Our Values
At LƬG, we believe that we are all here to learn whilst abiding by a commitment to GROW. Our simple yet potent core values are described below.
Goodness
To do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, and for as long as ever you can. To radiate love and light as often and for as long as possible.
Respect
To respect yourself and others; to treat others as you would have them treat you. To always be mindful of this law of life: what you do to others, you do to yourself. To radiate kindness and humility as often and for as long as possible.
Openness
To be open to all that life has to offer, know that there is always another side to the coin, and be at peace with where you are and what is happening in the now. To give permission to the senses to experience bliss. To radiate gratitude and acceptance as often and for as long as possible.
Wisdom
To take the knowledge gained for a test drive by putting the lessons learned into practice and noting the wisdom revealed. To be patient with oneself, knowing that little by little, a little makes a lot, and small changes amass to herald (r)evolution. To radiate trust and courage as often and for as long as possible.
Our Mantra
Root to Rise
Our Credo is to GROW... with purpose. To that end, Life Ƭools Gurukul has adopted its mantra from a common yoga asana practice cue: root, to rise.
This cue has been a favourite of LƬG’s founder since the start of her yoga journey because the phrase embodies the principle of having a strong foundation before reaching for the stars. In a play of words, one might also look upon our mantra as a galvanizing call - shishyas are called to root for their own rise into their higher selves.
Howsoever you choose to see it in the moment, we encourage you to Root Ƭo Rise.
Our Logo
Life Ƭools Gurukul is all about setting oneself on the path to living “right” with ease and balance. The teachings are a unique mesh of Inner and Outer Ƭools, emphasizing the harmony in bringing two different disciplines of education together: one which caters to the inner world of spiritual and philosophical growth, and another which focuses solely on business skills or vocational training i.e. our outer experiences, honed through effective hard, soft and smart skills development. The idea is that with a strong rooting in these two seemingly disparate aspects of one’s everyday living, the leader within will have permission to rise.
The brand image for LƬG depicts these two streams of teaching through folded palms, coming together in a Namaste as an acknowledgement of one’s innate wisdom - and that of others. Another concept integrated in this gesture is that of a pine cone, specifically, a bristlecone pine, which belongs to the oldest tree in the world. In this particular choice of association, it is no coincidence that the pineal gland, or the “seat of the soul” also resembles a pine cone.
The emphasis here is on wisdom - a deep knowing. When young, a bristlecone pine is purple in colour and a closed unit; as it matures, it blossoms into a more open body. As we go through the teachings of LƬG, our minds will open, our outward skills will improve, and we too shall begin to blossom.
It is at this stage that LƬG’s mantra of “Root Ƭo Rise” is most pertinent. With strong foundations, as we begin to convert the teachings into innate wisdom, we too shall rise, as illustrated by the three hill-like ascents in either toolkit. The number 3 - aside from its association with growth and abundance - is also the number of tracks in each Ƭoolkit. The more we practice these teachings, the higher we shall rise, which is to say that our consciousness will expand. We will become aware of our awareness - that which sees, hears, feels, loves and lives. In other words, we will attune to our crown chakra, which is the 7th and highest in the traditional chakra system, and is denoted by the colour purple.
In our imagery, this ultimate rise it is depicted by an arrow head at the cusp of the two sets of life Ƭools. This is where the leader emerges.
The four LƬG values (GROW) are also encapsulated in the logo and its colour palette. Goodness and Openness are captured within the colour green, which not only represents nature and the sense of expanse but also the purity and innocence of one’s heart - the utter goodness of one’s soul. It is no coincidence that this colour also lends itself to the heart chakra. The value of Respect is denoted by the Namaste itself which incidentally is constructed in the divine proportion - the golden ratio, with the final value of Wisdom being brought out in the purple colour of the crown chakra and the arrow head at the pinnacle of the image.
It is worth mentioning that this rise and gaining of wisdom is thought to occur within the confines of a structured system of teachings, rather than a loose or abstract system of thought; thus the ‘rise’ is depicted as occurring within an enclosed, defined boundary. Once our budding leaders have begun to tap into their consciousness with the LƬG teachings and learnt to wield it to work for them rather than against them, they will experience absolute freedom within the confines of this world.
One final word on the use of the tau symbol in the name and all references to ‘Ƭ’ools. The symbol ‘Ƭ’ comes from the Tao Te Ching - a body of text fundamental to Taoism, a philosophical tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao or the essence, which is both the source and the manifestation everything that exists. Quite literally, Tao, is "the way”... of life. The denotation Tau has further been the symbol of life since ancient times.
LƬG has therefore adopted this letter in its Ƭools as a subtle bow to the wisdom of these teachings - in steadying one's boat along the way of right living.