Russell Simmons Launches Meditation App

Posted on by Tammy

Hip-hop mogul and bestselling author Russell Simmons introduced a new meditation iOS app called Meditation Made Simple as a follow-up to a book he released last year called “Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple.”

Designed by Simmons, the app offers information about the benefits of meditation, information on how to meditate, and 10- and 20-minute guided meditation exercises. It also includes a vibration that can be used to calm the mind during meditation or before bed, according to the Huffington Post. Simmons learned about vibration mantras from his transcendental meditation teachers.

“The mantra has no meaning,” he told Huffington Post. “It’s just a vibration, and that really stuck with me as a tool. The mantra I give in the book and app is ‘rum,’ the sound of the calming vibration. It’s a simple vibration that you think, not say. You fasten your mind to it, and your mind may drift, but then you gently come back to it. The app is designed to remind you again and again to go back to the mantra.”

Simmons has shared how meditation changed his life in his books and interviews, including the cover story of Elevated Existence’s March 2011 issue, practicing for more than 18 years, and he even meditates with his children in the morning before they go to school.

“Being in the present moment is a simple, yet elusive idea,” he told Elevated Existence in the 2011 cover story. “People don’t understand that noise is the biggest distraction separating them from their goals. Being awake and being in the present is what allows people the freedom to attain their goals. That has to be step one before you start to chase the world. Go inside and then the world will come to you.”

Russell Simmons’ New Book “Success Through Stillness”

Posted on by Tammy

New York Times bestselling author and hip-hop mogul, Russell Simmons, tackles the topic of meditation in his newest book “Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple,” showing the connection between inner peace and outward success. Simmons shares how meditation has had a major effect on his own life and success, and what he’s learned from masters of the practice.

“Sitting in silence for 20 minutes can be a tool to wash away the pain, frustration and insecurities that have been coloring your existence and allow you to get back to the state of happiness that is your birthright,” Simmons says in the beginning of the book. “The path that I will lay out in this book represents the simplest route between your current state and that happiness.”

He also interviews other successful leaders in a variety of industries. Whether a beginner or advanced meditator, this book aims to help readers find greater clarity and focus, and become healthier in mind and body.

“This is a simple and straightforward guide on how to use the tool of meditation to get the most our of your life – written with the authority of someone who has used that very tool every day for the past fifteen years himself,” Simmons said.

Purchase Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple here.

Russell Simmons to Launch Tantris Yoga Line

Posted on by Tammy

Well-known yoga enthusiast and hip-hop mogul (who has graced Elevated Existence’s cover twice) Russell Simmons is launching an expansive yoga line called Tantris, which will include women’s and men’s activewear, meditation beads, yoga mats, pillows and scented candles, GlobalGrind.com reported.

“After doing yoga, I feel alive and awakened,” Simmons told WWD. “I want to give people that feeling or to teach people who want to learn more about yoga. I see yoga studios starting to grow and yoga classes getting more crowded. I see [yoga] brands continuing to grow. I’m doing this because of my passion for yoga not because I’m that kind of business guy.”

After its release in department stores, specialty stores, health clubs and spas this fall, Simmons plans to open Tantris stores, yoga studios, juice bars and even a vegan restaurant, the website reported.

Russell Simmons Named 2011 PETA Person of the Year

Posted on by Tammy

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) named hip-hop mogul, Russell Simmons, its 2011 Person of the Year. Simmons, who has graced the cover of Elevated Existence twice, joins previous winners, Oprah, Ellen Degeneres and Former President Clinton.

Known for his daily practice of both yoga and Transcendental Meditation, Simmons is a devoted vegan who only eats plant-based products, and has done so for at least 10 years, according to an article on GlobalGrind.com.

“The horrible abuse of animals is the worst karmic disaster in the history of human kind,” Simmons said as he accepted the award. “The work that PETA does to combat this catastrophe is amazing. I’m truly humbled to be chosen as this year’s Person of the Year, but the praise should go to the hundreds of thousands of volunteers that are on the ground doing the work. I accept this honor on their behalf.”

Simmons will also be featured in PETA’s limited-edition sheet of U.S. postage PhotoStamps showing vegetarians throughout history, according to Global Grind.

Congratulations Russell Simmons!! For more information, visit www.peta.org.

To preview the past issues of Elevated Existence featuring Russell Simmons, visit our Archives section.

Kimora Lee Simmons on Working From the Soul

Posted on by Tammy

During a press conference in Asia about her reality show “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane,” Kimora Lee Simmons spoke about achieving success while maintaining a spiritual side. She continues to share the message that beauty comes from within, and is even planning for a new book next year.

As the ex-CEO of Baby Phat clothing line and ex-wife of Russell Simmons, Kimora manages a full line of clothing and accessories as CEO of her new company, KLS Enterprises and president of JustFabulous, an online style-of-the-month club, according to a report by Insider Entertainment.

She admits her reality show isn’t filled with the drama seen in other shows, proving that reality can still be entertaining without “crazy stuff.”

“There are 500 shows in America where they are always fighting and cursing, but my show is not like that; I think that’s garbage,” Simmons said in the report. “I really feel that the state of reality TV is going down. I’m not proud of that. I’m not proud of how women are depicted when you are fighting and scratching and cursing your mom, and you are naked. My show [though it’s become a hit] has none of that.”

“Life in the Fab Lane,” shows her as a businesswoman who remains devoted to her family. “I got a TV show because of my work and credibility in the fashion business, not because of hilarious things I do or crazy stuff…,” she said.“Yes it has a bit of my husband, my children, but when it turns just a little exploitative, I back off.”

In addition to practicing meditation every day, she also makes time to bond with her children, which is when she finds herself most happy, the report stated. “I practice Transcendental Meditation. I do it for like 10 minutes in the morning and again in the evening,” she said in the report.

She also revealed plans to release a sequel to her book “Fabulosity” next year. “Fabulosity today is not the same as it was years ago, but the idea of beauty and power coming from the inside has not changed,” she said.