson as my Consumer Affairs Minister, Nelson Mandela as my Elder Council Advisor, Michael Pollan as my Secretary of Agriculture, Oprah as my Advocate for Women and Children, Paul Watson as my Warrior for Wildlife and Gene Baur as my Head of Animal Welfare… (more…)

How many times in your life have you had a dream only to be told that the reality of fulfilling that dream would be “impossible”? How many dreams have you given up over the years because of obstacles placed in front of them from perceived enemy forces? How many times in your life have you dared to dream big only to be consumed by paralysis at the sheer enormity of it?

How do we get inspired to take the action needed to go beyond our dreams to our dreamed reality? (more…)