Get Fired Up - Mala Bracelet Giveaway

The response to the newest collection of mala bracelets has been wonderful, so I created a special little mala to give away this month!

It is created with 27 beads of mixed faceted fiery red agate and wood with a rudraksha guru bead and Om charm. Red agate is a stimulating stone that can enhance strength, vitality as well an induce calm. And who couldn't use a little of that for the new year? :)

 

To Enter (please complete all to be qualified and make sure there is a way I can reach you!):

1. Comment on this blog post. Tell me what gets you "fired up" to be your best self each day. Your dog? Your significant other? Your Guru? Your morning coffee?

2. Connect with me and like the Jewels Of Saraswati page. (And while you are there do say hello!)

3.  Click the social media icons on this blog and share the love so your friends can have a chance at winning too!

This giveaway ends 2/19/12.

Love and Light!
Lauren (Saraswati)

The Handmade Yogini - Yoga With Heart

February is almost here and although I believe love should be celebrated each and every day, I am surely not against a little extra on Valentine's Day!

Here are some lovingly handmade items to open, inspire and warm your heart.

Shop: DesertMoonlight, GoddessEarthJewels, Storeyshop, KarenFincannon, LycheeGrove, ktothebdotcom

In The Spirit of Collaboration

The beauty of living on this Earth is knowing that we are all connected, that with many minds and many hearts the are a plethora of paths to reach our goals. In my opinion, it is even more fun when you have friends to inspire you along the way! 

An idea was running through my mind for a while......Wouldn't it be wonderful to ask others to be involved with some of my mala or jewelry designs? Wouldn't it be beautiful to see where they found inspiration whether it was through color, through feel, or through material? And so I put the question out into the Twitterverse!

Yogini Christina Sell

I was lucky enough to have a quick response from the amazing yogini, Christina Sell. Christina is an extremely active and revered yogini based in Texas. She is the director and co-founder of the School of Yoga, presents workshops all over the nation, has two renowned books to her name, and is the 2012 Art of Asana columnist for Yoga International Magazine. I am honored she had the time to send me the emails she did about this little mala! 

This is the design we came up with. She mentioned the School of Yoga being sun-oriented and inspired by the Gayattri Mantra so sunny yellow calcite seemed perfect to use in this case. We added rudraksha guru and a copper Om charm and I strung it on stretch cord so that it will be versatile to fit most wrists. 

Christina recommended the Gayatri Mantra for this sun-inspired mala:

AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,
TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.

Summary of the Gayatri Mantra

Gayatri Mantra (the mother of the vedas), the foremost mantra in hinduism and hindu beliefs, inspires wisdom. Its meaning is that "May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path". The mantra is also a prayer to the "giver of light and life" - the sun (savitur).

Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,
Remover of pain and sorrow,
The Bestower of happiness,
Oh! Creator of the Universe,
May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light,
May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.

School of Yoga Mala Bracelet

I hope you enjoy it! 

What stones inspire you? If you were to create a mala, how would you design it?  And who knows? Maybe we will come up with a design together. :)

There are more collaborations to come.....

Transformation

 Original Artwork by: bluecicada 

I am a believer that transformation can happen at any place in time, not just at the beginning of each year. We are filled with infinite potential......unlimited........always.

So as one who appears staunchly against "resolutions", I seem to have a good many intentions whirling through my mind for the coming year!  All of you have been so awesome to share with me your plans for the future in the latest giveaway post and I am now very inspired to share with you some of mine. This year already feels quite significant to me in terms of transformation and I am wholeheartedly working towards these small, but important goals. I am not worried about being successful or not. I am endeavoring to be kind to myself and do the very best I can. I know with each intention, if offered with sincerity and an open heart, will move me forward.

My intentions:

1. More lovingkindess. I am going to look more strangers in the eye when I am interacting with them. I am going to find beauty and humanity in each person I come across. It is easy to overlook people at the checkout, on the street, at the bank, in so many daily situations.

2. Journal writing. I used to write profusely in a journal everyday for many years. It has been some time since then, but having the goal of writing everyday, or at least a few times a week will give me needed time to reflect and to articulate my goals both physical and spiritual.

3. Simplify. Simplify every aspect of my life. If I have it and don't need it -give it away. (If I think I need it- remind myself I don't!) Organize. See what is truly essential and surround myself with the uplifting and inspiring. Endeavor to do one task at a time and give it my fullest attention.

4. Use my words carefully. Understanding that each word can manifest. Each word sends an energy into the world whether positive or negative. I would like to cultivate more awareness for this and see how many things will change!

5. One spiritual reading a day. Anything for the soul, once a day. It can be as brief as a poem by Rumi or as full as a book about the Saints of India. I want to keep inspiring myself to remain on a joyful and loving path even for a few minutes each day.

What are your intentions for the new year?

Beautiful Intentions - Zafu Giveaway

This is my favorite time of year! We consciously make an effort to take more time for reflection, to spend more time with loved ones and create positive intentions for the upcoming year. To start it off with a little inspiration towards our goals, I thought it would be lovely to have a giveaway!

It all started with an elephant.... 

My dear facebook yogini friend Angela of Inner Space Yoga had inquired about creating a custom elephant necklace recently, which then sparked the idea to ask her if she would like to participate in a giveaway. I was thrilled when she agreed that she would! You see, I have been adoring her zafus, eye pillows and bolsters for many many months now.  So with elephants on the brain, she diligently went to work to create this gorgeous handmade zafu just for this event. If you missed the last blog post all about Angela and Inner Space Yoga, you can read it here.

For those who are not familiar with what a zafu is, it is a cushion designed specifically for seated meditation. Angela told me a bit about the fabric (called "Karavan") and design. It was created by a designer named Valori Wells, for Free Spirit Fabrics.  Angela tells me she chose this fabric because it reminded her of the brightly decorated buses, delivery trucks, and autorickshaws in India.  And they sometimes decorate elephants there, as well.  It's a very happy fabric!  The base fabric is a very soft deep navy blue brushed twill. The zafu is filled with buckwheat hulls, and there's a zipper under the carrying strap so the buckwheat hulls can be emptied out to adjust the height for sitting.

To enter to win this unique zafu (make sure to do all three!):

1. Head over to Inner Space Yoga on Facebook and click like. Angela is a beautiful and colorful yogini with so much to share!

2. If you aren't connected with me on facebook, I would love to meet you! Click like on the Jewels Of Saraswati page.

3. Leave a comment on this blog post about what your beautiful intentions (or resolutions) are for the coming year. It can be to sit for more formal meditation or simply to practice more lovingkindess.....no intention is too big or too small. Just make sure to leave an email or info so that I can contact you.

*The winner will be announced on the Jewels Of Saraswati facebook page and will be contacted via email. If there is no response within three days, then another winner will be chosen. This giveaway will end 1/16/12. (Sorry, this giveaway is only for those residing in the U.S.!)

Good luck everyone!