WakeUp 2020: A Live Stream Earth Day Experience

Join top yoga and meditation teachers, musicians, scientists, activists, and healers from around the world. All in real time. All from the comforts of home. All for one purpose: Protect Mother Earth. 

Saturday, April 25th 
8:30AM-2:00PM PST

via Zoom, Facebook Live, YouTube Live 

Register

100% of proceeds will go towards the organization of your choice:

 Extinction Rebellion

Jane Goodall Institute

TreeSisters

URGE

Featuring

Ziggy Marley

Dr.
Shiva

Desirée Rumbaugh

Brigitte Mars

Andrea Boni

Satyanatha

Arouna & Biko

Dr. Makgathi Mowena

Daze Aghaji

Shea Freedom

Together We Rock. Together We Rise. Together our collective intention will create a positive vibration around the globe.

The earth is literally shaking. It’s burning. The animals are dying. The signs have been there for a very long time that we must change our ways in order to find balance. The status quo is clearly unsustainable. What an incredible phenomenon we’re experiencing - animals are free! Earth has literally stopped shaking! Dolphins are swimming! The bears in Yosemite are quadrupling! People can see the Himalayas for the first time in ages! It’s crucial that we use this time to reflect on all the unnecessary we’ve been so busy wasting. To take action and create a new paradigm - the one we’d like our children to not only be alive for, but to thrive in... 

What we experience on April 25 will mark a new beginning.

We are currently being asked to change and embrace a a new Earth – to get creative and shift. WakeUp 2020: An Earth Day Experience gathers top internationally renowned masters in their fields to share their wisdom and expertise with our new global family. We'll nourish body, mind, and most of all, soul. We'll recreate the future state we want to live. We'll serve humanity and our planet. It's time to raise awareness as not only as individuals but also as a collective. To learn about the most current environmental information and research. And to engage with others during these unprecedented times.

Like the Phoenix bird depicted in our graphics, we're in this together and will rise as a collective more balanced and rockin' than ever! 

This virtual live stream features eight 30-45 minute sessions led by masters in their craft: Desirée Rumbaugh, a 35-year yoga teacher & author from the USA; Andrea Boni, a 40-year meditation teacher from Italy; Brigitte Mars, a 50-year herbalist, best-selling author, and educator, and nutritional consultant; Dr. Makgati Mokwena, a Rhodes Scholar, Leadership Expert & Ceremonial Priestess from Africa; Arouna Diarra, an accomplished n'goni & balafon player from West Africa and his singer, songwriter, percussionist bandmate Biko Casini; Daze Aghali, a 19-year old climate activist from the UK; 

This free event will be offered as a Zoom webinar with a simultaneous broadcast on Facebook and YouTube Live. You MUST register ahead of time in order to be included on the Zoom group platform. 

 

Register

 

Join Facebook Event Group

 

Not sure what time this takes place for you? Time Zone Converter



Why April 25?

April 22 is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day!

Born in the wake of elevated concern about environmental pollution, EPA was established on December 2, 1970 to consolidate in one agency a variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting, and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. Since its inception, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people. Read More about the History of Earth Day

 

Why 8 Sessions?

This Experience loosely relates to the 8 Limbs of Yoga, the foundation of yoga philosophy. The tree represents the synergy of nature – roots, trunk, branches, leaves, and the sun. Each part is of equal importance, each part relies on the other parts for growth. When we align at the root level, we connect to Source, to our Selves, and to the world around us.

Give Back

100% of donations will go to the following organizations all pioneers in their respective areas of environmental conservation.

ACTIVISM

Extinction Rebellion is a global environmental movement with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse. Extinction Rebellion rallies support worldwide around a common sense of urgency to tackle climate breakdown and the sixth mass extinction. XR is represented in 68 countries. 

We love Extinction Rebellion for their vibrant energy, passion towards the climate crisis, and punk attitude towards the status quo.

ANIMAL CONSERVATION

The Jane Goodall Institute is a global community conservation organization that advances the vision and work of Dr. Jane Goodall. By protecting chimpanzees and inspiring people to conserve the natural world we all share, they improve the lives of people, animals and the environment. Everything is connected—everyone can make a difference. 

Jane Goodall is the ultimate SoulJour. Her dedication and unwavering commitment to her purpose is admirable. For this reason, we wholeheartedly endorse their organization.

TROPICAL REFORESTATION

TreeSisters exists to elicit collective responsibility for planetary restoration at the grass roots level with a focus on women and tropical reforestation. They are rekindling human reciprocity with nature by making it normal for everyone to donate monthly to fund the acceleration of tropical reforestation as an expression of collective planetary care.

As of March 2020, they have now funded over 9.5 million trees across their projects in Kenya, Madagascar, Brazil, Cameroon, Mozambique, West Papua, Nepal and India. They have a goal to achieve the planting of 1 billion trees annually by embedding trees into products and event tickets, monthly, one-time and partnership donations.

 

Event Schedule

We will do our best to stay on schedule but times may vary by a few minutes.

8:30am - 8:45am:
Welcome | Ashley Melin
 

8:45am - 9:15am:
Dr.Shiva Keynote Address

9:15am - 9:45am:
Yoga with Desirée Rumbaugh

9:45am - 10:15am:
Meditation | Andrea Boni

10:15am - 10:45am:
Sound Healing | Arouna Diarra + Biko Casini 

10:45am - 11:30am:
Writing Activity | 
Dr. Makgati Mokwena

11:30am - noon
Herbal Home Remedies | Brigitte Mars

noon - 12:15pm:
What is TreeSisters?

12:15 - 12:45pm: 
Climate Action with Q&A | Daze Aghaji 

12:45pm - 1pm:
Music | Jacq Maliq

1:00pm - 1:15pm: 
Music | Ziggy Marley

1:15pm - 1:45pm: 
Meditation & Prayer | Satyanatha

1:45pm - 2:00pm: 
Closing | Ashley Melin 


Facilitated by

Ashley Melin, Founder of SoulJour

Ashley has been a freelance graphic designer for nearly 20 years. Her current clients include Nike, Columbia, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Starbucks, and HEMA Amsterdam. Taking her first yoga class in 1992, she has been a daily practitioner of yoga/meditation ever since, having studied with the best teachers all over the world. She began taking groups to India in 2007, with the goal being to get people out of their comfort zone and to practice living life off the mat – an experience India does so brilliantly. As an avid mountain biker, skier, 10 time marathon runner, and big mountain climber (climbing over 25 peaks above 14,000 feet ), she has an intimate understanding of pushing limits – physical, emotional, mental – in order to create change. This concept became the most real when 5 years ago, Ashley experienced a radical shift and divorced the man she'd been with half her life. It was during this most challenging time of her life that the idea for SoulJour was born and she was able to turn her biggest challenge into her greatest gift.

Read more about Ashley

 

About Our Presenters

Ziggy Marley | Musician, Philanthropist | USA/Jamaica

An eight-time GRAMMY winner, Emmy winner, author, philanthropist, and reggae icon, Ziggy Marley has released thirteen albums to much critical acclaim. Now with his own label, Tuff Gong Worldwide, and publishing company, Ishti Music, Marley has complete control of his master recordings and publishing. His early immersion in music came at age ten when he sat in on recording sessions with his father, Bob Marley. As front man to Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, the group released eight best-selling albums that garnered three GRAMMYs, Ziggy's first solo album, Dragonfly(RCA Records), was released in 2003. His second solo release, Love is My Religion (Tuff Gong Worldwide), won a GRAMMY in 2006 for “Best Reggae Album.” His third solo studio album, Family Time (Tuff Gong Worldwide), scored a 5th GRAMMY award for “Best Children’s Album." Ziggy’s fifth solo studio album, Fly Rastawas released to mass critical acclaim in 2015, and earned his 7th GRAMMY for “Best Reggae Album.” 2016 marked the release of Marley’s self-titled album, which garnered his 8th GRAMMY. His GRAMMY nominated 'Rebellion Rises' is out now via Tuff Gong Worldwide.

ziggymarley.com

Learn about his non-profit organization empowering young children in Jamaica and Africa: urgefoundation.org

 

Dr.SHIVA Ayyadurai, MIT PhD | Scientist & Biological Engineer | USA/India

Dr.SHIVA Ayyadurai, the inventor of email and polymath, holds four degrees from MIT, including his PhD in Biological Engineering, and is a world-renowned systems scientist. He is a Fulbright Scholar, Lemelson-MIT Awards Finalist, First Outstanding Scientist and Technologist of Indian Origin (STIO), Westinghouse Science Talent Honors Award recipient, and was nominated for the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation. In 1982, the US government recognized Dr.SHIVA as the inventor of email by awarding him the first Copyright for “Email” at a time when Copyright was the only way to protect software inventions. His interest in human health also began early, when as a child, he observed his grandmother, a village farmer and healer, practice Siddha, India’s oldest system of traditional medicine. This motivated his future study and research in systems biology at MIT, leading to his discovery of Systems Health®, a major breakthrough that provides an integrative framework linking eastern and western medicine. His latest invention CytoSolve®, emerging from his doctoral research at MIT, provides a revolutionary platform for modeling complex biological phenomena, to support the development multi-combination medicines without animal testing.

vashiva.com



Desirée Rumbaugh | Master Yoga Teacher | USA

Desiree Rumbaugh is an internationally recognized yoga teacher with unquenchable enthusiasm for life, love and healing. She blends playful humor with an authentic inquiry into the nature of being to bring the ancient teachings of wisdom into the asana practice and then into modern life. Her passion for teaching both the art and the science of yoga is fueled in part by her own experience recovering from deep grief as a bereaved parent.

For Desiree, yoga has been a life-saver emotionally as well as physically. With longtime studies in Iyengar and Anusara yoga, she brings 30 years of experience, experimentation and creativity to her ever-evolving, outside-of-the-box style of teaching. She incorporates real life stories and “kitchen table” wisdom into her workshops to remind herself and her students that the key to their happiness and freedom from suffering lies only within the boundaries of their own mind.

Desiree travels the world full time sharing her compassion and her joy with others interested in the transformational power of yoga.

She has produced a DVD series entitled “Yoga to the Rescue” and is a regular contributor to Yoga Journal, having also appeared on its cover. Desiree supports the Art of Yoga Project serving teenage girls in the juvenile justice system.

desireerumbaugh.com

Brigitte Mars | Herbalist and Author | USA

Brigitte is an herbalist and nutritional consultant of Natural Health with almost fifty years of experience. She teaches Herbal Medicine at Naropa University and The School of Health Mastery in Iceland. She has taught at Omega Institute, Esalen, Kripalu, Sivananda Yoga Ashram, Arise, Envision and Unify Festivals, and The Mayo Clinic. She blogs for the Huffington Post and Care2. She is also a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild.

Brigitte is the author of many books and DVDs, including The Home Reference to Holistic Health and Healing, The Country Almanac of Home Remedies, The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, Beauty by Nature, Addiction Free Naturally, The Sexual Herbal, Healing Herbal TeasRawsome!, and co-author of The HempNut Cookbook. Her DVDs include Sacred Psychoactive, Herbal Wizardry for Kids of all Ages, Natural Remedies for Childhood Ailments, Overcoming Addictions, and Natural Remedies for Emotional Health. Her latest project is a phone app called iPlant that helps budding herbalists to identify plants in the wild.

brigittemars.com

 

Andrea Boni | Master Yoga & Meditation Teacher | Italy

Andrea is a dedicated meditation practitioner of over forty years and a meditation teacher for over twenty. Through Teacher Trainings, yoga Immersions, and workshops, he teaches globally to students of all levels.

Through his intimate contact with the internal realm he engages with his students and the world powerfully, effectively and with great love. In 1989 he received his Master’s degree cum laude in Modern Literature and Performing Arts and his master thesis was published among the ten most interesting thesis of the year. He worked in the film and television industry in close collaboration with luminaries such as Michelangelo Antonioni, Wim Wenders and George Lucas. He himself has directed documentary films for RAI television and international NGOs.

Since 2010 he is an Anusara® Yoga Certified Teacher and currently a member of Yoga Alliance and Yani, Yoga Associazione Nazionale Insegnanti.

andreaboni.it

Satyanatha | Meditation Teacher & Monk | Brazil

Satyanatha is the monastic name of Davi Murbach, who was born in Brazil and lived as a monk for seven years in one of the most orthodox Indian monasteries in Sri Lanka & Hawaii. Following the philosophical line of Saiva Siddhanta, from South India, he became one of the editors of the international magazine Hinduism Today. He studied Western-Eastern comparative theology and metaphysics. It embraces reason and mysticism with the same verve, in a constant search for the greater truth. He is the author of The Anatomy of God. Most recently, he is the creator of Vivo Meditacao, a popular Brazilian meditation app with 2 million subscribers and thousands of meditations ranging from 10-50 minutes.

Samadhi in the Woods from Satyanatha on Vimeo.

 

Arouna & Biko | Musicians & Songwriters | West Africa

Arouna Diarra and Biko Casini met briefly in Ghana for the first time and though they didn’t speak the same language they sat together and connected musically. Several years later, Biko encountered Arouna playing music at a small wine bar in Asheville North Carolina. Arouna invited Biko to sit in on his concert that night, but only after the concert did they remember they had met several years prior.   Now, after performing hundreds of shows which have included playing at youth detention centers, prisons and gun melting ceremonies, as well as touring together with Rising Appalachia, Arouna and Biko have released their debut album “Bamanaya Sira”, meaning “ The Many Pathways of The Ancient culture” in Arouna’s Native Language Bambara.

Arouna Diarra, originally from Burkina Faso, West Africa, is an accomplished Ngoni, Kora and Balafon player. Coming from a long lineage of music, he is a 12th generation musician and storyteller, performing traditional and contemporary songs in his native language Bambara. Biko Casini was born in Ireland and grew up on “The Farm”, a famous intentional community in southern Tennessee. As a child his father played songs in many different languages, opening Biko’s awareness to a diverse range of cultures and music. Biko is a singer, songwriter, and percussionist who values music as a tool for bringing people together to strengthen human values and motivate collective action. 

In the misty late Autum on the west coast of Canada, Arouna, Biko and a wonderful group of musicians hailing from all corners of the globe, gathered together in the Come to Life Studio to create the duo’s first record. “Bamanaya Sira” is a living prayer for the continuation of timeless traditions. These traditions are woven into the songs and music of this record, offering a tool for people to connect to the past, explore their present and shape their future. It is Arouna and Biko’s hope that this album will carry this timeless music and tradition where it is needed, connecting the many branches and pathways of modern life to the ancient roots of ancestry.

Learn more & listen

 

Daze Aghaji | Climate Activist | UK

“A lot of the time ethnic minorities and young people aren’t really represented. I will change that...I am not standing [for election] with my own views I am standing as a vessel for everyone.”

Daze Aghaji is a freelance climate activist, speaker and a coordinator of Regenerative Culture at Extinction Rebellion Youth Uk. Daze has been working in the field of social changes since her first job working at Amnesty International. Since then, she has found her place in the social change movement, in the fight for climate justice and youth engagement in politics. Daze is best known for running for the EU parliament in May 2019, being the youngest person to run in a EU Election. Daze works in collaboration with NGOs worldwide and speaks on topics like intersectionality, Mental health and wellbeing, youth activism and climate justice. She has also been featured in Global PR campaigns like Patagonia’s Facing Extinction. Daze aims to aid marginalized people in acknowledging their own agency and acting upon it.

Daze's recent Patagonia Youth Activist Campaign



Dr. Makgati Mokwena | Healer, Arts Therapist, Leadership Coach | South Africa

Makgati is a rites of passage companion, holding ceremonial rituals and retreats to help individuals journey through various life passages such as marriage, the scattering of ashes, birthdays, first menstruation for girls, initiation into eldership and other rites which mark important transitions in a person’s life. She is also a registered Arts Therapist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa, working as a therapist and coach, as well as performer. She has delivered the opening addresses at various conferences including the International Goddess Conference in Glastonbury, and has designed and facilitated various leadership development programs. She holds two international yoga teacher training certifications from India, and is involved in a soon to be released document-series that charts her life path as a pilgrim seeking direct experience of Divinity. Her leadership development work largely (but not exclusively) centers on personal development, and references the self within the context of a larger team/community/system. The paradigm I hold is appreciative and strength-based – she believes that all human beings are oriented towards, and have the capacity to grow into, their essential Wholeness. She make use of rigorous self-inquiry and reflection as tools for understanding and appreciation oneself, in order to serve self, others and organizations.  

pilgrimimheels.com 

Watch her All Women TV Show filmed in Cape Town

 

Shea Freedom

In the songs he writes, during keynote speeches or hosting workshops you can find Freedom bringing love, delivering nurturing performances and charming audiences the world over.  Freedom uses his various platforms to advocate for foster youth, human rights and environmental issues that affect us all. Born in Los Angeles Freedom was raised in California’s foster care system where he was subject to 28 different placements. Like 68% of foster youth, Freedom emancipated into homelessness. In 2018 Freedom was featured on ABC TV in Salt Lake City, Utah before taking the stage after Madame Gandhi (former drummer of MIA) for a co-headlining performance at Salt Lake City Pride. Freedom brought the love on tour in 2016 opening for world renowned artist Trevor Hall in Arizona & California and as a member of the LGBTQ community Freedom was awarded the 2016 Rising Star Award by Black Trans Men Inc. In 2015 Freedom was invited by sisters Chloe & Leah of Rising Appalachia to tour in AZ, CA and CO. He has shared the stage with renowned LGBTQ artist Goddess & She who were featured on the Showtime hit series "The L Word." 

SheaFreedom.com