Lohasians: “Modern Day Bohemians”

Yet another label: “Lohasian” comes from the acronym LOHAS, “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability,” used by marketers to describe “modern day bohemians” – those of us who care about spirituality, healthy living, and the environment. Beliefnet has a feature article, “Are You Lohasian?” along with a “Lohasian List” of causes, gurus, books, spiritual practices, etc. Two of the Lohasian “spiritual mottos” on the list are actually on the back of my bumper sticker-laden truck: “My religion is loving-kindness” (a quote from the Dalai Lama) and “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”

Beliefnet also has a self-scoring quiz, “How Lohasian Are You?” My score was 18, which means I’m Lohasian. My score would have been higher, except for the question about what gets me going in the morning – my answer was coffee, rather than green tea or pranayama. Also, I use Splenda rather than agave nectar. (OK, I don’t actually know what agave nectar is.)

One of the questions on the quiz was “Which singer is most likely on your iPod?” The options were Aretha Franklin, Krishna Das, Garth Brooks, Jewel, and Deva Premal. One of these singers is actually on my iPod. Guess which one.