About fifty people joined City Council members in Council chambers on September 27, to celebrate the designation of October 4 as Russell Simmons Day of Meditation, to honor his efforts to unite Los Angeles through the practice of meditation.
“Meditation helps us lead healthier lives, forge better relationships and be better at our jobs,” said Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson.
“It was an honor to host Russell at City Hall and celebrate his commitment to promoting this peaceful practice in the City of Los Angeles.”
October 4 holds significance as it is the rap and fashion mogul’s birthday. Meditation is something that has profoundly impacted Mr. Simmons’ life, and he is committed to making it accessible to people of all ages, races, genders and backgrounds,” said a spokesperson for the event.
“He developed an app called Meditation Made Simple and has written a book titled ‘Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple’ and various articles on it. [Simmons] has dedicated himself to sharing its benefits with young people by leading sessions at schools and advocating for it to be included in education curriculum …”
Simmons discovered the benefits of yoga in 1994, in Los Angeles and fell in love with the practice. He said that yoga has changed his life in many ways and he has been determined ever since to share those benefits.
“I want to spread yoga everywhere, and L.A. is a trendy place where things catch on first,” Simmons told the L.A. Times last year.
“Also, people here have big mouths, like Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres. I gave them their first meditation teachers, and they spread the word to a lot of people. The big-mouth people who’ll show up at my yoga studio will help transform yoga being a physical practice to a physical and spiritual practice about consciousness and awareness. Then that will affect the country and the entire world in a very positive way.”