A Mindful Miami - A Multi Sensory Morning of Unity, Reflection and Discovery

Yesterday’s event “A Mindful Miami” - a mass meditation for Mother Earth held at Brickell City Center, was beautifully executed.   The orchestra alone of the mystical instruments to induce sound healing, was a rare and exceptional pleasure for the senses.  The talented facilitators used them to provide an atmosphere of well-being, relaxation, and to raise spiritual vibrations.   

What especially marked the experience for me was the opening music by Omar Ahmadzai.  I have heard many types of Native American flutes in many different contexts, but nothing like what I heard yesterday.   The calming effect was powerful, and was felt immediately throughout the entire space.  Known as "The Urban Shaman", Omar is a Mystic, Shaman, Speaker, and Author.  He is also recognized as one of the best Native and Shamanic Flutists in the world.   And the best part, is that he lives here in Miami and is highly accessible. He has upcoming workshops on breath and meditation at The Sacred Space Miami in May and June.  Based on what little I saw of him yesterday, I'm sure it will be an extraordinary experience that shouldn't be missed, and I will definitely try to make it to one. For more information on the schedule please see www.thesacredspacemiami.com.   And for more information on Omar, and an amazing sound journey I encourage you to visit his website  www.theurbanshaman.com.

Regarding the setting, although it would have been nicer to be on the beach for this type of event, the sponsors made the best out of the ultra-modern shopping center by providing meditation mats and an elevated stage for the instruments and the team of facilitators/speakers.  The Brickell City Center parking lot was convenient and complementary, and could have potentially supported a much higher volume in turnout.  Participation was a little on the sparse side..  out of 1,600 event rsvp only 500 actually made it..  

I only thing I feel the need to grumble about was the lack of subtlety in using Earth Day so opportunistically by one of the sponsors.  I don’t see any harm in brands and businesses riding on a wave of opportunity for PR, brand awareness or self promotion, but the literal pop up shop within a captive and specifically created audience felt a little invasive. 

And in reality, it wasn’t the presence of the merchandise that bothered me.  It was the contrast of settings that subtlety tainted it. The highly commercial format and gimmicky approach that was used to promote the product within a context of collectively raising consciousness for a higher purpose, was an unnatural pairing.  A carefully thought out marketing package was presented to box peoples “intentions” into a set of categories attached to numbers #1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and pie chart graphs to assist in choosing a pricey, spiritually inspired necklace.

I get it, they want to grow sales quickly and make it easier for the consumer to choose, but seeing personal inner feelings and desires presented into segmentations felt like part of a power point presentation entitled "Spirituality and Chakra Alignment for Today's Consumer"   The perfect product for your soul, neatly organized into 7 possibilities.   I really don't mean to sound harsh, but it diminished the authenticity of the event, which I am sure was not the intent.       

All in all, I enjoyed the event, and look forward to future developments towards a more "Mindful Miami." And what matters is that the initiative was well intended, and a huge contribution towards the positive evolution of our great city.