How Yoga is like Guerrilla Gardening

Guerrilla Yoga and Guerrilla Gardening. There is definitely a connection.

 (a purple finch in the city, hanging out next to green plastic....)

We have FOUND our apartment... our next 'forever-city-rental' home. On Sunday evening, after a weekend from... well- ya know, on the verge of simply going for the 'good enough' apartment, something magical happened. The Kijiji-Genie updated to show an apartment in the South End, for July 1st, under 1000$. Not to be mislead by wondrous pictures, I ordered Andrew to *STOP* cooking (yes, Andrew loves to cook) and we booted it over.  


The friendly current tenant told me I would crap my pants... and she was right. 14 foot ceilings, crown molding, circle dealy on the ceiling, original hardwood floor, original (blocked off) fireplace... extra 300 sq feet of living... Oh my. I have been dreaming of just how many yogi-friends we'll be able to fit in our apartment for our weekly Yogaglo friend yoga.

The catch? You guessed it; no balcony. No green-outdoor space whatsoever. And my strawberries have actually re-appeared in the pot (I guess when they say perennial, they meant it!) and I JUST planted my organic broccoli seeds.

As we just chatted about, I have come to realize that gardening in the city is an essential and necessary aspect of reconnecting our Selves to community and assuring Nature's place in our urban lives. 

Well crap, guess I gotta rethink my List. 

My Strawberry plants actually flowering!

Let's chat about Guerrilla Gardening. Like Yoga, Guerrilla Gardening is a non-violent means of encouraging beauty and Life. Guerrilla Gardeners have been known to plant on street corners, in abandoned parking lots, unused areas in public gardens or abandoned garden beds. 

In concrete, desolate spaces, a few choice seeds, organic matter and soil mushed together in the form of a 'seed bomb' can explode into a cacophony of petals, pollen and Life. Tiny living plant-forms push up as they root down, the tadasana of Life, taking hold and opening up amongst the cement. 

soon to be adopted Broccoli (really, they're under the dirt!) 

Guerrilla Yoga really is about spreading our practice, our Yoga (usually in the form of asana, but could be all other limbs and facets) to new and open spaces. By practicing together, surrounded by Life and community we are quietly and firmly rejoicing and growing. Our Yoga in the Parks (thanks to Climate Change) have been occurring much earlier this year and I am so excited to continue a practice of community and growth.

But what about the garden??? Unfortunately, after attending a local talk on Urban Gardening (Edible City), we found out that community plots are basically all taken, so that's out. Here are a few of my ideas so far, as obviously I am not giving up my Nurturing Garden in the City just yet.

1. Plant my radishes and lettuce now and harvest the heck out of them while I can... they'll grow pretty fast and will be ready before we move.
2.  Adopt out my plants to my parents (who are planning on building a hot house) and Funemployment DIY friends Jen and Chris, who have much greener thumbs than us anyways. They also have a balcony and will be our neighbours! So sharing might happen (hint hint...mmm basil pesto).
3. Ask the landlady if there is a spot for our container garden, somewhere...
4. Station our planters near the side of the building and plant in them anyways... and see what happens (probably cats will pee in them.. but whatever).
5. 'Guerrilla' garden in small areas around the building and hope no one notices.
6. Try growing stuff inside...I think the rads have shelves, but they might get a little warm. We'll have all our indoor plants inside anyway, why couldn't lettuce grow inside too?? (lol, a sign of how little I know about gardening).
7. Donate my seeds to local community gardens.

Any ideas on some possible urban garden-portunities? How are your Guerrilla Yoga (and Gardening) practices going?


Blessings!

article and photograph by EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

The 'Grassroots' of Urban Gardening

This post is part of The Coil, Hosted by A Green Spell for the Scorpio Full Moon. Please go on over and check out the lovely posts!

One of my favourite things about my banner, is my attempts to capture the disconnect between 'EcoYogini', Yoga, Environment and the city. Having grown up in the sticks, surrounded by ocean, trees and woods any city seems like a big slab of concrete with stinky smog. (tugboats at the warf! Theodore was just around the corner, srsly)

 eatin' icecream and being all 'I love ocean-y' while I looked at our beautiful oil refinery across the harbour... 

I say this even as I adored living in Montreal and I love living in Halifax. As our population moves to the city, I strongly believe that our disconnect as a community and to our Earth is a direct result. We live in our tiny boxes, little cubes of lives and no matter how many parks or trees that live cornered into their designated 'green space' it's a much more controlled, regulated process. Nothing like Nature's chaos, wildness or Strength. We view these little flower beds and trees as being 'permitted' to be there as opposed to having that right to space.

 Monsieur Homard with a terrible paint job- obviously he was attempting tree

This is the reason why I feel Urban Gardening is so essential to healing our community and how we treat our Earth. As Dr. Jay points out (in the comments!) city living actually decreases dependence on oil, gas and cars (sadly, Halifax is still a car-dependent city). What we're missing from our city centre is that connection to Earth and Nature. We still haven't found the balance.

Yes, decreasing mileage on our food, growing local and without pesticides is important and a great result of urban gardening, but it doesn't resonate with me as much as the cultural subtleties.

 A nice example of my fav aspect of Halifax- the cute shingled houses

Gardening is a direct way to view how our efforts and the way we treat soil can have a direct effect on our health. It's a bit more disconcerting, trying to eat something we've sprayed ourselves with chemicals and how much more appealing it is to use organic methods. How wonderful it is to care and nurture our food from a tiny seedling. 

How curious, a concrete empty building, like a city without Gardens...

There's been a lot of thought as to how we view our public spaces and how converting more and more unused city space for urban and community gardens is the way to go. Instead of growing small plots of pesticide-rich, water gulping, not really functional grass (I mean, who really just hangs out on their front lawn anyways?) why not grow a beautiful 'potager' garden. You know, growing pretty edible things.


Many cities are fighting for more community gardens, land shares, roof top garden spaces than ever. I find it fascinating to consider how such a grassroots experience can create social ripples in how we urbanites view our surroundings. The more people realize they can urban garden, the more they will appreciate and care for the land space, spreading the word to convince others and creating a cultural shift. 

After you've begun growing in the city, it feels inherently wrong to drive exhaust spewing cars past other edible gardens. Each concrete abandoned lot is seen as such a colossal waste. We start to see how plants and vegetables have a *right* to be in our concrete jungle. We start to consider them a necessary part of urban living. Which will result in different uses of taxes, of public spaces, of how we treat our public spaces.


The ultimate form of non-violent urban food protest: 'Guerrilla Gardening is a direct response to the neglect and under-use of public spaces. It is a form of nonviolent, direct action focusing on taking over abandoned public or private lands, to plant crops or other vegetation...' (Halifax Garden Network)


Who can be upset over eggplants and lettuce being grown in a space that was neglected and forlorn in the first place? For more info on Halifax Guerrilla Gardening, or to join their group go to nature_graffiti@googlegroups.com. Not in Halifax? Do a quick search, ask local urban gardeners and community gardeners... you'd be surprised how much it may be a part of your city.

 Squint! See the purple 'yoga'? Look up- Alexander Keith's Brewery, 108Yoga Studio and current Farmer's Market Location... très Maritimes

Coming up... how all this results in a contingency plan for our balcony garden. Being flexible in the non-asana sense...

(ps- Photographs for Bob Weisenberg, who on twitter asked if I really was surrounded by water here in Halifax. Thought I'd take some 'tourist-y' photos for him :) ).

article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com 

Apartment Hunting à la 'Eco'

Apartment hunting. It's such a non-fun experience. After two years in our tiny, 540 square foot apartment, Andrew and I have decided to bail ship. To another ship! Actually, two years is my record for one spot (other than my parents). I moved twice a year all through my undergrad (to and back, residence then apartment) and twice in the two years I lived in Montreal, followed by six times while we lived in BC (in two years).

I was ready to stop moving.

However, it is time. Although I am a firm believer that we westerners claim too much space for our homes, 540 sq.feet is a bit much.

You know what the funny part is, my priorities for our new space. You'd think cost would be number one (well it IS a limiting factor hah). Here is my list:

1. Balcony so we'll be able to 'move' our urban garden (which we are planting this weekend!). Also, if the balcony isn't south facing that will be another red tick. As long as it can support my container garden,  I don't care what it looks like.
2. Building has organics and recycling bins readily accessible. Now this *shouldn't* even be here, since it's illegal NOT to compost or recycle in the city... but lots of places simply ignore the provincial law. It's great.
3. Is within walking distance from my work and other stuff, like the grocery store (or farmers market would be even better!). This is also a combo of I can't afford downtown parking at my work... but really I actually *like* walking (weird, I know!). 
4. Has a place to store my new bicycle. Cuz right now it's hanging out in our living room.
5. Hardwood or laminate 'lick and stick' flooring. I really don't want carpet, with all the chemicals in the glue and the energy that will be required to clean it. I like my broom. It works and doesn't plug in.
6. Lots of light so I can keep growing my indoor plants.
7. A dishwasher, since it uses less water than washing by hand (which we currently do).

Yep, those are my priorities. Thankfully I think they're Andrew's as well. I expected him to scoff (I have no idea why) at my comments that no space for an urban garden would be a deal breaker. Except he's been bringing it up. We saw one space that I seriously considered even though the actual space itself was terrible... because it had TWO raised beds in the backyard that we could use and a place for a clothesline.

I keep getting this feeling that other people aren't THAT concerned about these things while apartment hunting (except my few 'eco' friends here in the city).
You would think that with all the movement from three universities in the city would make for lots of availability. When most regular sized places go for 1100, 1200$ it makes for a stressful search. Especially since our apartment is already claimed for July... lol.

What about you, my 'eco' bloggy friends? Have you an 'essentials' green list for your new apartment or spaces?

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com 

Today I focused on so much more than Earth Day

On this Earth Day I practiced Yin Yoga, and actually enjoyed it. I almost didn't write a post about Earth Day today. Honestly, I think there is way too much greenwashing ridiculousness going on with marketing (ahem, RW&Co's free 'biodegradable' water bottles that aren't actually 'biodegradable'). Sharon Astyk's rant on the topic basically fits my thought process. Also, her response is fantastic (specifically:
''...Greenwashing Isn't Just for Corporations
The central message of most Earth Day celebrations is that if we all do a little, we'll make the world a better place. But the fact is that that's not true, and as much as we like to hear such a friendly, fuzzy message, we can't make it factual just by wanting it to be true. The blunt reality is that unless we all do an awful lot, very fast, we're facing disaster...''  (Sharon Astyk, April 22nd 2010)

Please read both articles, Why I Hate Earth Day, and Why I Hate Earth Day II there is no bs-ing there... and she's right)

So my first reaction is to avoid the entire topic.

However, I did celebrate Earth Day today... I realized tonight that I did something differently than my usual days.

This morning, my sleep fogged brain was warmed by the beautiful sunlight through our windows. I spent a quiet moment being thankful that there were trees budding and Spring arriving. During my walk to meet my walk buddy, H., each flower budding seemed to pop, instilling that 'We are connected!' mantra I try to remember and often forget.

Tree leaf buds, flowers ready to burst open, completely invaded my perceptions on my walk home. My conversation with Andrew was continuously interrupted by my need to point out the tiny leaf buds about ready to unfurl on each tree, how some trees had delicate yellow flower-type buds. I quietly opened my heart and felt grateful for each small flower, green green grass and vibrant Life that enveloped us.

My Yin Yoga practice, usually so difficult, was strangely a perfect fit for my introspective day. Instead of filling it with consumerism, marketing or depressing contemplation on what I *should* be doing, I spent time reconnecting with *why* our Planet is so important to save in the first place.

Today, on Earth Day, I took time to notice and love the sunset on the water, the smell of the ocean in the air, the powerful and awe-inspiring Maritime Wind; as if the Goddess Herself was reminding us of Her presence.

Today I remember how fragile She really is, how precariously we sit on the balance of complete loss, and how very MUCH I need our Earth to survive Us.

Blessings and Happy Earth Day


article copyright (except quote from Sharon Astyk; Casaubon's Book) of EcoYogini at Ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Yogurt Making Sans Plastic: DIY!

You know how I had said earlier that I wanted to learn how to make my own yogurt, cuz I hate the #5 plastic containers?

Well, here's one instance where I'm really glad that I created an email for this blog... because a wonderful reader, Theresa, sent me an email with her awesome recipe! Also, Jen at Funemployment DIY had recently made some yogurt with success, so I felt emboldened. Also, I know that Yoga Spy has asked previously about how to have yogurt sans plastic... so maybe there are others :)

(ps, head on over there, she's having a really cool bloggy giveaway!! go enter!)

First- preface: I am not really a fan of yogurt... even flavoured yogurt. The texture always made me nauseous and well, it's not so great on my digestive system. However, who knew that walking 70-80 minutes a day (to and from work) and keeping up a regular yoga practice would result in weight loss. Which, if you know me isn't a good thing. At all. I also am not a fan of breakfast (due to digestive issues) but since it's the only meal I can reasonably increase, I started eating yogurt and homemade granola. A lot.

Now I have accustomed myself to regular-fruity yogurt. How I thought I'd be alright with homemade I have no idea. (there's some foreshadowing for you!).

Anyhoo, Theresa was so kind to not only send me her recipe, but it's a SLOW COOKER recipe. Ouuuuu! This means low maintenance. It does take longer in some ways than regular recipes (or what Mr. Alton Brown from Good Eats did- don't know who that is?? Seriously best cooking show ever), but it requires less babysitting. 

Theresa's Slow Cooker Yogurt Recipe

Yogurt creation:
- 2L of homogenized milk (organic would be best, less chemicals and hormones added to the milk. And yes Homogenized is best since the yogurt needs that much fat, not 1 or 2% but 3.25%)
- half cup of plain yogurt with active live cultures (make sure to check for the active live cultures part- it's the source of those yummy bacteria!)
- probe thermometer (my addition... if you don't have one follow the times)

Post Yogurt creation:
Frozen fruit (local farmers market may have some local frozen fruit)

Maple Syrup or honey

Vanilla extract (I forgot to use this) 
Chia seeds (optional.. I forgot these too)

1. Pour the milk into slow cooker, set to low for 2 and a half hours
2. Unplug slow cooker and let cool for 3 hours (or until milk has reached between 115 or 120F, bacteria dies above 120, optimal growing is between 115-120).
3. While the milk is cooling, take your yogurt starter out of the fridge so it can slowly reach room temperature.
4. Once the milk has reached optimum bacteria time, scoop out 2 cups of warm milk and slowly mix in the yogurt starter. 
5. Add the mix to the milk in the slow cooker and stir.
6. Cover the slow cooker with several blankets from top to bottom (seriously, several!) to keep the heat in, and let sit (unplugged) over night. 8-12 hours.
7. In the morning it should have thickened.
8. Scoop into jars or containers and place into the fridge where it should continue to thicken.

It made four jars worth (two mason jars and two washed 650grams yogurt containers). Which is a lot (for us). Theresa indicates that it should last two weeks. (poorly wrapped slow cooker)

She recommended scooping your amount of yogurt into the container-bowl, adding a bit of honey and a bunch of frozen fruit.

A few notes on the experience:

I LOVE that this is so low maintenance. We left the milk in the slow cooker and went apartment hunting- no worries! Unlike other methods where you kinda have to be there if it's cooking. 
Having a probe thermometer is actually pretty darn handy!

Thoughts for our next attempt:

• Confession, Andrew had to scoop out the yogurt in the morning cuz the visual sight of the weird texture was making me gag. I am a wimp.
• Our yogurt is now the weird consistency of a Yop, pretty runny. Most likely because: a) we probably waited too long to add the starter yogurt, b) we may not have wrapped it enough
• Ways we'll try next time to thicken it: a) using skim milk powder (which weirds me out, but we have some here) b) Theresa highly recommends using chia seeds and husks to help thicken their yogurt.
• Next time we are halving the recipe, we don't eat a lot of yogurt!

Final verdict: the yogurt itself, once I got past my weirdness with consistency, actually tastes really good! And I think the consistency was more an issue with us and less with the recipe. Especially when I put a bit of honey and a whole bunch of fruit and let it mingle for a few hours in the fridge pre-eating, it was YUM. (note the lady doing a yoga pose on the Liberté Yogurt... not Yoplait Asana... but pretty close!)


Also, it was extremely low cost and low labour... and no plastic!! YES.


Anyone have some yogurt-using recipes??


Article and photograph copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Sodium Borate sounds so much nicer than 'Borax'

Borax... ugh what an ugly name. Maybe because I'm a Speech Pathologist... or maybe because I love languages, but the 'sound' of a word affects me. It's so harsh, with that super harsh 'eh' (wish I had IPA symbols here lol). We've been watching Masterchef New Zealand (like a cross between Top Chef and a cooking-type Idol) and I had no idea that New Zealanders changed their 'eh' to 'ee' (like beater for 'better')... SO interesting! I love accents.

Anyhoo, back to Borax. Although not glamorous, we hear about it often in the green world as an eco-friendly cleaner. But what exactly IS it?

Borax is also known as sodium borate, a boron compound (mineral) and a salt of boric acid. It occurs in naturally evaporite deposits produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes (wiki). In this sense it can be mined (which isn't that wonderful when you think about mining methods) and it can also be synthetically produced.

Borax is a known respiratory and skin irritant and can be toxic if ingested.  Especially by cats and infants, can't let them munch on this stuff. At the same time, all info seems to be pointing at similar safety levels as salt and baking soda.

Now, of course it's better than using say, petrochemicals or hormone disrupting synthetic ingredients for cleaning, but what I wanted to know was is it safe to be dumped into our water ways? Since I can't seem to find anything in my usual sources (David Suzuki, Greenpeace, Grist, Ecoholic etc) I'm assuming it's probably pretty similar to flooding our ecosystem with any other natural compound... It's not like our lakes would love salt ocean water either.

Alrighty- so borax, despite it's scary as crap sounding name, seems to be a pretty decent eco-cleaner (if you have more info, please let me know!). I've heard it used for a ridiculous amount of things, from making laundry detergent to deterring ants (bugs HATE this stuff).

Why I bought it?

Well, although I know it's really unyogic of me, I am not really a proponent of 'catch release' when it comes to bugs (and well, mice- don't hate me!). Andrew was more the sort to trap a spider under clear container and leave it there for hours. But that was mostly because he was too chicken to smush it (he said it reared up at him and challenged him- mano a spidero...). In our relationship, when there is a bug Andrew calls me over and well, I get stuff done.

Back to borax, we have this silverfish problem here in Halifax. At my parents house we always had silverfish in the bathroom, they're harmless and grey and not that gross (ok, up close in this wiki article they kinda are). So I didn't worry about it. But Halifax has these weird mutant stripey, long antenna'd tan silverfish and they had invaded our entire place. NOT just the bathroom.

I read in Ecoholic (2006) that borax is great for silverfish. Even though I figured it was crap, I bought some anyways. In a pretty recycled paper box with vegetable based ink that said 'eco-pioneer' (yep, advertising so works on me, which is why I hate greenwashing) Sprinkled it around the baseboards where they seem to 'live' and....

It worked!! No more silverfish, EVER! YES! I didn't see any little 'bodies' (sorry guys) so I'm assuming that they just don't like the 'smell', or maybe they brought some back to their hive or whatever... like ants. Anyhoo, whatever the reason it is fantastically awesome. I even convinced my mom to use some... and wouldn't you know it works for her too!

The only downside- you have whitestuff around your baseboards... which looks kinda sketchy. Although it's probably safe to sweep it up now...
Also, if you have cats or small children, not really the safest idea.

Another use of borax that I have found wonderful is as a scrub-mechanism for the tub and sinks and tiles. Baking soda really doesn't cut it, but borax... sigh. Works like a charm :) Plus it's CHEAP.

There you have it, a very non-sexy post. Check out this list on Green Components on uses for borax! Since I now have 2 kilos of the stuff, I'll have to start using it more regularly (maybe I'll put it in a more easily accessible glass container...). What do you use Borax for?

Article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com 

Yogic responses to Eco-Backlash... beyond breathing

After leaving high school, I've really been mostly surrounding myself with healthy, supportive friends. It's really been a while since anyone has challenged my belief systems, or made me feel like some crazy naive hippie (note 'a while', used to happen ALL the time in Montreal). Funny how backlash works, and since backlash from other movements (notably Feminism) has been studied and well documented, it's much easier to recognize in the green-movement. 

An occasion of frustration occurred recently from a friend (not close). I think it's the 'sort of friends who think I'm so flaky leftist hippie' derision that strikes such a chord with my sensitive-meter. Like when they send me 'interesting links' about recent 'research' they have read, thinking that they are helping me wake up to the supposed mass delusion.



Yoga encourages us to let go of these emotional reactions. I really believe there are options to simply 'turning the other cheek' or breathing through the anger and quietly letting go. Our planet is a bit too important and I firmly believe that change will happen if our society no longer accepts this kind of backlash. 


This means an answer. And not an angry vatta-pitta response, but a calm and rational answer. Here's the latest 'interesting article': Organic Food Myths.


Yogic answers to Skeptics 'Myths' on Organic Food:
1. Buying organic food benefits small farmers and represents a blow to the big food corporations. Myth reply: Trader Joe's makes a lot of money, Organic food industry is a million dollar industry, anti-corporation has nothing to do with organic food, and starving children in Africa need Big Ag.

 Reality: I take issue with the entire premise of this 'myth'. My first response would be: 'that's not why I buy organic'. But if they really want to talk about Big Org (haha) there are some realities to keep in mind:
- Yes, there are some pretty large 'Organic' companies out there that make a lot of money. There are also quite a few smaller companies that are certified organic, and many farmers that practice organic farming but can't afford the pricey certification. I know the difference.
- Although buying organic from big companies might not be subverting the consumer culture, it IS sending a message about what consumers want in their food. Big Org may make money, but they use little to no pesticides... 

2. Organic foods are healthier to eat.

Myth reply: There is a lot of E.Coli in organic food, changing how you grow a plant doesn't change it's genetic makeup, basically there is no evidence to support this claim.
Sigh. It depends on what you see as 'healthier'. The E.Coli silliness is just that- skewed interpretations, e.coli occurs in lots of foods and unless I'm mistaken, Organic foods also have to pass through rigorous health inspections for food safety, which doesn't make them more dangerous (if we're using that as a point).
Although opinions are varied about the differences in genetic makeup of foods grown organically (having more vitamin B12 for example), there really hasn't been enough longitudinal studies on how long term exposure to pesticides will affect human health. 
According to parliamentary report, about 66% of pesticides used (by weight) are hormone disruptors, and according to the David Suzuki Foundation 58 pesticides used in Canada are banned in other countries because of their ties to cancer, reproductive disorders and acute toxicity (Ecoholic, A.Vasil 2006). The World Health Organization estimates that 200,000 people die every year from pesticide poisioning, which doesn't include all the animals in our eco-system.

But he says they've all been tested to be safe... except many pesticides were 'grandfathered' into being approved because they were already being used worldwide and in 2006 union leaders representing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists claimed that they were being pressured to gloss over testing and skip steps. Great. Although the Canadian Food Inspection Agency indicates that only 20% of residue is detected on washed produce, the World Wildlife Fund report that these methods are money saving and crude, and besides that's 20% too much (Ecoholic, A. Vasil 2006).

And yes, pesticide levels are extremely small, PER pesticide... but the standards were set (in Canada) in the 1970's and research on the dynamic interaction between multiple ingestion of pesticides (on average 12 per meal) is difficult to accomplish. The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment state that 90 to 100% of us have pesticides in our tissue (CAPE). I think I'll trust the research interpretations of medical professionals when it comes to my health thank you.

3. Organic growing methods are better for the environment.

Skeptic's answer: organic methods require 2x the acreage for the same crop and directly resulting in the destruction of undeveloped land. (and a bunch of irrational name calling ensues).


Lol, ok this is a bit ridiculous. Although Big Org. is by far a 'small farmer' industry, it's also still a drop in the bucket compared to Big Ag, so who's really destroying our 'rainforests'. Here's where knowing the difference between monocrop and polycrop farming matters. Monocrops (fields and fields of ONE produce) destroy and erode soil nutrients, resulting in the need for more pesticides and fertilizers per crop. 


Since most direct farmers don't make a lot of money, they are indebted to the FDA for loans and equipment specialized for one of two types of crops. Which means they can't switch to keep soil healthy. As a result, a vicious cycle begins where soil loses it's ability to grow, they add more synthetic fertilizers and pesticides or eat up more undeveloped land. 


Many organic farmers use a rotating crop method to help keep productivity as high as possible (since they can't rely on synthetic fertilizers) and put less harmful chemicals into the soil. Also, many smaller organic farmers don't use monocrops, but treat their farms as a holistic entity, improving soil fertility and ultimately productivity of their crops.


This does not, of course, provide a solution for our ultimate global food crisis. How are we going to be able to feed 9 billion people by 2050?


According to Jay Ingram (Daily Planet), perhaps we should rethink how much food waste we actually produce. North Americans throw away approximately half of all their food...

                                     (picture from Science Focus)
Finally, I would encourage many people to check out our Atlantic Ocean's wonderful dead zone. One of many around the world, miles of ocean are starved of oxygen due to nitrogen run-off from agricultural fertilizer practices. Sea creatures cannot live here... and it's not like water has some sort of invisible wall containing the chemical contamination.


Exhale. How was that for a calm, well thought out response? :)


I have a pretty firm list on how I prioritize my food choices:
- Local and Organic (or organic practices)
- Local
- Organic and not local

Choosing our foods using a holistic approach will better serve our planets and our bodies :) 


Blessings!


article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

The Coil; Yoga Binging and Flash Mobs

This post is part of The Coil's New Moon, hosted by A Green Spell. Go on over and check out the other lovely, fiery posts!

Yoga-binges... ever have them? I definitely go a little 'manic' on my practice every once in a while. It's a bit disconcerting, but suddenly I found myself (a few weeks ago) realizing that I had been yoga-binging for months. In March I was up to four yoga practices a week, organizing and emailing for coffee and yoga, and cleaning the studio. The result- a complete crash. Every time I thought about practicing for the past few weeks, any time I'd think about yoga in general actually, I had this 'ick' sinking gut feeling. 

So much negativity had slowly crept up and in tiny bits attached itself to my semantic concept of 'yoga'. Until these tiny black negativity goo almost completely covered all that was 'yoga' in my thoughts.

After a slight melt down I took the past few weeks 'off' relatively speaking. Only practicing smaller, shorter sequences a few times a week. I stopped proactively organizing coffee and yoga and actually picked up my guitar. The first time I sang since Yule season. Why did I stop? I am a SINGER more than a Yogini.

I haven't given you all an update on Coffee and Yoga, mostly because it has been a very difficult journey. Four months of ridiculous stalker like attempts at networking and trying to convince (ok, almost beg) yoga teachers to actually just meet with me (or even answer my emails and phone calls) had eroded away my sense of self-worth and even diminished my eventual dream of becoming a yoga teacher. 

The community here in Halifax has SO many walls, so much negativity between studios that it's so depressing just hearing the *things* so many studio owners have to say (at least the ones who agreed to chat with me). I gave up. It was SO demoralizing, I don't need that.

So, April 6th arrived, I took a deep breath and brought my little sign to JustUs!. I sat down and expected my very lovely and wonderful group of friends to show up, we'd chat about our lives and go home. Group finished.

I was so completely surprised when a lovely woman (that I didn't know!) walked upstairs and introduced herself as a reader of this blog! The beautiful, kind, supportive words she said were like balm on my soul. She was excited about the group, excited about yoga in the park and had such interesting experiences to contribute to our conversation. (thank you so much K!)

Also, Helen Fong, a local teacher (one of few who have been incredibly supportive of Coffee and Yoga), attended the group!

I left with an inkling that, alright, perhaps I should keep this going. We'll try another month (8 limbs of yoga!!).

I still wasn't convinced on the community, until tonight. 

It's the New Moon, time for courage, Fire, excitement and energy. Our group of regular yogis all decided it would be cool to 'yoga-crawl' and check out a new studio tonight. Surprisingly, the 7 of us all could go. So we carpooled and went to Dartmouth to check out Sunrise Yoga for Helen's Vinyasa Flow class. 

It was like we were flash-mobbing her yoga class, an entire gaggle of us showing up at once, all filling out the 'first timer' forms... It was fantastic. The studio was so warm and welcoming, the people so open. It was such an unbelievable change. Jack, the owner, actually came in and took pictures for the facebook group. Students chatted with each other prior to class... sigh.

My yoga-self has been renewed. I may be practicing more at home for a little while, but it won't be forever. Next week we're going for her Yin class and I'm actually looking very much forward to it!

My spring resolves to renew:

1. SING and play the guitar several times a week. It's a must. OH- and learn some new songs (any fun suggestions?)
2. casually organize a yoga-crawl with anyone who is interested. And be ok if no one really is. Maybe through twitter...
3. Start reading 'The Revenge of Gaia' along with other eco-books...
4. Make my own yogurt, cuz I'm tired of the wasteful #5 plastic.
5. Take moments to BREATHE and stop. Some quiet moments outside, sipping coffee and enjoying the space and energy around me.
6. Actually get excited about our wedding... crafting a special ceremony with Andrew just for us.
7. Practice yoga in solitude for shorter periods. A Green Spell was so right, I need to scale down to 20 minutes more often. 

did I say play music again? sigh. I feel so passionate and alive when I sing.

Some fun eco-posts coming up soon! :)

What are your New Moon energies telling you?

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Yoga and Food... and some Link Love!

Rachel (Suburban Yogini) and I have done a bloggy energy exchange! Go on over and check out my post on Yoga and Food... and my thoughts on eating sustainably, vegan and vegetarianism. Also, while you're there check out here awesome vegan chocolate cookie recipe (yum!).

Also, while I'm chatting about other blogs here are a few new (to me!) that I have found:

Bob Weisenberg, American Gypsy, Padre e Hijo (what does that mean Bob?): You may recognize Bob as the wonderful author of 'Yoga Demystified', but maybe you didn't quite realize that Bob has MAD SKILLZ with guitar playing. Seriously. I mean I would drool a bit just listening. Take a listen. I hope he blogs soon about the Yoga Flamenco connection!


Operation Beautiful: A wonderful and empowering site that offers healthy advice for eating and body image. This woman has spurred a Guerrilla Yoga-worthy movement of posting little 'love' post its anonymously, taking a photo and sending it to her site. Telling the readers that they are beautiful. I LOVE reading about the daily bits of spreading the self-worth and her site is FILLED with useful information about dieting, body image, eating disorders and self-esteem.

Mama-Om: I adore this woman's perspective of motherhood and life. She has such calm and insightful ways of viewing her role as a mother and parenthood. I'm not a mother yet, but I hope to take some of her wisdom with me into my journey (some day).

Eat The Damn Cake: I just discovered this space, with a mission to get women to talk about their issues around body image. LOVE. It's honest, open and perfect. It's about time we connect and support each other on this taboo topic of the scary disordered eating thoughts we have.


Yogic Dancer: A dancer and yogini, she recently completed a personal yoga challenge and her thoughts were interesting and motivational. Her recent posts for A Green Spell's The Coil (coming up btw!! check it out!) were honest and respectful.


One Green Generation: This space is a HUGE resource for all you would be gardeners out there. From seed saving to garden planning to Urban gardening, this site has it all. Not only that, but Melinda so often opens up the discussion BEYOND the easy 'plant this and that' to how to build a community, why being 'green' is difficult, cultural and social issues. I love reading her thoughts. Check out her latest 'Are we abnormal?' for a fantastic read on sustainability, culture and body image.


Life on the Balcony: alright, like Melinda's, not really a new space for me, but I've come back to it this spring season. This space is fantastic for tips on how to be an urban balcony gardener, from plants that go together, organizing a pretty flower pot to types of soil. Seriously, awesome resource.


Flandrum Hill: Amy-Lynn is a talented photographer and naturalist in Nova Scotia. Her pictures really capture why I love this province and she always has posts on things I would normally consider mundane... until she writes about them. She makes rural Nova Scotia the magical place it used to be while I was growing up.


Funemployment DIY: This is my friend Jen's space! She is a ridiculous crafter, baker and DIY-er eco-extraordinaire. Seriously, I wish I could make cool stuff like she does. In any case, during a month of unemployment, she has decided (in her wisdom) to have a FunEmployment Month of sustainably DIY-ness. From a cool coat-rack shelf dealy to a beautiful gift for her pregnant sister, I love reading about her adventures :)

Hope that was a fun blog-hop! :)

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Spring 2010 Bloggy Banner!

For a while now, every time I saw my banner I thought "Thank goodness there is no more snow!". Although a new banner was an obvious must, finding the time and inspiration to come up with a photo is a bit tricky.

Thankfully, today Andrew and I had the time to head on downtown for some coffee at JustUs! My original plan was to try to find pretty purple crocuses in the Public Gardens and take some pictures there. I wasn't 100% sure how we'd be able to "guerrilla Yoga" our way through it, since as you can see there are pretty strict rules for behaviour in the Halifax Public Gardens. I really don't see the point of having such a beautiful area if you can't enjoy it.

In any case, it was a moot point, since we got there and the gates were closed. Boo! So, right on the corner of Spring Garden and South Park (a pretty busy Haligonian street corner) I hopped up onto the ledge and tried a few postures. It was a bit sketchy, as it was windy and after going out last night my balance isn't the greatest. 

Ultimately, I like our final choice. Sitting in half lotus, hands at heart center, quietly observing the beautiful gardens. Kinda like what living in a city can feel like sometimes, wishing for more Nature while being surrounded by concrete, only experiencing our Earth from artificially constructed whims of the city's bureaucratic schedule. 

Within this I found a bit of peace, and let go my expectations of having a pretty flower photo, of exploring the Public Gardens with Andrew and enjoyed the moment.


Many Blessings and Happy Spring!


article and photos copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

The hidden carbon emissions of a yoga class

We've chatted about ways to greenify our yoga practice from the best eco-mat (rubber!) to sustainable gear. But we never really talked about how we GET to yoga class. Doesn't it feel a little hypocritical, with our local eco-yoga stuff, to drive down to class in our gas guzzling cars?

Unfortunately, walking to yoga in Halifax is a bit tricky- most studios are at least a 40 minute walk (closest) and although a small city, there is a lot of sketchy stuff that happens after dark here. Public transit is also catastrophically terrible, with evening buses that only run on the half hour... unreliably.

So maybe a quick drive isn't that big of a deal?

According to this site, a small car emits 0.59 lbs of carbon per passenger, per mile. Say I go to Breathing Space Halifax studio, 2.17 miles from my apartment, pretty close. Also, that I go to yoga class twice a week for three months... that's 61 lbs of carbon. Add Andrew and we double that number ***NB: I'm not sure WHY they state this...***

Also according to this source, a medium sized car emits approximately 1.1 lbs of carbon per passenger, per mile. For the same studio, same times that means 114lbs of carbon in three months only.

Think about what that means for a regular class of yoga and how much carbon just getting there that would represent. Per class. 

A solution?? A bicycle! My wonderful friends Kevin and Heather found me an amazing vintage bicycle that is PURPLE and in perfect condition. I love her (she's already named Veronica btw). All she needs is a basket and a lock, and say goodbye to driving to yoga class. 

Don't get me wrong, the thought of driving in this non-bicycle friendly city scares the poo out of me. I have decided, though, that at the many scary intersections we will simply get off our bikes and walk through on the cross walks.

Wouldn't it be amazing if yoga studios offered incentives for those students who chose alternate, greener, means of transportation to enjoy the yoga they offer? Here are some clever options to assure that the services enjoyed at your studio aren't helping the destruction of our already beleaguered air supply:

1. Have bicycle racks in front of your studio! Such a simple solution and I'm sure there would be cheap or used options available from the city. You never know, HRM may have some old or used options that they would sell for cheap.

2. Allow students to bring their bicycles inside the studio if you don't have a bike rack. Make this policy extremely public- send emails and have easily visible posters. I'm not going to ride my bike all the way to the studio and *hope* it will be alright.

3. Offer discounts for those yogis who arrive via green transportation. You could even have a sliding scale- a certain percentage for public transit and higher for bicycle or walking. Since we're all tight for money, the discount could be to encourage yogis to go above and beyond carpooling. It's time we did more.

4. Another option, give out punch cards (or keep track on your computer system) for green transportation- after so many the student gets a free class or a discount.

5. Be PROACTIVE with spreading the word. Have posters, talk to your students about this, many students may not necessarily peruse your website or read your newsletter.

6. Yoga for cyclists and yoga for walkers-runners classes... with the prerequisite that students arrive to class via that mode of transportation.

Although there are challenges, our Yoga practice can help us connect with our planet and our community. (don't I look dorky with my biking helmet?? hehe)

 

Blessings and Happy Weekend!

article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Regularization of Yoga: Guest Post from Suburban Yogini!

Rachel, from Suburban Yogini, is a beautiful and vibrant Soul. She kindly offered to write a guest post for me and I love her chosen topic: Teacher Training in the UK. As I have been considering embarking on that journey, I am honestly jealous of the time frame required for certification. 2.5 years- wow, the opportunities and level of experience. With this post, Rachel offers a nice perspective from beautiful Cambridge England, on what it might be like should Yogis in North America simply 'chill out' (my words). Thank you so much Rachel! (Don't you LOVE her Red Hair?? Gorgeous!)

Embarking upon yoga teacher training in the UK isn’t an easy option.  It’s not just something you can do in a few months to add another string to your bow, it is a huge commitment of both time and lifestyle.  It can be up to 2.5 years of arduous training, essay writing and anatomy tests usually combined, for most of us, with a full time job because that’s the only way we can afford to pay the £2,500 that the training certification costs!  On top of that you have to have been practicing, with an accredited teacher, for at least two years and it is preferred if you have done the twelve month Foundation Course first. 

There is a reason for all this – yoga teaching certification is overseen by the governing body of yoga in the UK, The British Wheel of Yoga (BWY).  And this brings us nicely onto the thorny subject of regularising yoga certification.

In the UK we have governing bodies for pretty much everything.  It’s not as bad as you’d think really.  While I’m not going to pretend that the BWY is faultless (believe me, it isn’t), it does exactly what it says on the box.  It oversees all yoga certifications within the UK.  This means that if your yoga teacher’s certification is with the BWY or one of its affiliates then her training is up to a certain standard and has taken her at least two years to achieve. 

That is not to say that there are not very many fantastic and capable teachers who have not trained with the BWY, but it just means that one cannot set oneself up as a Yoga Instructor in the UK without sufficient qualifications.  After all would you want to be seen by a doctor who had only spent a few weeks at medical school?  No, thought not.  So why put your body in the hands of somebody who doesn’t know the deep physical, mental and emotional journey that yoga can put a body through?

I’m an impatient person.  If I could have done my yoga teacher training in nine months or six months I would have done (although perhaps not in the two to four days promised by one organisation that will remain nameless).  But in hindsight I’m glad it took me so long.  I’m glad I had to dedicate such a huge part of my life for over three years to it.  The British Wheel isn’t very glamorous.  It’s more about dusty church halls than exotic beaches and pine-floored studios.  But it is a one-stop shop in health and safety and other legalities that are essential to know when you set up on your own as a self-employed yoga teacher as I did.  

My yoga teacher training was fantastic not because of the syllabus, or the teachers (although both were brilliant) but because of the sheer length of time it took me to achieve. (Lisa here- 560 hours minimum required from what I can gather from their website)  In those three years I changed a lot.  I truly began to understand my body and the bodies of others and the timeframe allowed me to assimilate fully all that I learned - far more so than I would have been able to if I had taken in that amount of information in six months. 

The fact that our certification is regularised by a governing body has never limited us as teachers here on our little island.  We continue to teach in our own ways and from our own hearts but safe in the knowledge that we are adequately trained and adequately insured at all times. And that is something that we deserve both as teachers and students. 

Please visit Rachel at her wonderful sites: Suburban Yogini, Facebook or Twitter

Find more information on the British Wheel of Yoga on their website. 

Aims of the British Wheel of Yoga

To encourage and help all persons to a greater knowledge and understanding of all aspects of Yoga and its practice by provision of study, education and training
To maintain and improve the standard of teaching of yoga
To co-operate with and support other organisations having similar aims 


Article and photo Copyright of Rachel at SurburbanYogini.com

Soap End Bits Body Wash: DIY!

Ever since my adventure making soap last year (see here for the post!), we have made the switch to bar soap. Growing up, I assumed that most men required pump soap to bother washing their hands (sigh, obviously that was only in my family). Although Andrew did confess that he preferred the fun of foamy pump soap, he conceded to showcasing my ugly, handmade soap bars. And we just never went back. Now we buy local handmade soap- no plastic, no chemicals and no waste.

Well sort of. Ever wonder what you should do with all those bitty soap ends? For a while now I've been saving them. Weird, after a post about 'letting go', but I've had this strange collection of soap bits slowly amassing over the past six months. (rejected shampoo bars and soap ends) Initially they were dumped into a bright orange teacup next to the kitchen sink- supposed to be my 'kitchen soap'. Except no one wanted to use them. So they sort of sat there and looked a bit like beige grossness.

Recently I noticed that my BISH shampoo had gone rancid (trust me, it's pertinent). You may remember how excited I was to find a locally made, chemical-free shampoo in GLASS bottles. Well, a good two weeks of trial, and I gave up; high maintenance hair had won again. Over the past six months I've been using it periodically as body wash... and thank goodness I noticed the consistency change or I would have dumped rancid shampoo all over me! Guess it really didn't have preservatives (which is kinda cool).

As I was cleaning out the bottle, I wondered what it could replace. I really wanted it to replace something that I had a difficult time finding sans plastic, which handsoap really wasn't an issue. Also, body lotion, although a fun project, was a bit daunting in this busy time.

I know- BODY WASH! I have never been a bar soap body wash kinda gal. Having it chemical-free in a glass renewable container would be perfect. Even better- if I could make it from stuff I have at home!

After a quick (not very thorough) search, I realized that there was only one place I had read you could melt grated soap bits into water for instant, lazy liquid soap. On my friend Sarah's blog- Followingmearound. All other recipes called for liquid soap from scratch. I also really wanted this body wash to be moisturizing and to smell yummy. So, true to my haphazard style of cooking and baking (which drives Andrew crazy!) I just figured I'd dump a bunch of stuff in and see what happens.

Here's mostly her guidelines with a few of my comments:

1. Grate approximately 3oz of soap bits into a bowl. Don't know how much that is? Well, thankfully for myself, Andrew is a type A cook-er guy who loves gadgets. Including a digital scale! I'd guess it was about 1.5 to 2 cups. Also, grating soap is a lot easier than you'd expect, except for trying to avoid grating your fingers...

2. Boil 3 to 4 cups of water. I boiled four... not sure if I should have.

3. Dump grated soap bits into the water and stir. Here's where it started to fall apart, as Sarah didn't specify how long I should stir, and if it would thicken with stirring at a boil or all by itself. 

4. The next step was supposed to be 'when it thickens, give it one last stir and let set over night'. Except, after 45 minutes of boiling, it had reduced sure, but was still pretty watery. I gave up and let it set overnight hoping it would thicken.

5. Nope, didn't really thicken. However, it was fairly soap-y, so I thought I could continue on.

6. I added a few drops of peppermint essential oil and a big squirt of jojoba oil (um, three tbsp maybe?). A few stirs and I poured into the bottle.

The result? Well, even though it was a bit watery, really it was fantastic body wash, lathered well and was relatively easy to make!

So there you have it, instant use for soap end bits! By the time I run out of body wash I should have a nice collection of new soap ends to boil down again- perhaps I should email Sarah and actually ASK her what I did wrong lol.

Happy Monday! Now it's time to go out, purchase some dirt, worm poo and lettuce seeds.....

article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Mindfully decluttering

This past week something shifted. Or it all just crashed together, a huge wave of STUFF. I had my third melt down in two weeks, extremely abnormal. I may be high strung, but I'm usually not this emotional. As I drove home from my third trip down in three weeks, something clicked.

I have too much emotional clutter. Too much emotional responsibility. I'll have an update soon, but the main thing is that with a full time job, full time yoga practice, working on Coffee and Yoga, Yoga in the Park, two blogs, two email addresses, facebook and a twitter account... life has swept away.

Spring is actually the perfect timing for a de-clutter, opening the windows and letting the fresh air remove dusty winter thoughts. It's also extremely easy to just simply throw everything away, a complete 'purge' so to speak. 

Although purging may feel great immediately (moving from BC to Nova Scotia with only our suitcases really taught me how fantastic it could feel), we- consumeristic North Americans, tend to fill the void with newer, 'better' things. Adding to the forever waste that fills our landfills, oceans and rivers. 

I truly feel there is a balance. Keeping everything 'in case' it will be useful someday is often a mantra I read out here in eco-frugal land. Never throw away, so much guilt with being 'wasteful' and frivolous. At the same time, keeping every little bitty string can slowly build up this wall of panic- a 'I must keep!!!' frenetic thought pattern. Less clarity, more disorganization. A balance is key.

While driving I was listening to a French cbc podcast and the lady, in her beautiful Québécois accent spoke about 'mindfully decluttering'. It was pivotal and very yogic. My plan is to give it a try, not word for word, but in a general sense.

Instead of planning an entire day of 'Mission Purge', where a general sense of exhaustion and overwhelming tend to take over after a short time resulting in 'bah, just dump it!' attitudes, try smaller pockets.

Take on an area, gather up your 'things' and meditate on each item. Give yourself the time to consider the item, your attachments, your memories and whether you really 'need' this thing. Evaluate what feelings emerge, without judgment and let them pass. In this manner of slowly and mindfully removing objects (as that is all they are) we can take some time to meditate with our own collected emotional clutter that we might not have seen creep up over the winter months. 

Recognize that stuff is simply that, and without them our memories and emotions live on.

Although your stuff may not seem necessarily useful anymore, they may help others in need. The last resort should be a garbage bag.

Have separate 'rescue' sections ready- boxes for a transition house, for a local Value Village (or second hand store) and recycling. You may want to keep the transition and second hand store boxes out in storage or in your garage to make one simple trip. Transition and safe houses can use things like clothing, household items even books. 

Another option for bigger items, would be to advertise on Kijiji, craigslist or freecycle. This way, your freedom can help someone else.

The last step- have a firm policy of 'no buy' for a few months afterwards. Trying to filling the void of 'thing' is a compulsion from our culture. Living with less clutter mindfully for a few weeks or months will give perspective. What do we really require, and what can we really live without? 

For myself, this will take on another aspect; decluttering my activities and attachments. I don't *need* to be involved with so many activities, something is causing emotional stress and needs to be let go. However, after letting it build for so long, my first instinct this week was; f*@ it, I don't want to do any of it (including a moment of, I don't want to blog anymore- GASP, I know).

This mindfully re-evaluating and taking small moments of time to decide and let go will assure that my activities are truly where they should be, in line with my priorities and beliefs (as Yogic Dancer has reminded us). I haven't played my guitar in months- I didn't have the time. Which is ridiculous. I need music like I need to breathe. I have been asphyxiating myself...

Energy is precious and I need to value mine :)

Many Blessings!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com