Toluna Magazine EN-SA July 2022

TOLUNA



















JULY 2022



























































Have a wonderful summer.

Editor’s Note








Dear influencers,





Welcome back to the second edition of Toluna Magazine!



Besides catching up with the newest highlights of our community,

you will come across articles on various topics of interest that we hope
you will find both appealing and stimulating.



Get lost through the pages, find the latest Toluna news and have a

most pleasant read!



We hope you will enjoy our issue and make the best out of this

summer!








Toluna Team






























join the community: ensa.toluna.com

HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS

























SUMMER
MEDITATION TOLUNA PLAYLIST
GEMS





















#INSPIRED CREATIVE WRITING BURNING MAN

























CCM TOLUNA WINS JOIN THE
COMMUNITY

M E D I T A T I O N






h i s t o r y a n d p r a c t i c e s

A professor of psychology, Matt

Rossano suggested that the

W H E N A N D W H E R E latest phases of human
evolution have been influenced
D I D I T S T A R T ? by humans' capacity of


Meditation is used for a number increased and sustained
of purposes such as: training attention, as part of the
attention and awareness, meditative act.

relieving stress and for attaining
a stable state of spirit and mind.



It has been practiced in many

religious traditions, although
the earliest evidence is found in

Hindu philosophy, specifically in
the Upanishads, late Vedic
Sanskrit texts, around 1500 BCE.

However, some archaelogists
date it back to 5000 BCE.



Meditation has got a big role in

Buddhism and Hinduism E T Y M O L O G Y
overall and since the 19th The English term comes from

century, meditative techniques Latin 'meditatio' or 'meditari',
have also come to emerge in which translates into 'to think,
other different non-spiritual contemplate, devise, ponder'.

settings such as health and
business. However, the meditation

English term has been
One good example would be introduced as a form of
mindfulness, which originally translation for the Eastern term

has its roots in Buddhist referring to meditation,
philosophy, but became 'dhyāna' in Buddhism and

extremely popular in the Hinduism, originally coming
Western society and in the field from the Sanskrit root 'dhyai',

of Psychology. which means to meditate or

contemplate.

D I D Y O U K N O W T H A T In the next years, other

researchers gathered up to
TIME Magazine reported in study this known ancient
2003 that meditation started practice, that finally seemed to

being taken seriously into become a little more clear from
account for its medical a scientifically standpoint too.
purposes in th 1960s when B.K.

Anand, a researcher in India It became so trendy, that
'found that yogis could eventually, even the Beatles

meditate themselves into were into it. Especially into
trances so deep that they didn’t Transcendental Meditation.

react when hot test tubes were
pressed against their arms.' Of course, the hippie

movement welcomed
In a different study, Dr. Herbert meditation with open arms and
Benson from Harvard, found in it was during this time ('60s and

1967 that people that were '70s) that many meditation and
meditating used 17% less mindfulness centers started to

oxygen, had lowered heart rates open up to the public.
and produced brain waves that

were found to be beneficial to
sleep quality.

W H Y S H O U L D Y O U M E D I T A T E



Understand your physical or emotional pain better
Reduce your stress levels

Connect better with yourself and others
Improve focus

Decrease brain chatter










































T Y P E S O F M E D I T A T I O N S



Mindfulness
Spiritual

Focused
Movement
Mantra

Transcendental
Progressive

Loving-kindness
Visualization

S I M P L E M E D I T A T I O N G U I D E









Sit comfortably somewhere, anywhere you'd like (it is better to

be standing cross-legged, with your back straight than to lay
down, as to avoid falling asleep)



Set a time limit or just go with the flow



Notice and feel your body



Start paying attention to your breath, follow the movements
your body does when it inhales and exhales



Bring back your attention to your breath when your mind begins
to wander (in time and with practice your capacity of keeping

your mind still will start to increase)



Don't judge yourself if you can't keep your focus and you start
having thoughts, let the thoughts come and go, do not try to

suppress them, just observe them and go back to your breath
again



When you are done, open your eyes and notice how your body
feels right now, pay attention to your thoughts and emotions

'You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes every day — unless

you’re too busy. Then you should sit for an hour.'



- Zen proverb M O V E M E N T

M E D I T A T I O N

T R A N S C E N D E N T A L If you want to develop body

M E D I T A T I O N awareness and find peace in
action, you may want to try

This type of mediation has been movement meditation.
extensively studied by the
scientific community and it has This form of active meditation

been found to positively means using movement as the
contribute to brain function, main tool for establishing a

cardiovascular health and deeper connection with your
stress-related conditions. body and the present moment.

The most important part is
What is different about it? being mindful about the

There is no trying to keep the process when it takes place.
mind still and empty
No mindfulness Types of movement meditation:

No focus walking
No monitoring of thoughts gardening

qigong
It was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi tai chi

who brought this technique to other forms of gentle
the US in the 1960s, after he movement

derived it from ancient Vedic
tradition.

Don't forget there is no
The way to engage in it is to
transcend the thinking one size fits all, you can

processes, by sitting always readapt and
comfortably with eyes closed combine the meditative

and silently repeating a mantra
for 15-20 minutes. What you techniques as you want
should be feeling in the process and maybe come up

of this meditation is a state of with your own personal
pure consciousness, free of way to practice it!

mental boundaries.

SUMMER








F I N D Y O U R C R Y S T A L C L E A R G E T A W A Y !

F I N D I N G Y O U R


P E R F E C T



E S C A P E






We are all looking forward to this
time of the year, the one in which
we can just pack our bags and get
the fastest route to the closest
beach. Sun is up, weather is warm
and we can’t wait to dive in the
deep sea and just chill at the sound
of the waves.


Not all of us are living near a beach
or even have it in our proximity at
all. Sometimes, you have to book a
flight and fly all around the world if
you’re looking for that special
something.






T H E B E S T


B E A C H E S I N San Fruttuoso



T H E W O R L D Whitsunday Islands




Le Morne
That’s why we’ve compiled an
incredible guide with some very
exciting places by the sea and ocean, Zakynthos
all of them being in the top 50’s Big 7
Travel selection of the best beaches

in the world. Carry on reading and Bol
find the best tint of blue that suits
you.



Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons





S A N F R U T T U O S O


I T A L Y



This beach, which is described by Forbes Magazine as ‘one of the
seven most beautiful beaches in Italy’, resides in the
municipality of Camogli, in the province of Genoa.

As you can see, a fascinating Romanesque Abbey, which has
now been perfectly restored by The National Trust for Italy, sits
right in the middle of the beach and you can just lay down,
enjoy the sun in the pristine shadows of the church. Something,
we bet, you don’t get to do that often.

The name of the beach comes from the name of the abbey,
which is dedicated to Saint Fructuosus, who in third century,
was a bishop in Tarragona, Spain, and who later became a
martyr due to Roman Emperor Valerian’s persecutions.


Another unique and fascinating aspect about this beach is that
an underwater bronze statue of Jesus Christ called ‘Christ of the
Abyss’ was installed in the sea of San Fruttuoso in 1954.

W H I T S U N D A Y I S L A N D S


A U S T R A L I A



Whitsunday Islands are 74 tropical islands that lie between the
northeast coast of Queensland, Australia and the Great Barrier
Reef.

Most of these islands are inhabited and they consist of hiking
trails, dense rainforests and white sand beaches.

Many people from all around the world come over here and they
are looking to see especially Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet,
where the sand and water combine together to create a
beautiful fusion of colors. This beach is also known for its crystal
white silica sands and turquoise water.

The sand here is unlike no other, making it comfortable to walk
on top of it, as it does not retain heat. It can also damage
electronic devices such as telephones or cameras, as it’s
extremely fine and granulated.

L E M O R N E


M A U R I T I U S



Le Morne Beach sits right nets to Morne Brabant Mountain, on a
peninsula on the west coast of Mauritius. Morne Mountain was
listed as a World Heritage UNESCO.

This is a wonderful location, an out-of-this-world beach, with
white sand, large casuarina trees and crystalline water, making it
the best kite surfing spot of Mauritius. This is the kind of beach
that has a flat slope, having the water deepen slowly as you walk
through it.

Did you know that actually Mauritius was the only known
habitat of the long-extinct flightless bird, the Dodo bird? This is
still considered to be the national bird of the country.

People over here are also free to practice whatever religion they
choose, the majority of them identifying as Hindu (the only
African country with a majority of Hindu believers).

Z A K Y N T H O S


G R E E C E



This is one of the most popular Greek islands, home to the
spectacular Navagio (Shipwreck) beach, which is accessible only
by boat. It sits just on the western side of the Ionian islands, in
the vicinity of Anafotiria village.

Originally, the beach was called Agios Georgios, but it took the
name of Navagio after a shipwrecked boat that transported
illegal cigarettes in 1983 and was eventually washed ashore. The
Venetians used to occupy the island of Zakynthos and used to
call it ‘Fioro di Levante’ or the ‘Flower of the Orient’.

Besides Navagio Beach, there are many other sites worth seeing
on the islands like Zakynthos town, the Blue caves, the beaches
of Tsilivi, the Dolphin Caves and the bay of Laganas, which also
hosts the famous rare turtle Caretta Caretta.

If you are interested in seeing these locations and you are feeling
especially adventurous, you can try a pirate ship tour that
departs from the port of Zakynthos town.

B O L


C R O A T I A



Golden Horn Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on the
Adriatic Coast. You’ll find this uniquely shaped beach in Bol, on
the southern part of Brac Island in Croatia. The place has
become a symbol for Croatia and its government protects it as a
geomorphological monument.

A very interesting aspect about this location is that due to the
wind, tide and current, the shape and position of the beach can
actually change. Also, apparently the beach has grown in length
since 2006 by roughly 80 meters and continues to get longer
over the years.


Having a strong sense of community and of appreciation for the
place, the residents have planted pine trees on the beach and
the water shines in a beautiful blend of colors. Here, you can also
try out many water sports like jet-ski, scuba-diving, banana
boats and parachute rides.

T I P S F O R A H A P P Y Y
T I P S F O R A H A P P
summer
summer














Keep yourself Eat light Protect
hydrated and healthy your skin
foods













Make sure all
your travel Check any Covid- Ask neighbours to
documents 19 requirements water your

are in date, like for your plants,
passports destination if you have any













Organise who will Pack your
mind any pets suitcase in
during your trip advance

R E A D Y F O R S O M E E
R E A D Y F O R S O M
suummer sport?
suummer sport?











Y O G
Y O G A A

There are several types of yoga: one for
There are several types of yoga: one for
sporty and physically-active people, but
sporty and physically-active people, but
also yoga for beginners with less
also yoga for beginners with less
demanding positions. Summer is the
demanding positions. Summer is the
perfect time to spend time outdoors and
perfect time to spend time outdoors and
for yoga you will only need a mat and
for yoga you will only need a mat and
some comfortable clothes. Take a look at
some comfortable clothes. Take a look at
nearby parks or beaches, as that may be
nearby parks or beaches, as that may be
where free or paid lessons are being held.
where free or paid lessons are being held.
Relaxation guaranteed!
Relaxation guaranteed!
S K A T E B O A R D I N G G
S K A T E B O A R D I N

Try "street-surfing" this summer! You
Try "street-surfing" this summer! You
will need a board and flat, concrete
will need a board and flat, concrete
ground to get started. Over time, when
ground to get started. Over time, when
you master the basics, you can perform
you master the basics, you can perform
more impressive stunts. This sport has
more impressive stunts. This sport has
more and more followers of all ages. For
more and more followers of all ages. For
your safety, don't forget to wear
your safety, don't forget to wear
protection, like a helmet, because you can
protection, like a helmet, because you can
reach high speeds on a skateboard.
reach high speeds on a skateboard.

C L I M B I N G G
C L I M B I N

Outdoor climbing is a great way for
Outdoor climbing is a great way for
people who have already tried an indoor
people who have already tried an indoor
climbing wall. When climbing natural rock
climbing wall. When climbing natural rock
formations, you have to trust your instinct
formations, you have to trust your instinct
and increase your concentration - in
and increase your concentration - in
mountainous terrain, there are no holds
mountainous terrain, there are no holds
indicating how to follow the route.
indicating how to follow the route.
The via ferrata will also allow you to gain
The via ferrata will also allow you to gain
height by following a route laid out in a
height by following a route laid out in a
rock wall.
rock wall.

Do you practice a particular sport or activity during the summer
months? Tell us about it on the community for points!





#inspired

#inspired is our way to stimulate the community with
beautiful quotes we find from different films, books,
TV series or influential people.


We are grateful for everyone who participates in this
weekly challenge and we hope that you get your
weekly inspiration from us.








a c t i v i t y r e c a p














create a topic on
the chosen theme share 3 quotes
with the title
#inspired













write your own
thoughts/analyze attach a picture

the quotes (100
words minimum)









earn up to 1000
points

“When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have
before you, a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Merely think,

here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a

streak of yellow.”




― Claude Monet

Quote Collection












These are some of the awesome quotes we got

from you









kmd02 said: The real voyage of discovery consists not in
seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. (Marcel
Proust)



A3166514g31 said: I'm convinced that most men don't know
what they believe, rather, they only know what they wish to
believe. How many people blame God for man's atrocities,
but wouldn't dream of imprisoning a mother for her son's
crime? (Criss Jami)


H.K96 said: Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are

dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will.
(Jawaharlal Nehru)


Kalubandara said: Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly
and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for
anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems
upset. (Saint Francis de Sales)



mikemike098 said: It's so strange how life works: You want
something and you wait and wait and feel like it's taking
forever to come. Then it happens and it's over and all you
want to do is curl back up in that moment before things
changed. (Lauren Oliver)



HOW







CAN










Creative









Writing











CURE






YOUR








SOUL

W H A T I S C R E A T I V E


W R I T I N G ? By putting your negative states in

We all know in big lines what an imaginary context, within a

creative writing is and we all did it. story, you gain a different lens for
Nowadays, this is a very popular perceiving the uncomfortable
subject that is studied all events that have happened to you.
throughout the world in college
and university courses. Having merely the possibility to
express whatever hurt you in life

Creativity lies at the center of this can be extremely cathartic on its
form of writing through the usage own. Also, this time you get to be

of imagination, innovation and in complete control of how the
emotions to build up the story. It story develops.
can be poetry, short story writing,
a novel or other works of fiction or Empathy and communication
non-fiction. skills
When you are thinking about

Creative writing is certainly not creating different worlds, that
academical, professional or happen in various spaces and

technical, so if you haven’t got the times, you also think about what
most scientifical and pragmatic kind of characters inhabit those
mind out there, you might worlds.
consider creative writing as a fun
and new activity that will help you What type of personalities do

express more your own thoughts they have, what do they do, and
and ideas! what do they look like? How are
they different from our own
T H E B E N E F I T S personalities and what motivates


Artistic self-expression them to act differently?
It has been found by different You’ll have to think a lot about the

experts that creative writing psychology of the character, and
‘might contribute to maintenance that simply, will make you
or reconstruction of a positive become more empathic towards

identity’ for people who have people, making you realize that
dealt with trauma.
there are so many and different
ways of doing something. By
This is because through creative understanding more perspectives,
writing you get the opportunity to you will also be able to

self-express your thoughts and communicate in a clearer and
emotions in an artistic way and it more thoughtful way with other
provides a setting for exploring individuals.

and dealing with negative
experiences.

Organizing thoughts

Sometimes, it can happen that
our mind starts to be racing in an
endless whirlwind of thoughts. Therefore, keep a pen and paper

That can sometimes result in a with you at all limes, you might
huge amount of mental stress. never know when these
That’s when creative writing revelations show up. You can
comes into play, by channeling always gain some inspiration
and transforming the stress into through different mediums such

something more positive. The idea as: travelling, religion, hobbies,
is to just get out your thoughts on friends, overheard conversations,
a piece of paper such as in a memories, history, images,

‘stream of consciousness', letting dreams, family situations and
them all fall out. This will not only others.
relieve you, but it may surprise you
with what you came up with.
Don’t worry, you can come up

later to polish up the writing itself, Think of an unusual plot
but at the first stage is good to just When crafting a new story, it is
gather the ideas and unbend important to plot the action in a

yourself for a start. smart and original way. You can
think about these elements when
developing the plot:


T I P S F O R C R E A T I V E Reversals are used to create

W R I T I N G setbacks in the life story of a
character. For example one type
of reversal could be a catastrophe,
Inspiration which usually occurs close to the

Almost anything from this world end of the story.
can end up inspiring you into
creating a good piece of writing. Discoveries are what the
The inputs come from anywhere characters get to learn about
and everywhere, you’ll just have to themselves, about the world they

pay attention to them. live in and about the other
Many people confuse inspiration characters of the story. These
with some mysterious sparks that discoveries can be about their

creep in out of nowhere and own selves or about a central
vanish as soon as they come, but theme of the story.
in fact, inspiration is rather a
progressive process, an ongoing
series of revelations that are put

together by both your conscious
and unconscious mind.

Thinking about the complications You have a box that has the size
is detrimental to the plot of your under 12x12 inches. Tape the box
story. You’d want to suggest, that and set it in front of you. Now
for your characters, there is no write a story or a poem about

easy fix for the obstacles they are what is inside of it.
facing. To make it more twisted,
you can even overcomplicate the Take every day of the week and
initial problems as the story make a character out of it. Think

progresses, making it seem as if how Sunday would be like, what
there is no way out. This would kind of personality would it have?
create further tension in your plot. Or job?



The resolution comes at the very
end, and usually occurs after a
climactic event. This is literally the
conclusion and it should satisfy
the reader’s interest in the story. It

will depend on the type of story
you are trying to tell but usually,
the end might reveal something

that was previously hidden, give
the solution to a mystery, solve a
puzzle or focus on a difficult
decision that was made by one of
the characters.




E X E R C I S E S


Think of a character that you
would like to create. What’s the
gender, appearance, place and

year of birth, and any other details
that you can think of? Now try to
write a description of the room
you are in from this character’s

point of view. What would be
noticed first by your character?
What would the attitude be like?
What would your character like

and dislike?



Have you heard of the



BURNING MAN ?
BURNING MAN ?

Burning Man is out of this world, yet

it very much real and happening
annually in Black Rock Desert, in
Nevada, US.


A massive festival of art, celebrating
freedom, self-expression and self-
reliance. The co-founder of the
Burning Man festival, Larry Harvey,
even wrote in 2004, the 10 Burning
Man principles: radical inclusion,
gifting, decommodification, self-
reliance, radical self-expression,
communal efforts, civic
responsibility, leaving no trace in the

environment, participation and
immediacy.


The main objectives of the festival are
to lift the human spirit through joyful
and inspiring experiences, address
social problems and inspire a sense
of culture, community and civic The name of the festival comes, just
engagement. as the name suggests, from the
burning of a large wooden effigy,
referred to as ‘the Man’. The burning
occurs in the penultimate night of
Burning Man, meaning the Saturday
evening before Labor Day.


The event has originated in San
Francisco, on Baker Beach, as a really
small function, in 1986, and since
then the attendance has vastly
increased.

The National Public Radio stated

about that Burning Man that: "Once
considered an underground
gathering for bohemians and free
spirits of all stripes, Burning Man
has since evolved into a destination
for social media influencers,
celebrities and the Silicon Valley
elite."

Therefore, for 9 days you are invited
annually to Black Rock City to admire
beautiful outstanding art, made up “It demonstrates a conflict
by both amateur and professionals between a man and a woman as
alike.
well as the outer and inner
expression of human nature.
The artworks include experimental
and interactive sculptures, buildings, Their inner selves are executed in
performances and other types of the form of transparent children,
media. who are holding out their hands
through the grating. As it’s
In the first years of the Burning Man, getting dark (night falls) the

much of the art ended up being children start to shine. This
burned as well, as many artists shining is a symbol of purity and
choose to do so in an act of freedom sincerity that brings people
and non-attachment. together and gives a chance of
making up when the dark time
The picture below is a heart touching arrives.”
sculpture by Alexander Milov,
representing two adults sitting back-
to-back, with their inner children
trying to reach one another. At night,
the inner children would light up.

This year's Burning Man's theme: Waking Dreams

Content Creators
Content Creators







of the Month
of the Month















To be a CCM, you must be writing
quality content consistently in the

community.





If you are CCM for 3 months in a row,

you will receive 5,000 points.





If you are CCM for 5 months in a row,
you will receive 10,000 points!











Want to find out more?







We've got you covered! If you're


interested in becoming a CCM, check


out our post here!

Who were last






month's CCMs?






N1953650c19 5 , 0 0 0


Kalubandara 5 , 0 0 0



Popupb4u 5 , 0 0 0


kmd02 5 , 0 0 0



mikemike098 5 , 0 0 0



A3166514g31 5 , 0 0 0


M1899371c 5 , 0 0 0



Khiz4633


KRLODHI 5 , 0 0 0



H.K96



Do you have what it takes to be one of our next

CCMs?




Show us here!












Congratulations



POPUPB4U



#Toluna wins. My latest purchase with toluna
is miniature versace perfume. #toluna luxury















A3166514G31


I have recently joined toluna and very happy to
inform you that I have received you got a gift

card. I did my Ramadan shopping from this
card. The thing I like the most that you have
variety of things that you can buy from this card
from online websites to physical shopping.
Thanks Toluna




SUNSTARTMOON-GAZER


This my first attempt to buy from Amazon
using this reward. Such a great help.













Don't forget to share your #TolunaWins on the community and you can earn up to 1000
points! Find out more about the #TolunaWins programme here!

click here















click here

click here






































in August

Your voice






+






Our voice






=






Voice of change