Elephant Journal

The Elephant Journal is your guide to what we like to call ‘the mindful life’: yoga, organics, sustainability, genuine spirituality, conscious consumerism, fair fashion, the contemplative arts…

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Featured Writers

Rebecca Pillsbury

Writer. Editor. Storyteller. My passion is "transformational storytelling." I inspire readers to take action, through the use of personal story. I am recognized for my ethical approach to writing; I …

Ruth Cuevas

Carissa Daniel

Spiritual Coach & Teacher 'Guiding you to live your bliss and to make your biggest impact.'

Melanie Swan

Dubai based British newspaper journalist with over 20 years' experience in both the UK and UAE. I write on Middle East geopolitics, security, humanitarian issues and travel.

Hande Oynar

Freelance writer and editor based in New York City. Expertise in wellness, art, design, travel and city guides. Columbia J-School alum.

Samantha Rae

PERSONAL PORTFOLIO

Latest Articles

Bermuda Triangle of Manifestation

To devote our faith to the universe, we must first understand Chaos Theory. Chaos theory is defined as an interdisciplinary theory where random states of disorder and chaotic complex systems are actually governed by underlying patterns...

By Samantha Rae
20th January 2023 • Elephant Journal

The Ayurvedic Device I never knew I Needed to Soothe my Anxious Mind. {Partner}

So my husband and I, anxious, aching, and exhausted as ever, have hit a (fire)wall.

By Kaitlin Morelli, Content Specialist
22nd October 2021 • Elephant Journal

5 types of toxic people who can ruin your professional life

Colleagues who can make your work life a terrible experience

By Nikhil TK
5th October 2021 • Elephant Journal

Tips for the Eco-Friendly Badass (& other Climate Change things we Need to Know)

This is Part 2 of an eco-conscious series. Yay! If you read my last article, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. More carbon in the atmosphere is bad, sure, but why do we care so much? Scientists have used a projection of a 2°C global temperature …

By Karissa Courtney
5th February 2021 • Elephant Journal

How Families Unintentionally Enable Alcoholism

Wanting to help a loved one struggling with substance addiction is an understandable and natural response. Many family members and friends feel that it is their job to help a person suffering from alcoholism and that if they manage the problems caused by the addiction, they can help reduce their …

By My Portfolio
27th January 2021 • Elephant Journal

Have you ever…

Have you ever felt that what you are doing daily isn’t where you are supposed to be? Do you feel that sense of anxiety that you want to break free but you are unsure of which direction you should be going in? Have you ever felt even though you are …

By Enlightened Life Education
24th January 2021 • Elephant Journal

Climate Change 101

I’m sure you have heard the catchy phrases that have been thrown around lately: “carbon neutral” and “net zero carbon.” These phrases are tightly correlated with the idea of a “carbon footprint,” another term that you have likely heard about. “The amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted …

By Karissa Courtney
24th January 2021 • Elephant Journal

I Love Virtual Life—Perhaps More Than I Should.

Yes, 2020: We all get it; we all love to hate it. The endless Zoom meetings, and the absence of music events and other types of usual entertainment. But I’ve come to realize that I actually like the quarantine life. Should I be concerned about this fact? Maybe. But so …

By Maria Romanenko
7th December 2020 • Elephant Journal

3 Active Ways to Disrupt Anxiety & Step into the Unknown with Ease.

I woke up the other day feeling the weight of anxiety lodged like two bricks on my chest, forcing shallow breaths. My heart was fluttering the way a bird does when sounding the alarm against a predator—wings flapping, feathers ruffled, voice ready for war—except, I didn’t want to move. And …

By Amber Cadenas
21st October 2020 • Elephant Journal

Dear Struggling Self: This is Why I Need You to Keep Going.

From another place and time, further on in our story, I can look back and see you here, right now—in this liminal space. I see how you shriveled for years within containers too small and dreamt of being free. I see your courage that began as a tiny match flame, …

By Amber Cadenas
21st October 2020 • Elephant Journal

A Mary Oliver Poem for anyone who’s Learning to Trust their Wings.

For some more Mary Oliver goodness: “Tell me about Despair, yours & I will tell you Mine”—Rare Live Reading by Mary Oliver. I am learning this as a fledgling learns to test her wings. That day she hops from the familiar comfort of her nest onto a tree limb, stretches …

By Amber Cadenas
21st October 2020 • Elephant Journal

10 Quotes from Rebecca Solnit to Clear a Path through Despair.

I remember being on my yoga mat in the midst of a field less than five months ago, three thousand miles from where I am now, listening to a song on my phone on repeat while my body flowed in tandem. The spoken word-song begins, “It’s coming to pass. My …

By Amber Cadenas
21st October 2020 • Elephant Journal

Celebrating the Little Things: the Re-emergence of Bees.

Wildlife has suffered for many years as a result of human disturbance. Since humans have been in lockdown, we have seen social media light up with videos of wildlife thriving in the deserted streets of otherwise busy and bustling areas. From dancing mice in the London Underground to wild boars …

By Rosalind Thacker
14th October 2020 • Elephant Journal

Self-Guide: How You Can Overcome Negative Thoughts

Research estimates that about 90% of people experience stress, depression, worries, anxiety, fear, and anger, and they are unable to control such toxic emotions. Serious anxiety can restrict you from enjoying life’s opportunities. Just like many other people, you may not be aware of how to control and regulate your …

By nicholas otieno
16th September 2020 • Elephant Journal

A Personal Letter to Failure.

I don’t like you, and I never will. But I know we are going to make more memories together in the near future.

By John Tan
4th August 2020 • Elephant Journal

10 ways Little Free Libraries are bringing communities Together.

Reading is something that we generally postpone until we have less going on—buying books with hopes of someday having relaxing downtime. Well that time is now. With the onset of COVID-19 and all of the “stay-at-home” orders around the globe, most people are having to occupy their time with activities …

By Karissa Courtney
18th May 2020 • Elephant Journal

Seven Keys to Mindfulness During COVID-19

We are in a time where there is a lot of uncertainty and fear regarding the pandemic that is sweeping the planet. Life is not what we are used to. Many of the activities we are accustomed to are ‘on pause’ and most of us are spending a lot of …

By Persephone's Portfolio
7th May 2020 • Elephant Journal

How I Continued to Grow After the Worst Harassment of My Career.

GHOSTWRITTEN: This is a ghostwritten piece for a former client that was accepted and published into Elephant Journal in 2018. *NOTE: Though the byline on this piece is the client's, this is my work.

By Let's create inspiring work.
20th November 2019 • Elephant Journal

Emma Thompson & I are Hypocrites—& so are You.

I wonder at times if it is possible to be a perfect human. No, not that type of perfect that you thought of, because everyone knows that there is no perfection. I wonder if one can live consciously and intentionally, even at the expense of their own comfort. Because lots …

By Maria Romanenko
1st November 2019 • Elephant Journal

Five TV Shows to Watch on International Day of the Girl Child.

“Someday there will be girls and women whose name will no longer mean the mere opposite of the male, but something in itself, something that makes one think not of any complement and limit, but only life and reality: the female human being.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~ Rilke said …

By Kanwal Mukhtar
20th September 2019 • Elephant Journal

A Cry for Help from Pakistani Women.

This is a textbook prepared by the Provincial Curriculum and Textbook Board of the Government, for Home Economics taught solely to girls in sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Unlike the title, the books do not teach them how to manage their finances successfully in life, but instead teach them how …

By Kanwal Mukhtar
20th September 2019 • Elephant Journal

December Reveries: Days of Roses & Wine.

We met in an unconventional way, you and I—on Twitter, to be precise. You had a clever wit combined with a careless, youthful manner that immediately attracted me. You see, while your manner had a youthful carelessness about it, it did not mask the fact you were more intelligent than …

By Kanwal Mukhtar
20th September 2019 • Elephant Journal

We Deserve to Heal: An Open Letter from Women around the World.

Sometimes when I close my eyes to sleep at night, I can hear the collective screaming, crying and sighing of generations upon generations of women: raped, forced to bear children, forced to give away their children, forced to provide nourishment to the man who would then use his strength to …

By Kanwal Mukhtar
20th September 2019 • Elephant Journal

I Went to a Nude Beach and I Liked It (Kind of)

– Shall we go to a nudist beach? My best friend asked me during our vacation in Barcelona. She later admitted she wasn’t sure whether I’d agree or this idea would actualize. She merely “just said it.”But the idea was planted in my head and I kept mentioning it back …

By Maria Romanenko
31st August 2019 • Elephant Journal

We have to stop hearing “Check your Privilege” as a Personal Attack.

Growing up, I was oblivious to the life situations of the marginalized. I remember mocking those belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, even before I’d reached the 10th grade. The term “lesbo,” commonly used as an insult for lesbian women, found its way into my vocabulary, and I and my friends …

By Shubhra Aswal
31st July 2019 • Elephant Journal

Elephant Journal

We’re dedicated to sharing the good life beyond the choir, and to all those who didn’t yet know they give a care about living a good, fun life that’s good for others, and our planet. The mindful life is about yoga, organics, sustainability, conscious consumerism, enlightened education, the contemplative arts, …

By Carissa Daniel
9th December 2018 • Elephant Journal

What Laying on the Ground has to do with Healing the Planet & our need for More, More, More.

While consumerism lies about what can give us contentment, lying in Savasana can—with training—give us real contentment, for the rest of our lives.

By Write to the Action
11th October 2018 • Elephant Journal

My Paris for your L.A.: How to be a Writer.

Before it was popular in movies, and way before Airbnb, I swapped my apartment for a few months with a complete stranger practically halfway around the world. I was lucky enough to be living just a few steps away from the infamous Boardwalk in Venice Beach, California. It sounds magical—and …

By Ruth Cuevas
28th April 2018 • Elephant Journal

No Wonder Recycling in the United States is so far behind Europe.

Every time you read, share, comment or heart you help an article improve its Rating—which helps Readers see important issues & writers win $$$ from Elephant. Learn more. My friend spent much of her childhood between Amsterdam and the United States. When she was in graduate school, she moved back …

By Ruth Cuevas
21st April 2018 • Elephant Journal

Surrendering to Fate. {Poem}

A light at the end of the tunnel drawing nearer and nearer, A vision of love in my mind becoming clearer and clearer. Years of digging through darkness, surely you were my escape. All this emptiness inside me, maybe it would finally go away. But at this exit, in your …

By A World Without Boxes
7th April 2018 • Elephant Journal