Excitement is building for Veda MeLA, the celebration of all things Vedic and Vedically inspired, taking place at The REEF (formerly The LA Mart) in Downtown Los Angeles November 7 and 8. Veda MeLA is proud to announce several special events taking place within the conference, including keynote addresses from Mother Maya Tiwari and author Mallika Chopra and and the Opening Night Mela headlined by the yoga scene’s top electronic artist DJ Drez.
The opening keynote on Saturday November 7 at 12:15pm will be given by Mother Maya Tiwari an Ayurveda expert and a world spiritual teacher who has been praised by the Parliament of World Religions for her work in fostering wellness and interfaith understanding. Maya teaches that each of us has the power to shift global consciousness into the mind of peace.
In addition to her keynote address, Tiwari will lead a World Peace Mandala on Sunday November 7 at 5:30pm. She has been leading World Peace Mandalas since the Parliament of the World Religions in Melbourne, Australia in 2009. She has led the creation of more than 100 peace mandalas around the world with more than 150,000 people who have taken the Vow of Ahimsa: Inner Harmony & World Peace. While placing the seeds upon the mandala ground, participants invoke the Vow of Ahimsa (peace, non-violence). Following the creation of the free-forming mandala, The Vow seeds, enriched with the vibration of each person’s powerful intent, are collected and taken to be sown on fertile ground with gratitude to Mother Earth. Proceeds from this event will be donated to the Mother Om Mission (MOM). For the past 18 years, MOM has been transforming disease and despair into wellness and joy through Ayurveda classes and services in the inner cities of New York.
Author Mallika Chopra will deliver her keynote at 12:15pm on Sunday November 8. As a mom, wife, and social media entrepreneur, Mallika Chopra frequently wondered how she could possibly do one more thing. Like so many, she was taking lousy care of herself and having a difficult time finding richer meaning and purpose in each day, even though that was her business’s mission. “Living with Intent” is a practical yet deeply personal keynote to share the wisdom and actionable steps gained from thought leaders and years of exploration.
DJ Drez and friends will perform at the Opening Mela dance party Saturday November 7 at 7:30pm. Drez blends yesterday’s roots with the innovative urban beats of today. His accomplishments during his evolution from hip-hop DJ to world music tastemaker have made him one of the top DJs and producers in LA’s underground music scene. He is the musical director of the Wanderlust Spectacular, performs regularly with MC Yogi and Kirtaniyas and has appeared at Lightning in a Bottle, Symbiosis, AfroFunke and dozens of other high-profile events. Drez is also a certified yoga instructor and spends time helping fellow musicians with their yoga practice at home and when away on tour. His unique talents are increasingly in demand taking him to conscious music festivals from the U.S. to Europe to Asia. His trailblazing, genre-bending body of work has been documented in magazines ranging from The Source to Yoga Journal. DJ Drez is bringing along several live musicians and performers to curate a journey fusing the traditional and modern, including Sheela Bringi (flute, harp), singer Marti Nikko, and MC Zaire Black among other surprise guests.
Proceeds from the Opening Mela will be donated to Yoga Gives Back, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization supported by a rapidly growing global community of volunteers, students, teachers, and advisors who work tirelessly by holding events and yoga classes, distributing information, and working hard to help change lives. Dedicated to raising awareness and funds in order to alleviate poverty in India, Yoga Gives Back is a unique campaign which specifically focuses and supports struggling mothers and children in India.
Finally throughout the event Veda MeLA will host a special dog adoption to help Los Angeles strays find happy homes and loving families. Find out more about the beautiful mission of one of partner organization Kombucha Dog, and support the rescue of homeless canines from across the Greater Los Angeles Area.
Veda MeLA was born from a beautiful collaboration between renowned MD-turned-Ayurvedic Dr. Siva Mohan and Curated Events, producer of specialized, large-scale events in Downtown Los Angeles. After years of collaborative visioning and mind-mapping, Veda MeLA now brings to LA a home-base to celebrate the Vedic arts and sciences, fueling the hearts, minds, and souls of one of the largest conscious living communities in the nation.