We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nadirah Lugg. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nadirah below.
Nadirah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I come from an educational-based background. All my life, it was instilled in me to go to school and earn my degree in college. I graduated with my bachelors degree in Speech Communications and a minor in Theatre from University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. I then went on to earn my masters degree in Liberal Arts from University of Chicago. I worked as a public school teacher in the Chicago Public School and South Suburban school system, and as an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor within the City of Chicago Colleges. I’ve taught Theatre in afterschool programs and I’ve even taught Film and Media during summer school programs. I’ve always been in a position to teach. So when I was called toward spirituality, I heeded the call but a lot of my family members and even my friends looked at me like I had four heads attached to my neck.
In my thirties, I noticed that I was experiencing abnormal knee pains and I decided to try out yoga and it was a marriage made in heaven. I gracefully flowed through it like a fish swimming in water. I stopped teaching within the school systems and I decided that I wanted to take teacher’s training in Vinyasa yoga and become a certified yoga instructor through Core Power Yoga. This act led me down the rabbit hole of all things related to energy work and spirituality.
I had already been interested in tarot cards, oracle cards, horoscopes, zodiac signs, etc. and as I began to learn about chakras, and with my certification as a yoga instructor in hand, I had to learn more about the power of the mind and our connection to energy. My husband and I moved from our hometown of Chicago to set new foundational roots in sunny Southern California in November of 2019. I knew I would be in the midst of my tribal energy. Then covid hit and everyone was forced to sit still and wait. I took that time to set up my online yoga business and conducted classes via Zoom and then signed up to learn and receive certification in Clinical Hypnotherapy to intensify my guided meditations. I wanted my clients to have the option of self-healing and self-development during their personal yoga practice and savasana (corpse pose).
Once I was certified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist, I was receiving so much positive feedback about how much the guided meditation was enjoyed more than the practice of yoga by itself. After I stopped laughing, I decided to up the ante by becoming certified in Usui Reiki healing. I immediately fell in love with how much it was personally helping me that I realized that I had to take it even further. In addition to Usui Reiki, I also became a Reiki Master in Kundalini Reiki and Oncology Reiki to help my mom along through her battle of ovarian cancer. The more I learned and experienced the power of energy, the more I needed to learn more about its universal connection. I then set my attention on going in depth on the subject of Astrology. I read, took courses on generating and reading natal/birth charts, started sharing my newfound knowledge with my friends, honed my skills and incorporated everything I’ve ever learned along my journey and birthed my businesses utilizing my new certifications as an Master Reiki Healer, Yoga Instructor, Entertaining Tarot/Oracle Reader and Sage/Spiritual Advisor, Life Success Coach, and published author. I’m still an instructor but I’ve changed the subjects of my courses/coursework. That in itself is the biggest risk I’ve ever had to take on.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Nadirah Ra’ Ana Lugg, CCHt, CSC and I love to cook, eat, watch movies, give tarot readings, teach yoga, guide meditations, watch sunsets, laugh, and most importantly, make people feel good. I’m a proud spiritual daughter, sister, friend, and wife. Although I’ve known him since the sixth grade, I’ve been married to my amazing husband, Troy for seventeen years. We do not have any children, due to the fact that we are still enjoying our child-like spirits. However, I have brought into life two businesses: 1 Love and Light Center and YourClarityQueen.com. Within 1 Love and Light Center, we are a non-profit offering services to support a healthier mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being through the practice of Vinyasa yoga, meditation, Reiki healing sessions and relationship counseling. Through YourClarityQueen.com, I make spirituality practical, fun with real results by providing you personalized monthly cheat sheets to navigate through life with greater ease by identifying your innate superpower (gifts), your Kryptonite (challenges), your life’s purpose (destiny), and strengthen your intuition (gut instincts), so you trust yourself to make quicker and clearer decisions to overcome any energetic challenges that may come your way. I am reminding you how to work with universal energy to flow through life, while achieving your desired outcomes. In the end, you will learn how to attract that new job, career, abundance, and even new love, if that is what your heart desires. Because if what you’ve been doing has not been working, it is time to do something else.
My credentials include: certified 250 hrs. RYT Yoga Instructor, certified Success Life Coach, certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, certified Reiki Master of Usui Reiki Ryoho, Kundalini Level 1, 2, & 3 Reiki, Oncology Reiki, Trained Astrologer, Intuitive Tarot/Oracle Cards Reader, Neuro-linguistics Programming (NLP) practitioner, ordained minister of 1 Love and Light Center, a published author, and overall, naturally-gifted entertainer. You can blame the Gemini Sun, Leo Moon, Virgo Rising in me for my many skills, talents and gifts, but I promise that you will be forever entertained with my company, storytelling, laughter, energy, coaching or readings. My innate gift is to make uncomfortable conversations . . . very comfortable.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
In the beginning stages of my marriage, I was often plagued with the notions that I wished my husband would make some changes in his behavior or his actions. Why? Because I believed that if he would change A or B, then our relationship/marriage would be so much easier and smoother for us. The reality of it all was that I had an underlying urge to change my husband’s behavior and/or actions to better suit my own wants and needs. I never stopped and really took account as to where were the origins of those behaviors/actions, why my husband felt those behaviors/actions were necessary, or if those behaviors/actions were something he himself wanted to change. It was within a Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) training class, that I was provided the clarity aka “Ah Ha” moment , “to see and/or be the change I want to birth into reality.” The problem was with me and my perception, versus me assigning blame towards him.
To be frank, overall, the current climate we are living in is in itself “CHANGE.” When I leave my house to go to the store, I can either leave my house and enter the store with a nasty attitude and receive the same karmic treatment and energy or transmute my momentary negative energy into positivity, greet a hardworking clerk with a genuine smile and ask, “How are you doing?” and receive a positive response. Energy is scientifically proven as real and I have on many occasions transformed a person’s neutral or negative state of energy into something more positive just by sharing kindness, compassion and interest. Change is constant and if it is displayed in real life interactions and conversations with high vibrations, then my daily purpose and outcome is to create a change for the better and to inspire a happier and peaceful state of mind and being, no matter the walk of life. That is why our 1 Love and Light Center’s motto/mantra is “Shine Your Light.”
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
You really have to have passion fueling you every single day to be of service. I’m in an industry where it is mandatory to provide self-love and self-healing to maintain and sustain longevity in the business of helping others. Burnout can happen if you are ill-equipped to set healthy boundaries, conserve your energy, recognize when help is wanted versus needed, and when to forgive and walk away because some people love to live in toxicity and they don’t want to figure out the root cause of it.
I start my day by tapping into what I need in the present moment of waking up. Do I start with writing down my dreams, a meditation, a reiki session, prayer of gratitude to God and my spiritual team of angels, ancestors, & spirit guides, inspirational messages/mantras, quiet time of reflection & downloads, tarot/oracle reading, yoga session, weight training, or simply, a cup of tea/coffee? I do whatever it takes to sustain a vibration of abundance, then I’m ready to share myself with my husband, and finally, the world. Spiritual work and healing work is a marathon versus a sprint. It takes a strong mind and heart to listen to the woes and confusion of others, stay objective and help to create solutions by bringing a mirror to the faces of those who want non judgmental help.
I am here to be of service and I knew what that would entail once I made the decision that this was the path I was supposed to take. I knew I had to lean into my past hurts, trauma, fears, and healing experiences to share the stories and breakthroughs as shining examples of what could be overcome when you trust the process, do the necessary work, open your heart, cry it out, acknowledge the lessons, forgive the person or pain, face the fear head on, stand on faith, and come out on the other end victorious and ready to share your victory with others as a way to pass it on. Some will want it, some won’t get it, some will comment on it, some will praise it, but whatever happens, the truth of the matter is YOU MUST BE READY FOR IT! Then, come talk with your clarity queen and let’s get clear on what’s your overall purpose, your desires, and your outcomes, but in the meantime . . . STAY BLESSED, HEALTHY, FILLED WITH LOVE AND SHINE YOUR LIGHT!
Contact Info:
- Website: yourclarityqueen.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1loveandlightcenter
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@1loveandlightcenter
Image Credits
Nadirah Lugg