DivaCup; an Overshare

After taking in  a deep, centered breath and just blurping my DivaCup practices out there I was confronted with the real possibility that people were actually reading my blog... and GASP, now know some private info about my *period* (shhh!). That was a little strange, but then I did want to share this awesome dealy out there that truly has changed how I live and practice yoga!

Then I thought, well really I should probably ALSO share these little insights that I have learned along the way and didn't quite expect when I first purchased the DivaCup.... sigh. Deeeeep breath. 

So I bought the DivaCup and waved it around in the air for The Fiancé (who requested I put this in caps so he's more than a definite article- lol) shouting: "I got a DivaCup!" and doing a little dance. I gotta say, he was quite excited and thought it was a hilarious idea to read the instructions while I just decided to give it a try. He always reads the instructions and I always just throw them aside... I guess I wasn't really supposed to try it when I wasn't on my moontime, but whatever. There was no way I was going to rely on my ability under pressure.

As I stood there in the bathroom, with The Fiancé listing off strategies on how to get this thing working I realized that my life was a little strange. Also, I giggled when he read: "If you are unable to remove the cup, DO NOT PANIC- Lisa it really says that in caps LOL". They actually have an emergency phone service to call in case... well in case it gets lost... haha. I have no idea. I did a little victory dance because I managed to get it working and then: I tried to get it out. For twenty minutes. OMG- they were SO right about the DO NOT PANIC. I panicked a little. I gotta say. I really just needed to figure out this "push" concept. I was fine! I can't believe I'm sharing this. lol.

For all you yogini's new to the DivaCup here a few things I've noticed along my journey of cupness:

- DO NOT PANIC. When it says "push" to get the cup out, they REALLY mean PUSH. With your, you know, beautiful feminine muscles. Which I did not know I had truly until that moment.

- Sometimes the cup will open belatedly.. perhaps while you are walking down the hall, or while you're having a conversation. This feeling is very off-putting and disconcerting. You are not alone.

- You don't actually have to buy the Diva Wash to clean the cup. Just make sure that whatever product you are using to clean it out doesn't have any nasty chemicals or additives. Messing with the delicate chemical balance in your vagina really isn't a good idea.

- Using an old toothbrush to scrub the cup is a great idea!

- The DivaCup really can be boiled in a pot of water. Although, I prefer to do this when no one else is home... just to avoid the awkward- "whatcha cooking??" moments.

- There is some "magical" fold that is supposed to decrease moments of random "popping" or the cup just not fully opening. It didn't work for me. Neither does trying to "turn" the cup around... how am I supposed to do THAT? Know that you are not the only one who jumps up and down and wiggles to get it to open for sure. At least I hope I'm not the only person to do that...

That was a little weird. I hope it was helpful for some of you new DivaCup Yoginis out there!

Blessings!

Earth Hour: It's about Giant Pandas and Fire

Earth Hour... it was yesterday from 8:30-9:30pm. If you're not familiar with Earth Hour, it's a symbolic hour where people across the globe are encouraged to shut off their power/lights to raise awareness about global warming. This hour truly is symbolic in that shutting off power for one hour will not even make a tiny dent in the power company's profits, so the point is education. This year in many cities Earth Hour was a success, with an exception: Halifax.

The fiancé and I heard that Halifax was holding an event for Earth Hour in Parade Square with the World Wild Life Fund present. (Above picture is Halifax waterfront during Earth Hour... only a few buildings turned off their lights). We live about a 40 minute walk from down town Halifax and it was calling for -2 or -3 celcius, so walking was vetoed. Really, driving in our car to particpate in Earth Hour seemed a bit hypocritical so we checked out the public transit system. Unfortunately Halifax's transit system is so terrible that it would have been quicker for us to walk. So we drove hah! We tried to park as far away from Earth Hour to walk as much as we could, but it would seem everyone decided to each drive their nice carbon creating car and parking was impossible to find. So we parked next to Starbucks and got a horrible, non-fair traded, energy sucking lattes. 

Entering the square we were greeted by the beautiful flowing sounds of.... the Pussycat Dolls. Yep, "Don't you wish your gf" was blasting from the huge speakers surrounded by a plethora of battery operated candles, lighted buildings and tress and a ginormous projector lighting up the government building with a 60 second countdown. Hmmm. Something was definitely wrong with this picture. Tim Horton's had set up a counter and was serving free coffee... in regular non-recyclable coffee cups or these fantastic plastic, BPA ridden, reusable, non-recyclable Tim mugs. We stood there in awe of the hypocrisy (which we played our part).

There was music entertainment playing over the plugged in speaker system and when the countdown occured we stood expectantly wondering just how dark would it get. Two buildings and the tree lights were shut off. I could only see two stars. Truly the icing on the granola cake was when after five minutes without power, the emcee of this farce decided that she was going to turn the power back on for the microphone and the music. OMG. She announced the main act- a flame thrower. Ahem. I'm sure the flame thrower used fair-trade, organic gasoline in her act. This is when we left.

So- Haligonians celebrated Earth Hour, a symbolic opportunity to teach our society and children about the importance of our Earth, by drinking highly energy consuming coffee in plastic non-recyclable mugs, surrounded by street lights and chemical filled battery candles, listening to dance music being blasted over energy consuming speakers and watching a woman use gasoline and fire in her act as she shouted "Who turned off their lights??" to the crowd of people who drove their cars downtown to watch.

It was the most lame Earth Hour I have ever witnessed and I am sure the children who attended, if asked would have said that Earth Hour was about the huge Panda and a lady who throws fire. With our friends, we decided to do something for Earth Day (April 22nd) without Halifax's help. If it's warm enough we'll see about doing yoga in the park! Flame throwers are not part of the program. Neither are giant fake pandas.

Yogini Toes!

I went to Karma Class tonight and it was fabulous.... except for my toes. I know it seems silly, but yoga is a lot of looking down at your toes/feet. Especially while you are trying to ground and feel that connection between your body and the beautiful Earth. Tonight my toes were a little, shall we say, trashy. It was time for a new polish to make them all sparkly and pretty again! This way, while I'm thinking things like- "OMG, two more breaths, is she NUTS??", I can at least admire my pretty, shiny toes. 

(ps- this is a picture of me and the fiancé doing yoga at the Global Mala at Ogilvie Park in September! Awwww!).

Nail polish and remover are traditionally extremely "anti-eco". Most nail polishes contain four major scary ingredients: 

1. Formaldehyde, 2. Toluene 3. Phtalates; linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies, organ systems toxicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, persistent bioaccumulation and skin/eye irritation. Skin Deep rates them both as a level 10- high hazard. NASTY.

4. Camphor (ketone derived from a camphor tree): cancer, neurotoxicity and organ system toxicity (non-reproductive). Skin Deep gives this one a 3: moderate hazard.

Eww. No wonder our toe nails turn yellow!! That nail polish smell you get? That's the beautiful neurotoxins (toluene and phtalates) entering your lungs and blood stream. Yum. The nail polish remover is even worse, containing acetone or ethyl acetate both carcinogens and neurotoxins. Really, you just have to smell the VOC's when you open a bottle. 

So obviously I was going to get something else to pretty up my toes. Being cheap, I decided to use up the rest of my remover before buying a new one... until the fiancé got a migraine from the smell. Great. Here are my alternatives that I have found to be migraine and cellular-friendly:

1. Suncoat Nail Polish Remover: As soon as you open the bottle, the smell tells you the difference. Although still containing a scent, Suncoat uses corn and soy-based ingredients. Actually, here they are: ethyl lactate (from corn fermentation), methyl soyate (from soya oil), vegetable glycerin, D-limonene (from orange)

That's it! The website claims that it is readily biodegradable (ummm, I'm not sure if the "readily" is a disclosure to indicate "where facilities exist" or a typo) and it obviously does not contain petroleum based products. With this remover, be prepared to use a bit more elbow grease than the chemical soup you're used to. I have found that a Q-tip dipped in and scrubbed on the nail works best.

2. Zoya nail polish: Zoya is free of the top four no-no's listed above and comes in cool funky colours! I bought mine at an Aveda Salon in 

Kelowna (pre-Aveda break-up). Unfortunately the Aveda Salon in Halifax looked at me like I was some crazy "eco" warrior when I asked why they carry OPI... Ok, so it still contains some sketchy chemicals (as it's not water-based) but it's a step above OPI (who rates a moderate hazard rating on Skin Deep btw). This nail polish looks great and lasts long enough for my toes to be happy. I am going to check out Suncoat's nail polish that contains around 70% water as ingredients... although I'm not sure how well they hold-up.

A little bit of painting... and VOILÀ! I have cutesy yogini eco-toes! Now just a little pre-cinnamon scrub (simple DIY recipe here) and they will be perfect. Although I admit it's weird to have a picture of my toes on the internet, but this is my view while hanging in ragdoll...

Urban Gardener Extraordinaire!

I just placed an order for my yummy yummy legumes!! I was originally going to check out big companies like "Seeds for Change" mentioned in the previous post, my dad (who laughed a bit at my urban garden excitement) informed me of a more local company: "Vesey's". He even made sure to mention that yes, I can even order ORGANIC seeds from them! Oh dad, you think I'm silly. Anyhoo, they are based out of P.E.I. and have been around for 70 years.

In my excitement I have ordered the following three types of veggies:

1. Organic Napoli Carrots. They DID have rainbow and even purple carrots (my favourite!) but not organic. So I have opted to go as "zen" as possible for our future outdoor space. Mmmm carrots. Also, dad informed me that in order to save carrot seeds you have to leave some in the ground over winter until they "flower" in the spring. And according to him, they start to reek pretty badly. I guess he knows this because he actually forgot some carrots in his garden one year... hah.

2. Oregon Organic Sugar Peas. Mmmm, I LOVE peas and it will be fun to grow them! (I hope). We have a netting across our entire balcony (so pretty, I know) so I'm kinda thinking of letting the peas grow like a trellis on the netting.... although I'm not too sure how heavy they might get or if the super might get a little annoyed with that. We will see.

3. GARLIC. We eat a lot of garlic and I read that Nova Scotia was a fantastic place to grow them. Sadly they do not carry any spring organic varieties, but I will probably buy the Fall version depending on how we do this summer as URBAN GARDENERS!!

This is the next step in our "eco" adventure and I am very happy that we can live in an urban environment and still grow our own food. Also, having a quiet peaceful space to sit and be still will be wonderful in the summer time. I miss being able to practice yoga outside, I used to practice on the dock on Lake Kalamalka in BC and it was beautiful.

Yoga in the park it will have to be!

Planning my Zen Space; Sans Plastic

(this post is for Fight Back Fridays Hosted by Food Renegade! WOO!)

Where are you Spring? After just celebrating Ostara (or the Vernal Equinox) I was very excited to begin organizing our balcony into an urban garden. Then it snowed. A lot. In any case, in my excitement (pre-snow) we went to Zellers to purchase some planters for our beautiful urban garden.

I'm not too sure on the stability of our balcony, so we stayed away from ceramic or terracotta pots and focused on cheaper, plastic pots. As I carried these plastic monstrosities to the cash I was overwhelmed by the smell of... chemicals. It was so strong that I actually wanted to cough a little. I started to think about all my beautiful carrots that I would grow in the soil, being held by this #5 plastic container, which smelled like chemical soup and would probably be leaching into the soil. And into my carrots. I dropped the container right at the cash (no surprise to the fiancé, I'm a compulsive picker-up and putter-down when it comes to shopping). Really, a plastic container defeats our purpose of having an urban garden. Sigh.

Fortunately, while perusing we found some bamboo pulp biodegradable 11" planters! They are light and sturdy and should last up to 5 years and when I'm done with them they can be composted! I have a small rice planter growing mint and it has held up very well over the past six months. So that was our solution and now we have pretty, light, relatively inexpensive planters that don't smell like death! YAY!

Bamboo pulp you say? Yes, they are made from bamboo pulp with supposedly no petroleum products and a non-toxic coating. Unfortunately I have tried to research this particular brand and have found nothing... sketchy. From what I know about how bamboo is processed into clothing fibers, I can assume that a lot of heat and energy goes into processing the pulp. Also, it was made in China and as I can't seem to find a website there really is no way to guarantee that it was produced in a safe, healthy environment for the workers, or where and how the bamboo was harvested.

There are other types of planters made with rice or coconut husks (coil) available, which would by-pass the entire bamboo issue, especially the cutting-down-rainforests-to-grow-bamboo issue. Enviroarc (bamboo) actually has a website that you can order products and see their "environmental" policy. Really it reads a bit like a facade, with no real third party certifications or accreditation processes. It also doesn't actually explain how their biodegradable planters are made.

I am happy to see a "greener" alternative to container gardening though, and will have to be pleased with my non-plastic, light-weight alternative. I will definitely continue searching to see if this is a viable environmentally alternative or simply more greenwashing...

In the meantime I will be planting some pretty stumpy carrots (hopefully some multicoloured ones!) and.... something else equally tasty! YES. Now I just have to find heirloom, non GMO seeds. Seeds of Change here I come!

I Heart Tap Water

Thanks to Theresa over at Pondering the Myriad of Things, I discovered that today is World Water Day. I think this is perfect timing as water and water rights seem to be gaining media attention lately. This week in Turkey the "World Water Forum" took place while hundreds of people protested. This organization claims to attempt to organize water privatization for municipal health when in reality any sort of water privatization is led by profit (as we saw in Bolivia).

In 2002 Canada was the ONLY country to vote against the United Nations resolutions on the human right to water stating: "Canada does not accept that there is a right to drinking water and sanitation" (http://www.canadians.org/water/documents/WWD/2009/WWDFS-0309-RTW.pdf)

The Council of Canadians has a fantastic website with factsheets and resources on Canada's current situation with water. Tap water in Canada is tested on average 20 000 times a year, as opposed to bottled water that has vague and ambiguous  policies (if any) regarding water testing. Take the tap water pledge and support water as a human right! Of course, clean water also directly ties into what chemicals we wash down the drain when we use body soap, shampoo, dish soap etc; as many of these chemicals are not able to be treated by our water treatment facilities and are being found in lakes and rivers across the country (Ecoholic by Adria Vasil, 2007).

Reading is great, but I also LOVE film. So here are two trailors, Tapped and F.L.O.W. both docs on water and bottled water. They seem thought provoking and interesting, I'm looking forward to watching them!

Our first "Food Box" Meal!

We received our first food box today- nicely brought right to our apartment door (someone must have let him in... creepy). Here is a picture of our first "food box" meal that we made and didn't hate!! YAY! Really, this is a major feat since we usually aren't adventurous cooks, spiral kraft dinner is TASTY. Alas, KD days are over and now we have begun our new journey into cooking with... kale.

This tasty lunch consisted of: free range eggs, organic kale, organic zucchini, organic oranges, butter, organic garlic, whole wheat bread, parmesan cheese and pepper. Honestly, it was kinda bland. But I ate the whole thing, so that counts as something!

The only disappointing aspect of this "food box" was that the majority of the foods weren't local, just organic. Lots of "Cal-farms" organics- which I know is a huge organic coorporation out in California, not that close to Nova Scotia at all. I'm assuming that in the summer we'll have more organic AND local produce. It feels weird to be ok with having oranges, since we usually avoid any fruits or vegetables that aren't from the Atlantic provinces (i.e. lemons, oranges, bananas, avocados) and have been trying to buy in season. We'll see how the next few months go. :)

Eating Local for Lazies... like Moi!

This post will be the first in this fantastic event hosted by 'Food Renegade' (wow that sounds so cool! I want to be one!) called Fight Back Fridays! I am all about being a Food Renegade and helping each other learn, grow and live healthy, one GMO free egg at a time.

The fiancé and I have been trying to fit local sustainable food into our budget since we lived in BC. Vernon didn't have a Saturday morning farmer's market (I KNOW, crazy eh?) so our goal when we moved to Halifax was take advantage of such an amazing source of local foods. We made it about, ummm, 4 times in seven months. We are lame. Really, I have the weirdest sleep needs (ten hours minimum) which I never get throughout the week and then crash on the weekend. Also: we are strange and both abhor crowds, which the farmer's market is PACKED into that beautiful, historic brewery.

For years now I have been interested in food baskets from local co-ops in all the cities I've lived. The problem is that I'm a HUGE picky eater, I mean bordering on annoying. This stems from digestive issues that have plagued me since my infancy. So it has actually taken years for me to be more open to trying new veggies and fruits, which I now am! YAY.

Halifax has an organization that offers the food box delivery service. "Home Grown Organics" is a locally owned business located in Halifax that delivers weekly, bi-weekly or monthly boxes of produce right to your door! They also use minimal warehouse storage space, striving to deliver the majority of their produce straight from the farmer to your home! They purchase produce from local farmers and as often as possible find organically grown produce first. The absolute kicker for me; you can actually list your favs and hates and they will do their absolute best to never give you your hates! Well, this means I never have to worry about figuring out who to give that ugly, gross tomato too! All for 30$ every two weeks, which is fantastic since we spend way more than 15$ a week on produce.

This Saturday the fiancé and I have taken a deep breath and made the order. We even paid full membership fee (one time 25$ fee) even though we didn't have to for our first order. No backing out. We ARE going to eat eggplant, zucchini and even... GASP... kale. We are going to figure out how to cook them into yummy delicious meals or meals that look yummy and eventually will also taste this way- after some experimentation of course. I was informed that each little rubbermade box (that we clean out and give back at the next delivery- less waste!) comes some fun new recipe print outs!

If you don't live in Halifax, but are interested in this "food box" dealy, check around! The four cities that I have lived in across Canada all had them (even Montreal!) it's just a matter of finding them and deciding if their practice fits your lifestyle :) Also, closely investigate the company that your selecting making sure they truly do purchase from local sustainable farmers and practice sustainable business (i.e. how far do they consider "local" and what do they consider "organic"?).

As spring approaches we'll still be going to the farmer's market when I wake up early enough to find local fun new foods and we may even cancel a few food boxes (which is totally easy and not a problem) but now we can feel good about where our produce came from! A first step in becoming Food Renegade Yogis!

My moment during Savasana

"Having Acceptance does not mean I have to give up Hope"- Dr. Shawn Jennings, commenting on living with "Locked In" Syndrome.

The fiancé and I went to see a screening of "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon)- a doc film about the editor of Elle Magazine in France and his amazing journey after having a very rare type of brainstem stroke leaving in cognitively fine but completely paralyzed. The movie was phenomenal, touching, passionate and if anyone works with the disabled or has a relative who is living with a stroke, this movie is a must.

Anyhoo: afterwards, a local doctor who had also suffered the same rare stroke 9 years ago presented on an ethics panel about his experience. The most powerful thing he said was about Hope vs False Hope. It was beautiful. Here are a few of my acceptances and hopes:

I accept that I will never be gumby, but I hope to continue my growth as a yogini and increase my flexibility.

I accept that I will always be a tense and type A person, but I hope my yoga practice will continue to bring me stability and peace

I accept that I will always struggle with savasana and meditation, but I hope to continue to practice redirecting my thoughts and mind to my breath

I accept that I am sensitive and passionate, but I hope to continue to grow and find balance and LET GO.

I accept that I am growing older, but I hope to gain wisdom and inner beauty every day.

I accept that I will never be a famous singer songwriter, but I hope to have music be a part of my life forever.

I accept that not everyone views the world the way I do, but I hope to learn from others.

I accept that there are so many things that I cannot change, but I hope to make a difference.

Namaste

Toothbrush, Toothbrush rolley polley Toothbrush

I am so excited!! I have found a new toothbrush, no wait, THE toothbrush! WOOP! No really. This post is about toothbrushes. 

Recently, after reading a little bitty about what really happens to our plastic when we recycle, I started feeling less phenomenally awesome about myself for simply recycling and wanting to "up" the green-o-meter. Continuing to buy "virgin" plastic and recycling it just isn't gonna cut it anymore.

I haven't really felt a HUGE gap in "eco" availability (except produce) since our move from BC to Halifax, in fact recycling and composting is much easier here. One of the few things I have been missing is my "eco" toothbrush I had in BC which I LOVED. 

As a complete off shoot- careful about those Canadian 

counterfeit toothbrushes out there!! LOL, crazy Canadians counterfeiting toothbrushes! So evil...

First- who cares about toothbrushes really? I mean, how much waste could using a small itty bitty toothbrush bring? Well- since most of us want clean sparkly teeth, a toothbrush is something close to an essential for almost all North Americans. Factor in that dentists recommend we buy new brushes every three months, that's 4 toothbrushes a year for each person. Ok, so I confess to using my toothbrush past what's sanitary... but that has more to do with lazyness (i.e. Divacup) than the environment. Regular toothbrushes are made with virgin plastic and nylon bristles and are not recycling bin worthy. Stats are kinda wonky out there regarding exact amount- but a couple places quote 50 million TONS of toothbrushes are thrown into the landfill each year by Americans. Really, with their population that's not a surprising number.

Cutting out a toothbrush just isn't really an option for me, but all the "eco" friendly toothbrushes I have seen around Halifax/Yarmouth area just haven't cut it- the bristles look hard, the brush shape looks wonky- I have receding gums, I need to be careful!

Then... one fateful day at Pete's Frootique (yes, non-Haligonians out there, Halifax has a really cool store called Pete's Frootique; Pete is an actual person and yes, he sells fruits), my fiancé and I ventured into the "health" section. I spend a lot of time ready to sift and disregard most products there (greenwashing abounds at Pete's), but there, sitting so quietly were PRESERVE TOOTHBRUSHES!!! YAY!!!! I actually jumped up and down, said "Yay!!!!" and flapped my hands in excitement. The fiancé laughed for a minute than shushed me. However, as soon as I saw the toothbrushes I also 

noticed... GASP... THE RAZORS!!!!! OMG. I almost peed my pants. I had no IDEA they also sold razors!!!!

Why I love Preserve:

Their toothbrushes are made from recycled, post-consumer plastic.

Packaging includes a case that is also made from recycled plastic and can be used as a carrying case (it has breather holes at the top) AND be used to:

Mail your toothbrush back to preserve- POSTAGE PAID. sigh. I love postage paid.

The plastic is BPA free and their products are not tested on animals.

They have information on their site on their recycling process and have calculated how the carbon emissions used to ship toothbrushes back to the company are less than the environmental impact of sending it to the landfill.

The paper info is also made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

Also- they come in pretty colours (I like shiny things..)

Their curved handle is ergonomical for improved reach

The bristles (although virgin nylon- good for health, not so great for "greenness") come in extra soft- which one of my dentists complained should be the ONLY option available.

I bought one- and it is beautifully purple. The handle takes a few days to get used to, but what do ya know- the curved handle DOES make it easier to reach! YAY less carpal tunnel!

So- Pete's Frootique sells them, the fiancé thinks for around 4$, or one from the site for 2.79$ US. 

So I wrote so much about the toothbrush, that really I don't have a lot of room for the razor. BUT- needless to say the plastic info is the same and it is triple razor that are easily replaced (unfortunately the blades are not eco friendly). I have briefly tried it for my armpits... and it's not really as awesome as my old venus razor... but the Earth is worth it.

Blessings!

Yogaphiles...

This past post made me think about how we all have different tastes and styles of yoga and how we all believe that our style is perfect (which it IS for us!). 

This is why I completely disagree with Bikram's comment on how North America has ruined yoga with introducing various styles (see the previous link to his interview in the Chicago Times). Having the freedom to choose a yoga that works best for me has been a wonderful experience overall. As someone who isn't very strong or bendy and is Type A (relaxing is hard!) finding a studio that I can justify paying the class prices has been tricky to say the least. But then, what's the harm of shopping around? It's just a yoga class, and if I don't like it I can simply try the next.

Let me quickly share my first experience at the "Yoga Loft" late last August. The instructor has won "Best Yoga Instructor" in Halifax a zillion times in a row, he has a PhD in Political Philosophy and the class we attended was a level 2 with specific indications that modifications for all abilities were given. His classes aren't restricted to a "style" but simply named "Yoga with R". I was excited to see why so many people in Halifax LOVE this instructor. We had just moved from BC where I had two years of other traumatizing yoga experiences and had been practicing at home. 

Well, he definitely didn't let me down on the new "yoga" experience! Although filled with different ways of using props (chairs etc) and new sequences that were interesting, a lot of the class submitted to a more "militaristic" style of instruction. At one point he stood at the back of the class and said: "You in the front, I said bring your chair closer!". By the end I was almost giggling to myself, his style was so akin to being back in Grad class at McGill with the prof informing us how to learn. I was ready to believe he was having a bad day- yoga teachers are just human after all.

The last part of the class "R" began to guide us through a more interesting shoulder opener using metal folding chairs. He indicated that our legs should be over the top of the chair, with our backs on the seat and our shoulders on the ground. Now I don't like shoulderstand all by itself, it makes me feel anxious- so add a flimsy metal chair and I was a little nervous. I gave it a try- cuz you know, maybe it wouldn't be that bad. When I immediately began to hyperventilate, I quietly moved out of the pose and asked him if there was a modification I could do. This is the conversation that echoed in the quiet class:

Lisa: "Is there a modification I could do?"

R: "why?"

Lisa: "I just don't want to do this pose"

R: "why don't you want to do the pose?"

Lisa: "Well, because I'm afraid, honestly"

R: "there is no modification for fear, you either do the pose or you don't"- cue turning away from student.

WTF? Ok. So I tried again, actually had tears come to my eyes this time and glanced over to my side. A woman who didn't have a chair had been set up by R with a few blocks under her mat and was doing the modification for the pose.... So we switched- she balanced precariously on the chair and I did the modification.

I have no idea if R was having a bad day or what, but he is extremely popular in Halifax. So, it must be personal preference on what people are looking for with yoga. I have only been back to that studio once though and not with R.

Now I do believe that "hot yoga" can be beneficial for many people- but it is also more extreme than other styles and does have more potential for injury and dehydration, especially as it's probably one of THE trendiest styles of yoga. Although not everyone does "hot yoga" just because of the media attention, trends tend to attract more people who may be less informed than other styles of yoga. Also, this is an "eco" blog; and well, despite all the green measures Moksha studio took to help lessen their environmental impact, the reality is that "hot yoga" is definitely on the lower end of being green.

Does anyone else have specific styles of yoga they prefer? Have you switched throughout your yoga journey? (I know I have!) Please leave a comment! :)

Blessings!

Sweatifying My Practice

I went to my first "Hot yoga" class last Sunday. I have been avoiding any sort of "hot yoga" classes for a variety of reasons and finally decided to see for myself what all the hoopla was about. The studio I went to in Halifax- Moksha, is not a Bikram trained studio but a chain of "hot yoga" studios.

The concept of "hot yoga" was popularized by Bikram Choudhury; a four time champion of the National India Yoga Contest and a marathon runner (I know! Isn't he DREAMY???). Bikram patented his 26 postures and all intructors must complete an intensive two month certification process through his Yoga College of India (in LA). This link will allow you to read an interview with Bikram from the Chicago times which reveals what he thinks of the North American yoga industry among other things.

I was a little nervous that the Moksha's instructors were not as intensely trained and that the classes weren't clearly defined (other than the general run-down of types of poses). In any case, I got my gaggle of stuff ready (not used to bringing a towel!) and opened myself to the experience. 

It was interesting and expensive. The priciest class in the city and entering their studio I could see why- tiled floors, showers, washer/dryer, bathrooms and cork flooring in the studio itself. I felt wayyy out of my league there. The atmosphere was a bit more like a gym; the students didn't really talk to each other while getting ready and the studio itself had a "silence" rule.

I thought I was prepared for the heat- but I so wasn't! I found it hard to breathe, kinda like those summers in the Okanagan where it was sooo hot and dry the air felt heavy and thick. Pranayama is extremely important for me, I LOVE my Ujiai breath, helping my mind to focus on the movements of my body and keeping my core energy active and heated. I quickly discovered that this would be impossible in the heated class, as simply breathing was challenging and my body did NOT want to get any warmer. Throughout the class my focus was on trying not to overstretch and damage my "non-gumby" muscles; something that can happen so easily when your body is warmed up not through postures but from temperature. 

At the end of the class the instructor asked us to stay in savasana (laying in my pools of my sweat that actually just kept growing) and to leave quietly when we felt ready. It was strange not to be able to sit and meditate for a few minutes at the end (sans sweat). Throughout the class I kept glancing at the crazy room heat gages and wondering just how much energy was being used to keep that room heated. I guess they use radiant heating panels that can often cut energy consumptions by up to 40%... but how much is the 60% using compared to a regular studio?

Final conclusions: Although very detoxifying in that I probably sweat out the entire 98% water modecules, I felt more like I was practicing yoga in a heat wave; you know on the pave when you can actually SEE the waves of heat radiating up? In this hazy presence I didn't get the same kind of focus I generally get in my other classes, my mind wasn't thinking of my body or the postures, it was thinking of the heat. I have also pulled my achilles tendon while practicing in the Okanagan summer so I know very well what can happen if you try a pose your body is just not quite ready to attempt. In non-heated classes the postures are set-up so that our bodies are gradually prepared and strengthened, instead of the immediate opening a heated room gives. I know too many physiotherapists who would tisk tisk this "hot yoga" sillyness.

I would say that yoga in the park during summertime, surrouding by trees, birds, the smell of the ocean and the little ants crawling on my mat is more green "hot yoga" than in a tiny, energy sucking heated room. Yoga in the park is my goal for the summer! :)

Blessings!

Lush...ful Chemicals?

Oh Lush... this post has been a long time coming. During my "eco" journey, an essential change that I vowed to put into place immediately was my sudsy/soapy care. The first chapter in "Ecoholic" by Adria Vasil is on beauty and OMG the chemical soup that we/I was putting into my skin! For a more indepth peek into the wonderful world of toxic cosmetics see my post here.

After the my heart wrenching break up with Aveda, I thought- but SURELY Lush has been honest and true. I mean- unlike quiet little claims from companies like the Body Shop, Lush spends their entire time shouting "BUY ME BECAUSE I AM ECO-FRIENDLY", or "WE ARE BETTER, BETTER, ECO-ER". Walking into their store their friendly employees gush about how green their products are and how this justifies the ridiculously high prices. 

So let's take a step back from the employee/companies claims (since really they want you to buy their product, unbiased they are not) and have a quick summary.

Granola Points:

- Lush prides itself on providing it's customers with hand-made products; they even have pictures of the person who made your face cream on the bottle! In Canada they are made in Vancouver and 

Toronto. 

- They sell their products with minimal packaging. When you buy soap, bath bomb, bath melt etc they are as is, or cut off a ginormous slab. Although I've never tried, I'm sure they would be fine with placing my new product in my own container that I brought.

- They try to have paper packaging made with post-consumer paper and are looking into biodegradable plastic (more on biodegradable plastics later- let's just say you wouldn't be able to just toss it into your compost).

- Their ingredients are listed right there in the store- and if I squint I can read them. They also have their ingredients on their websites and they're colour coded... I like colour coded things...

Sneaky Sneaky-ness:

- Although "hand-made" soap is great, truly I can get hand-made soap/bath bombs/melts that are made a LOT closer than Toronto and they are cheaper too!

- Ingredients... this is where they totally crash and burn for me. They have recently tried to phase out all SLS from their products, a quick read through their product ingredient list and it's actually really hard to find a product that's "clean". You've gotta be kidding me, I'm spending all this money on something that STILL has nasty chemicals? Don't believe me? Let's take a quick look at my personal fav's (green is natural, black is "safe synthetic"):

Mmmmm Bath Melt:

Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Fair Trade Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Laureth 4, Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis),Water (Aqua), Chamomile Powder (Anthemis nobilis),Marshmallow Powder (Althaea officinalis), Marigold Powder (Tagetes erecta), Synthetic Musk, *Benzyl Benzoate, Perfume, D&C Red No. 33,. 

So quickly I can see Laureth 4; which is a safe surfactant- yay! Then we move along to "synthetic musk" and "perfume" and some dyes. Now these last three I'm not so excited about. Perfume often hides scariness like formeldahyde or hormone disrupting chemicals. They could have simply used more essential oils, what was the point of putting in dyes and "perfume"?

There best seller: Dream Cream (face cream)

Oat Milk (Avena sativa), Rose Water (Rosa centifolia), Olive Oil (Olea europaea), Fair Trade Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Tincture of Benzoin (Styrax benzoin), Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia), Chamomile Oil (Anthemis nobilis), Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia), Lavender Oil (Lavandula hybrida),Cetearyl Alcohol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume,Methylparaben, Propylparaben,. 

Oh dear. Now this is a disaster- perfume and parabens. Parabens as we know accelerate absorption of chemicals into the skin (which is why it's so great for moisturizers) quick quick chemicals, get into my blood stream! Now Triethanolamine has been deemed safe to use in BRIEF usage where it is quickly rinsed off the skin, or in concentrations below 5%. I am assuming here it's below 5%... but then why would they even bother?

That's just two- I would encourage you to check out your fav's to see just what is in them! Any chemicals that you can't pronounce- cut and paste cosmeticsinfo.org. 

I guess my little opinion is; Lush is a huge company which spends a lot of their time telling us how important the environment and our health is to them. We pay a lot of money for their smelly products. So why do they continue to use these chemicals in their products when numerous other companies (i.e. Green Beaver, Druide, Avalon etc) don't seem to need them? Under their explanation of why they use the "safe" synthetic ingredients they claim the need to increase shelf-life with SOME sort of preservative. Well obviously they need to last silly Lisa.... So I guess Green Beaver's products are probably molding as I type? 

My resolve is that what goes into my body matters, and I am not going half-way on this. My apologies to all you Lush loving yogi/ni's out there...