A little bit of unadulterated playfulness in anticipation of the weekend:
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Category: Blog, gratitude, green, Spirit
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Apr
22
Happy Earth Day, all!
In honour of all things earth, lets talk what we can do to combine our love of yoga with our love of this wondrous host that sustains us.
1. Get outside with your mat. OK, so it still might only be slightly above freezing in some parts (ahem. mine.), but I bet it warms up some by this afternoon. Even if it’s just a quick sun salute out on the lawn… bring your practice closer to the soil on this special day!
2. Walking meditation. Find a favourite spot outside, take off your shoes, and walk it. Back and forth, with method and deliberation. Feel the sensations in your feet: every grab of your toes, the pressure in your heels. Breathe deeply. Welcome thoughts as you patiently dismiss them. Yes, to your neighbours, you’ll sort of look like a victim of the bodysnatchers, but who cares?! They’ll have no idea what they’re missing and you’ll feel invigorated by the experience!
3. Sitting meditation. Again… find a favourite spot outdoors, arrange your preferred seat, and sit. Be. ‘Nuff said.
4. Get outside with the kids. There is nothing to ground you to our Mother, like fully embracing that within yourself. Even with the screaming, crying and whining… OK, maybe that’s just my brood.
5. Unplug for mercy’s sake. Turn off the God-awful tube, X-Box, PS, wii, computer (… yeah. right.) Nothing says we love you Earth, like conserving a little energy and getting people away from screens gets everybody expending a little for a change.
6. Today… water is for drinking. Take a break from flushing, washing, watering.
7. Sit down with your family and make a “Conservation Commitment”. Talk about some ways you all can impact the Earth less, why it’s so important and sign a contract that seals the deal.
8. For this day, as you move about your daily lives, keep conservation in your consciousness. When I approach the fridge and grab for something, I like to ask, “does this really nourish me?” Same goes for your activities today, “Does this help or hurt?”
It’s a beautiful, wonderful day. Thank Earth.
Category: Blog, Events, Good Intentions, gratitude, green, health, yoga
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Apr
21
With yoga having become the big business that it has, I guess it should come as no surprise that the nation that brung it should take steps to preserve at least a little of the ancient art’s integrity.
According to the Times of India, India has made available a list of 1,300 newly registered yoga poses, compiled to prevent the ancient postures from being exploited for commercial purposes by patent pirates.
Scouring 16 ancient texts, including the Patanjali Yoga Sutra and Bhagwat Gita, scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research ( CSIR) have compiled a database of asanas consisting of video and text records in order to protect them from being patented elsewhere. Already in the United States, the patent authorities have issued more than 130 yoga-related patents, 150 copyrights and 2,300 trademarks related to the ancient practice.
These asanas will all be included in the digitalised Traditional Knowledge Library (TKDL), set up by the council to collect and record traditional treatment therapy knowledge. Medicines and yoga asanas registered with it enjoy the status of being patented. ”How can someone else patent these asanas which are a part of our traditional treatment therapy knowledge? They should not be allowed to use them for commercial purposes,” said Dr Gupta, of the TKDL.
In India, the centuries-old tradition is still being taught free in public parks and it comes as an outrage to Indians to see these ancient poses, marketed by “gurus” for commercial purposes, alleviating everything from back pain to stress to sexual dysfunction.
30-40 of the most popular asanas will remain in the public domain but poses from another 20 ancient texts will be added to the protected database.
Category: Articles, Blog, news, yoga
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Apr
20
My office chair is HORRIBLE! It’s not unusual for me to hobble away from my desk, bent over like an old woman crawling out of a shoe.
Courtesy of RN Central, here are a whole bunch of great moves to keep you walking, straight and narrow, that you can do easily at your desk or in the office:
Even if you don’t think of yourself as a typical yogi, yoga can be a very beneficial addition to your day. Taking breaks at the office is integral to staying flexible and healthy during the day, and you can supplement your normal stair climbs or walk around the building with these yoga poses. Whether or not you’ve tried yoga before or have studied the health benefits of yoga, try to find a peaceful spot in your office to stretch, strengthen your muscles, and regain your composure.
- Side benders: The first pose on this video will stretch out your neck, core and back. Just remember to keep your shoulders back and chest open.
- Shoulder rolls: Even if you don’t think you’re particularly stressed at work, you probably hold a lot of tension in your shoulders. Roll them out with this pose.
- Chair Pose: You’ll only pretend to be sitting in your chair as you do this pose, which strengthens your thighs, hips and hamstrings.
- Neck stretch: Another technique to immediately release tension and help yourself relax is this neck stretch.
- Tadasana: One of the most basic yoga poses, all you really have to do is stand with your feet together, practicing good posture and relieving back pain.
- Triangle pose: Anyone can do this pose, and as you become more advanced, you can focus on opening and stretching your hips and looking up to your other hand.
- Big Mind Meditation: Sit comfortably on the floor in this pose to quiet your mind.
- Standing tree pose: This is a great pose to do at work because it centers your mind and body while calming your nerves and helping you de-stress.
- Chair Twist: Your back will get a good, strong stretch with this pose you can do in your office chair.
- Warrior II Pose: Get a good stretch while strengthening your arms, thighs and legs at the same time.
Category: Articles, Blog, Features, health, instruction, Postures, Practice, strength, yoga
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Apr
19
I have two favourite yoga mats that I routinely use… interchangeably.
They each have things I love about them and depending on my mood, it’s one or the other I rely on to provide my early morning flop practice pad. For hungover achey, sluggish mornings, one is soft and gishy, offering me some much needed sinkage, but requires a towel for grip (I have a dandy one I’ll be sure to post about in the coming days!;)) and the other, for more energetic mornings, is thinner, made out of recycled tires, I think, and grips like a sonofagun! Oh… I forgot to add my favourite go-to mat for travel: my recently acquired YogaMatic- which I so very much LOVE!
As I like my yoga hot, things can get a little funky. And since I practice primarily in the privacy of my own hovel, I am not under any pressure to keep up any pretence of mat hygiene and the funkiness can tend to grow and grow until I can’t stand the smell of myself oozing out of the polluted pores of my mats. Until… Love My Mat!
I know, there are all kinds of home-made solutions to take care of mat smelliness. But, after the first cleanse to wash away the factory smell and enhance the grab of a new mat, I’ve just never been bothered- judge not, por favor!- and the mats get put away with a new layer of me to infuse their every fibre. Actually, I have to come clean… I have tried to mix up my own solutions, but I’ve always had trouble finding the right combination of scents that don’t leave me nauseous. At the very least I’m used to the smell of me. Again, until… Love My Mat!
Love My Mat offers the perfect fusion of fresh scented essential oils that leave your mat smelling clean and effectively disinfected. More importantly, it’s a scent that doesn’t offend with daily use, in fact laying face-down on any of my mats is that much more pleasant because of it! Love My Mat is also completely organic and so very easy! And for the me, the quick spritz, wipe and go is essential to maintaining a habit of (almost;)) daily mat hygiene.
Another treat… Love My Mat isn’t just for yoga mats, it’s also a wonderful linen and upholstery spray too. If my office chair could speak, it would certainly thank me… or Love My Mat!
Category: Blog, green, health, Products
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Category: Blog
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Feb
05
Compassion. Integrity. Cooperation. Hygiene. All important principles to living a full, happy life. However, in this age of technology, over-scheduling and increasingly interactive, realistic and solitary-bordering-on-anti-social pursuits such as computer games, XBox and facebook, increasingly difficult principles to nurture in our young ones.
And, if unplugging isn’t an option, maybe reconnecting our kids, and ourselves, to these human truths can be as simple as a story. These important messages have been conveyed through story-telling for a millennia. In regions of Buddhist faith, messages of Empathy, Consideration, Wisdom and Modesty have been passed on through the Jataka tales to help guide and govern human behaviour and develop the character of the people.
I found this interesting resource at BuddhaNet, a great resource for all information Buddhist… if you’re looking for a good way to introduce your kids to Buddhist – heck, healthy human!- principles, complete with easy to digest morals, HERE is a wonderful collection of translated Jataka tales to read aloud to your kids.
They are as simple as can be, some of them a little hokey to be sure- they’re fables after all!- but perfect for getting conversations started and kids (and us- ahem!) thinking!
Category: Good Intentions, gratitude, health, Kids, Meditation, reading, Spirit, strength, surrender
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Feb
03
A yoga mat is a very personal thing. It’s covered in your sweat, your smell, your belly button lint and toe jam, your cleaner… it doesn’t get any more “yours”. Tried explaining this to hubby to no avail… thinks we just have a collection of random, interchangeable yoga mats and just grabs ‘em willy nilly. Argh!
I’ve since removed mine from the collection!
Also hiding from indiscriminate hubby is my Yogamatic Travel Mat/Yoga Towel, which I received a couple of months ago and fell in love with immediately. It’s surprisingly light and thin, with a towel-ly soft top layer, complete with a design that I love, and a sticky rubber bottom that grips the floor.
I sometimes use it on top of my usual yoga mat for a little extra padding and absorption, but what I really love is how convenient and perfect it is for travel. It folds up light and compact in a convenient little envelope, easily sliding into a carry-on. No more packing around bulky yoga mats for me! It could even fit in my purse, for Christmas sake!
As wonderful as the versatile Yoga Towel is, what makes Yogamatic truly unique is that they are all about making your yoga mat all that much more yours.
Whether you choose from their huge selection of wonderful designs or upload your own image or graphic, it’s all about suiting your practice, your personality and your passion for yoga and beyond.
Perhaps you’ve already heard about Jennifer Anniston recently gifting Oprah a puppified Yogamatic of her own!
Whether your after a handy-dandy Towel or customizing a for real, thick and cushion-y mat, Yogamatic is doing it best!
Jan
28
… that, no doubt, will totally lead to our spending more money on their stuff! But everybody will feel better about it.
You have to hand it to yoga apparel juggernaut, Lululemon. Even during tough economic times, they’ve totally found the golden ticket into our wallets- hmmm… feed the kids? New yoga pants? That’ll be a new pair of Lululemon Groove Pant Organic, if you please.
Seems that despite the tightening in our wallets, we’ve still found that little extra to drop on the clothes we feel assist in tightening our behinds…. or is it in expanding our consciousness?
Whatever drives people into the stores, and now it’s online presence, Lululemon has found what so many other businesses wish they could, a way to double it’s stock over the course of less than a year… in what continues to be economic strife for many!
But, I digress… and while Lululemon certainly doesn’t need the endorsement of a backwoods mommy blogger… I just wanted to mention, that as they continue to grow, making money hand over fist, they do know the value of building community and promoting health.
In that spirit, once a week, Lululemon shops across the continent, push aside their racks of clothing and other products to provide a make-shift studio, and with instructors provided by local studios, offer free yoga, or “the gift of yoga” to the masses.
While the gesture may be extended from an ever-growing corporate entity, it’s a wonderful one, in keeping with the underlying philosophies that are the foundation of yoga.
In particular, it offers those people who can’t afford a yoga class an opportunity to benefit from great instruction at no cost… or those folks who prefer their yoga for free so they can spend their money on yoga wear!
Regardless the motivation on either part, it’s good for yoga and if you’d like to find a class at your nearest Lululemon, visit www.lululemon.com or click HERE for more information.
Category: Articles, Class-y, clothing, Events
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Jan
26
With New Years resolutions already falling by the wayside, yoga studios all over are capitalizing on the lack of resolve by offering another chance for instituting change.
To get your sorry butt off the sofa stir the embers of motivation, perhaps a little challenge might be in order. The 30 Day Yoga Challenge might be what you- and I, Buddha knows!- need to be finding our way to the mat more regularly.
Beginning February 1st, we shall all commit to practicing every day. Every day. If you miss a day, it’s to be made up on the following.
Remember, it’s a Challenge.
Perhaps you find it easier participating with a class, such as that at Vancouver’s Yogapod, as many studios are offering such programs. The beauty of this is, of course, you can always do it on your own.
Choose your venue. Choose your style… and for heaven’s sake, feel free to choose the time of day and the length of practice that works best for your schedule. Keep in mind that this has less to do with the 30 days you’ve committed than to instituting real change in your life and health.
As I consider my own commitment, I know that here in the sticks I don’t have the benefit of a studio that can provide me with such a program. I’m on my own. With no one but my lone reader many readers to keep me honest.
30 days? Dare I say… I’m in?!
Category: 10 minutes to glory!, Events, Good Intentions, health, Practice, Spirit, strength, Trends, yoga
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