Support Jessica’s Masters Scholarship fund: sustainability and permaculture at Gaia University

As you know me really well and have been part of my journey for quite some time, you know that I’m an explorer, student, and curious person. Since I moved to Asia in 2015, I’ve been designing sustainable and mindful products and practicing meditation. Creating and meditating became something that plays a significant role in my life. Design and mindfulness became my work and also my way of living. Both passions became emerged on my personal project MEISOU a brand where I design sustainable objects to inspire people to integrate mindfulness and rituals into their daily lives.

As I love to go deeper into the subjects I’m passionate about, I did a Mindfulness Facilitation Training at MARC, UCLA. When I started this program at the beginning of 2020, my mentors asked me where I want to bring mindfulness, and instantly I said I want to make a fusion of Mindfulness & Sustainability. As I went through the Facilitation process at UCLA and became more active in facilitating and practicing it became clearer and clearer the connection between both topics.

Mindfulness is a powerful ancient practice. By creating a pause and practicing attention to the present moment experiences, we start becoming friends with ourselves by developing emotional, physical, and social intelligence. Mindfulness practices allow us to see which type of thoughts we are feeding in our minds and empower us to cultivate the ones that are actually positive to our well-being. Over time, this inward quality of presence and attention becomes an extension of our actions. Naturally, we start noticing what thoughts and actions cause harm to ourselves, others, and the environment. This practice supports us in causing no harm.

We are currently living in a historical time where we are going through a global, environmental and economic crisis. It became clear to me the emergency of the cultivation of mindfulness and incorporate sustainable actions so we can get empowered (not by a government or a party) to live a fulfilling, healthy, inspiring, and abundant life in a way that has a positive impact in our bodies but as well on Earth.

Feeling inspired and moved by these topics, I decided to apply for a scholarship at Gaia University and do a Master of Sciences on Eco-Social Design and Regenerative Livelihoods with no expectations that I would be accepted. What surprised me is that I got accepted very quickly and received a 30% scholarship for my 1st year at Gaia University.

I had to think a lot about it due to the Covid pandemic. My current finances are uncertain. My shop in Bali is not making enough money to support me on this new step, and my mindfulness facilitations are still in the very beginning phase. I spoke to Gaia U, and they suggested that I try crowdfunding, and I felt vulnerable to put my face out there and ask for financial support.

Even though I feel vulnerable about it, I decided to take the risk and expose my current moment and go on this adventure of connection and community by asking for support from family and friends to make this dream happen.

The reason to ask for help and wait until the perfect financial scenario is that I feel a deep calling to be well instructed to integrate Mindfulness with Sustainability, two areas that I feel can impact and transform for the better way we are living. I believe it is possible to live in a world with abundance, respect, beauty, nature, and inclusivity. I believe it is possible for us to become our own best friends and nature, but we need to make the knowledge accessible to all. Many of the roots of our suffering come from our disconnection from nature, the nature inside us and outside us, and I feel through this Master’s degree at Gaia U, I’ll get skilled and learn the tools to actively integrate Mindfulness & Sustainability and spread the word about its benefits and power.

If you feel that you are in a position that you can support my journey by making a donation in whatever amount possible to you. In that case, I’ll be profoundly grateful, and I hope that I can support, inspire and somehow make a difference, a positive one that can help us to live life with love, kindness, peace, abundance, food, and connection to nature.

With deep gratitude and appreciation,

Jessica Multini