How Yoga, Video Games, Environmentalism, Feminism and Online Harassment Matter

Anita Sarkeesian has been living with constant threats of rape, assault, bombing and violence on her person, forcing her in August of this year, after a threat on Twitter shared her home address, to leave her home. Anita Sarkeesian is not a yoga blogger (who knows if she practices yoga), nor an environmental blogger. Anita Sarkeesian is a media critic and creator of Feminist Frequency: a video webseries that explores the representation of women in pop culture narratives- with a focus on sci-fi and the gaming industry. In the past five years she's been speaking out against sexism and tropes in the video gaming industry.



(Damsels in Distress Part 1)

 So why should threats against her person matter to you: the yogi, the environmentalist, my reader whatever your sex, gender, interests or background may be?

The majority of these threats have been from the online community.

(I could add, because she is a human, because it's wrong, because it's a symptom of a larger, more insidious and still relevant social issue... but more personally because you are reading this as a person of the online community at large and as such that places implicit participation whether ignorant or not in this conversation).

As more of our lives are spent living, communicating and interacting online, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify separating our online circles and spaces, staying quiet in the face of harassement or choosing to turn the other way when the very real and serious threats are not pointed directly our way or in our own online neighbourhood.

Threats of violence against women (and yes this includes the very real crime of non consented sharing of nude photos of women) in the online platform affects all of us.

And how we (women) are portrayed in popular culture, I would argue particularly in the gaming and sci-fi industry, an industry that has grown considerably in it's ubiquitousness and general popularity, affects how we (women) are perceived in our every day lives and social structures.

We talk about this often in the online yoga community. Discussions abound in various online spaces how yoga is portrayed by the young, lithe, beautiful and white female body perpetuating body myths and objectification in a philosophy that should, by all rights, be above such sexist and hurtful imagery. (It's all yoga, baby , Carol Horton, to name a few). Speaking out for a respectful, non objectified representation of women in the popular media (or video games) isn't unreasonable in a society where supposedly women hold equal rights under the law.



Nor does speaking out against misogyny warrant a very real barrage and onslaught of violent (and often sexist) threats without any real consequence. As Ms Sarkeesian points out in her TedxWomen talk(above):

"It's not a game. It's an overt display of angry misogyny on a massive scale. It's not just boys being boys, it's not just how the internet works and it's not just going to go away if we ignore it... and whether it's a cyber mob or a handful or hateful comments, the end result is maintaining and reinforcing and normalizing a culture of sexism".

Just the act of being an online voice (via my blog, Twitter and other social media accounts) means that how we use the internet and digital world to communicate affects me, personally and directly. The fact that I am a female voice means that all attacks on those speaking out simply because of their sex and gender is an attack against myself.

So. This is me not staying silent and explicitly supporting the work of all the courageous people who speak out against misogyny and sexism in our digital world. Including Anita Sarkeesian and Zoe Quinn. (GamerGate).

GPB: Going Grey: Some decisions are more than simply environmental

Some choices we make in our lives aren't "environmental vs feminism vs spiritual vs health" but a combination of all or several.

Like, for example, deciding whether or not to allow your hair to go grey.

My most recent post at the Green Phone Booth explores how the decision to go grey is more to do with social and cultural pressures (and feminism) and less to do with an environmental choice.

Do you struggle with this choice? Go check out my post (and the inspiration linked within) at the Green Phone Booth and please; comment away and share your thoughts and perspectives! The more we are open about these topics, the less ashamed we will be.

"Going Grey: Some decisions are more than simply "environmental" "

Psst: Strong is the New Skinny, Pass it On!

"This Trendy "Strong is the New Skinny" Thing (and what it could mean for the next generation of girls"

I just read the most badass article above and I have to share it with you. No really. It was ridonkulously amazing. If you are a woman, if you are a HUMAN, you should read this.

I feel that Sophie's message, besides being so entertainingly, yet poignantly written, is an important one to share. Important for the girl I was and the woman I am. For all my other girl-woman peeps who struggle with body image, disordered eating and self-esteem. So I'm sharing my perspective, my take, with you.

What if: "Strong is the new skinny"

Yes. Exactly. What if, when I was a girl, I was told to strive to be strong instead of thin. What if the message society gave me was that a strong woman was of ultimate value. Would my adolescence, my early twenties, have been different?

If you read my blog, you know that I've struggled with disordered body image and eating my entire life. Oh, it's not clinical- I've never demonstrated symptoms to the clinical level. But raise your hand (mentally) if you've: a) known someone who lost their period due to weight loss b) looked in the mirror and wailed internally over your fat-ugly______ c) felt proud that you skipped a meal d) felt happy that your jeans were loose e) gone on a fad diet, or any diet f) felt that your current weight or body shape, whatever it was, just needed a bit of improvement g) heard someone say that the best part of having the stomach flu was the weight that you lost....

Yup, yup, yep, been there for all of them.

After devouring countless books and research articles on feminism, body image, female health and our relationship historically and culturally with the media, I am a strong believer that this "body type ideal" of tall, thin and waif-like is enforced upon us artificially by the beauty, fashion and advertising industry along with a healthy dose of patriarchy valuing women for extrinsic qualities such as ideal beauty and as sexual objects.

In a way, this can be viewed as a positive thing. Unlike evolutionary psychological theory (which honestly I feel is a load of self serving, patriarchal, narrow-minded crap- we are not apes and behaviours that *may* have occurred a millennia ago can be explained by the-very different- social construct, brain and cognitive development and lifestyles homo sapiens led: ie social and culture and NOT irreversible genetics) our social mores and culture can CHANGE.

What if girls are told from a young age to be strong, intelligent, caring, courageous instead of thin, pretty, "nice" and gentle? My thinnest moments were when I was stressed and unhappy and I know for a fact I was not eating enough to nourish my brain- which obviously results in poor cognitive functioning, problem solving, emotional regulation and concentration.

You know what was my fucking unicorn moment? When my unflexibility forced me to improve significantly in my strength endurance in yoga. When I looked in the mirror and saw the gorgeous MUSCLES in my back and arms. When I could hold dolphin plank longer than my weight lifting husband. It was like suddenly the fear of 'bulking up' (which is a ridiculous myth btw) disappeared into the excitement of being fucking STRONG. 

Just last night I poked my belly to feel my awesome abdominal muscles I've been building. I may have even showed them off to Andrew. I am so excited with my body right now, and I am currently at my "heaviest" and highest dress size.

This is to say that I feel it's a bit DESPITE yoga. I know. But I feel the focus on yoga asana (for the most part) in popular western yoga is to be thin, lose weight, "toned". Even the examples of strong yoginis we have as famous role models are still (white) thin and strong. (Now, we know there are some strong fabulous yoginis who are bucking the system- I heart you! We need MORE of you!).

This is where Sadie's snarky post at Huffpo makes me cringe. Perhaps instead of making others feel like yoga is the ONLY solution to being strong and healthy, we should simply encourage women to be STRONG however best that works for them. Our bodies and selves do not fit in a cookie cutter mold, one size fits all model. So why assume yoga to be the panacea in this diverse reality?

Strong is the new Skinny- Pass it On.

Does my Dove Response solidify the Ego (ie the "antithesis of yoga"?)

"...isn't your article solidifying the ego which is the antithesis of yoga?"- Daniel

This comment was posted on my "Response to Dove- 10 things you need to tell yourself" post last week.

I think this is an important question and I thank you Daniel for voicing it (in a very nice way :) ). The interesting thing about yoga is that although most yogis firmly state that yoga isn't a "religion" nor "spiritual" (which would allow for guiding mores, written "archaic" and authentic guidelines to live by and an ultimate end goal- ie enlightenment), many yogis bemoan the superficial (ie physical only) aspect of practitioners and Western Yoga.

I find many aspects of yogic teachings useful tools for my daily life. However, it is not my spirituality- I am pagan and some of my spiritual beliefs don't quite mesh with yoga. I'm ok with that.

So, to Daniel's comment.

As I haven't studied yogic teachings in depth, I'm certainly not qualified to give an overly educated answer. What I can do is give my own perspective, educational background in psychology on the question of "ego", attachment, mental health and yoga.

I find the use of the term "ego" to be troublesome for many reasons, one being the direct historical connotations of the Freudian origins of the term. In psychology, although Freud was a revolutionary, his therapy techniques and theories are no longer viewed as accurate nor are they recommended for use (outside of Europe and some practitioners in Quebec). Vilifying the "ego" (or the "id") isn't helpful, instead it's an extremely simplistic way of viewing the human sense of self.

The reality is that as social persons we function within relationships with others. These relationships with other people are forged and strengthened through emotional attachment and interactions. Our own sense of the Self and self-worth is created through thousands of interactions, emotional bonds with firstly our families and then others as well as situations throughout our lives. This sense of self, in it's healthy form, is an important prerequisite in order to form healthy and appropriate emotional attachments and relationships with others.

Although our society has definitely moved to a more narcissistic part of the Self spectrum (all about ME), I do feel that the other extreme is equally unhealthy from a mental health, relationship perspective. I plan on living life at 100%, and I am a firm believer that the people, friends and loved ones in my family are an essential component in this path.

With regards to the "ego" of telling yourself 10 things you love about your intrinsic (non physical self), I feel that in the context this exercise is necessary for the majority of women in western society. Our society sends extremely strong messages about a woman's worth based on her physical appearance. As a result, often women (and young girls) base, at least a portion, of their self worth on their physical appearance.

Disordered sense of self, body-image and eating (more prevalent in women in western society) can lead to dieting (which leads to health problems), depression, and eating disorders. Here is where I feel using a simplistic rhetoric of "ego=bad" for a reality where simply "letting go" isn't working for the thousands of women who struggle daily under a barrage of unhealthy messages and sense of self-worth tied directly to a forever aging body. Especially in a physical discipline like yoga, where the billion dollar ad industry is specifically marketed to lithe, young, (white) women and many traditions focus on the physical body in order to achieve mental clarity.

(a perfect example of yoga ad industry...)

If you are a person who has a fantastic sense of self-worth and feel confident where you are intrinsically (and, as unjust as it is, this is more likely true if you are male) then I see the "non-attachment" of yogic teachings being useful. If you find these yogic teachings as being helpful to you, and have fully adopted to follow a yogic lifestyle, I respect and support that 100%.

I do believe that the majority of women (and some men) could certainly benefit from actively finding a sense of self-worth from internal characteristics starting with explicitly stating what they like best about themselves that isn't tied to their physical body. If this isn't "yoga"- I'm 100% ok with that :)

Ten Things you NEED to Tell Yourself (a big EFF YOU to Dove)

The Yoga Culture is a tricky place to navigate when it comes to body image and self-acceptance. The very activity of yoga attracts naturally bendy, lithe, young and slim bodies and the multi-billion dollar clothing and accoutrement industry (like typical capitalistic patriarchal companies) rely heavily on bombarding consumers with a "yoga body type ideal" that is unrealistic (and arguably detrimental to women's sense of self worth and acceptance).

The recent Dove commercial "Real Beauty Sketches" have been making the rounds on facebook, with their fair share of criticisms (please read Little drops post on this, it's like she read my mind.... creepy). If you don't feel like reading the awesome post at Little drops, needless to say I find the video ridiculously patronizing and that it perpetuates the damaging social culture of external beauty above all else for self worth.

Ugh, can't we step out of the box for a second Dove? I wouldn't be so disappointed if so many people weren't attaching themselves to the video as if it were just so 'GOOD' of them. As if they weren't just continuing an external self-worth which conveniently allows them to sell their product (which will make our skin so beautiful). And do I have to point out that Dove is owned by Unilever... who also owns AXE- a company that produces THE most offensive patriarchal and sexist advertisements? (and has been criticized for their highly polluting and toxic products).

Women are often made to feel like we shouldn't go on about how awesome we are, it's often about what we give... about others (our children, our partners, our friends and family). As narcissistic as the next bit may seem, Eff it. We need this.

So. Here is MY "Real Love" challenge to you, readers. (it's a two part'er):

1. List TEN things you love about yourself that have nothing to do with your physical external self (in the comment section, or write a blog post and share it here)
2. Compliment 3 female friends on something INTRINSIC to their personality that you love.

Here are my top 10:
I love...
1. My Passionate Self.
She's the reason for my feminism, my commitment to the environment and my refusal to be discriminated against because of my genitals. She effing rocks.

2. My Opinionated Self.
All the haters can eff off, having a strong opinion makes me a strong, leadership-driven, person.

3. My Sensitive, Emotional Self.
Whatever, I love that I cry at ridiculously sappy commercials (or topics). It helps with my ability to be empathetic and it balances out my awesome Opinionated Self.

4. My Geek Self.
I adore science fiction (Dune, Star Trek, Star Wars- it is all awesome). That makes me ridiculously interesting.

5. My Voice.
For singing, for talking (with my soft Acadian French accent that's barely discernable).

6. My Silly Self.
Yes I may be 31 years old, but I think it's fantastic that I don't take myself that seriously, that I love to dance terribly in the kitchen, make silly faces or laugh at myself. I know I'm smart and successful, I don't have the urge to constantly remind others of that.

7. My Intelligent Self. 
Yep, I am a smart lady. I have finally grown into my smartness, and love that it is balanced by my silliness.

8. My Raunchy Foul Mouth. 
It's fun to swear. What else can I say?

9. My Acadian Self. 
I am so proud to come from such a rich and strong cultural heritage. Despite the haters, I ADORE my Acadian French, including the fact that I can codeswitch like nobody's business. That takes skill.

10. My Friends and Family. 
I know this seems external, but my friends, husband and family make me so incredibly happy and complete. My love for them is something I treasure. It's cool to actively LIKE (and LOVE) someone without shame, without reservation.

Ok, your turn!

GPB: Violence Against Women and Violence Against Our Planet

I am a feminist... and an environmentalist.

After reading an interesting interview of Eve Ensler's views on how climate change, feminism and violence against women are all interconnected, I felt like sharing it with you.

Go on over to the Green Phone Booth and share your thoughts, comments, observations, opinions! (of course, always mindful of being respectful :) ).

For my Atlantic coastal peeps: stay safe and warm this weekend during the scary winter Blizzard!

PETA Supports Violence Against Women on Love Day

Being eco-friendly on Heart day is kinda tricky. Although there are more "do" type activities (such as eating out, consuming local wine, watching a romantic movie or going out and doing something- such as a burlesque show which my local coffee barista said he was doing tonight!), there are still the pesticide sprayed flowers and slave labour chocolates to consider.

Of course, being vegan or vegetarian has always been touted as being the penultimate planet friendly activity with PETA being the poster child for the 'right-wing leftist movement'. If that makes sense.

As a rule, I do not support anything PETA does, because of their sexist and misogynist use of women in their ads and publicity stunts. Using a female body to 'sell' something (product or philosophy) is never cool, regardless of the end-point (see this article on why being a feminist and PETA supporter doesn't mesh).

I'd like to point out the latest stunt, just in case you've heard- the 'BWVAKTBOOM' or 'boyfriend went vegan and knocked the bottom out of me' ad. This video not only makes light of violence against women, it's insulting use of such a serious and very real problem (violence against women) in order to promote veganism is worrisome on a social scale.



In Canada it is estimated that 1 of 3 girls is sexually assaulted before the age of 18 and First Nations women experience spousal violence that is three times higher than the non-First Nations Canadian average. Between 2000-2009 there were 738 spousal homicides with women more likely to be killed by separated spousal partners. Women report more serious forms of violence than men, three times more likely to report they had been sexually assaulted, beaten, choked or threatened with a gun or knife. Please note- this is *only* what was reported (stats canada 2009 report).

Young women are more likely to be victims of abuse than men and between April 1st 2009 and March 31st 2010 numbers of women admitted into Canadian shelters for abused women exceeded 64,000 (Canadian Status of Women).

Victims are also less likely to report the incident to the police than in the past. The recent report in 2009 indicates that numbers of violence have been stable since the last report in 2004... as in it's not getting better. (stats canada 2009 report).

When we continue to support a culture that normalizes and justifies violence against women, the objectification of women's bodies to sell a product or philosophy, we also are supporting countless men who sexually assault, abuse and kill their female partners.

Instead, on this Valentine's Day, support a cultural change of equality, safety, respect and Love. 

If you choose veganism, do it out of respect for all living creatures and keeping our planet and Selves healthy.

Don't support PETA.

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

A Few Thoughts on Menstruation and Yoga

Yoga and menstruation: do you practice or not? In order to set the stage for this discussion, let me retell an experience I had about two weeks ago visiting my best friend in Moncton. Her friend, a 24yr old man-boy, was hanging out with us, drinking beer and chatting. Seemed like a relatively smart dude, not too immature, clever... that sort of thing. For some reason the conversation turned to male parts in puberty (seriously, don't ask) and his response:
"Well, I would trade having a penis any day over having to deal with "you know what" for the REST OF YOUR LIVES" (cue poignant and slightly disgusted look on his face for the PAUSE).

I think I actually said: "Do you mean menstruation? I'm sorry I didn't get the memo that we all die at menopause. Shitty"

So where does yoga come in on the topic of menstruation and asana practice?

Although you can find differing versions, they all come from similar themes: "A woman menstruating should restrict her yoga asana practice" in some way, shape or form. Why is that?

First we need to be honest and frank about the historical and cultural machinations at work here. For centuries female menstruation has been reviled, deemed dirty, evil, shameful and often women were segregated from public events during this time. Up until a few short decades ago, women didn't talk about their menstrual cycles and surprise surprise- medical science wasn't that concerned with understanding it until the 1990s (Angier, N; Woman an Intimate Geography 1999, p. 111).

Until and I would argue, to this day, menstruation is seen as visual evidence that our uterus is injured. It's an "other" non-natural event and should be treated as such- a time to recover.

So- that said- what are the two main reasons for "special yoga menstruation" treatment?

The first is obstructing or changing the flow of energy during inversions (or other asanas). The idea is that during menstruation our energy is "downward flowing" and that changing this direction could be harmful. I've often heard it explained that during this "difficult" time our female bodies require all the healing energy we can provide.

I would just like to point out that menstruation isn't an injury to be recovered. I'm also curious as to why other, more fragile and essential aspects of a woman's monthly cycle aren't addressed in nurturing energy flow. For example, when women ovulate. An essential part of life creation that is also characterized by a downward movement of the ovum through the fallopian tubes.

What about the energy, or chi, required to create sperm in the male testes? (Since we're chatting about procreation here). I'm just pointing out that it seems fairly convenient that what has been stigmatized for centuries in various cultures as being "other" and "injurious" is categorized as requiring special treatment during asana practice.

The second set of reasoning is more anatomical and physiological. Despite this article's dire warnings of "heavy bleeding" during menstruation, during the average period women cast off about six tablespoons (or three fluid ounces) of material, only half of which could be considered "blood" (although it's not exactly normal blood- since it doesn't coagulate).

Further, instead of being exhausting and draining, scientists have actually calculated that the uterine lining at it's richest is actually 7 times more energy costly than the act of menstruative destruction. From that logic, we should be tired and drained when we're most fertile (Strassman, B. as cited in Angier N 1999 p. 115).

It's argued that during inversions women are more at risk for tearing or increased blood flow.

The thinness of the uterine veins makes them susceptible to collapse when excessive pressure is applied to them.

During inversions, the uterus is drawn downwards by gravity resulting in a pulling motion on the broad ligaments containing the uterine arteries and veins. This pulling or stretching motion of these ligaments can also act on the uterine veins potentially leading to partial collapse or occlusions. Since the uterine arteries contain thick, muscular walls, they can resist collapse and continue to send blood flow into the uterus. Without a proper exit of blood out of the uterine veins, vascular pressure arises leading to an increase in menstrual bleeding.

(article: My Yoga Online)

Interestingly enough, this implies that during a woman's period her "uterine veins" and arteries simply continue to gush blood- causing menstruation.

Unfortunately, this is misleading. Each month the uterus may find itself with a non fertilized egg. As previously stated, instead of keeping up an endometrium lining rich with nutrients, it's much less costly to shed and move onward, start from scratch. Therefore, spiral arteries (named because they look like corkscrews and main function to supply the placenta) swell with blood and become tightly coiled. Circulation to the endometrium slows down and the cells are starved of oxygen. 24 hours before menstruation the spirals constrict sharply and circulation is completely stopped, causing the endometrium cells to die.

Then, just as abruptly, the spiral arteries open up, blood is supplied behind the endometrial lining with blood pooling in pockets temporarily- causing the cells to actively be removed. I say temporarily because shortly after the arteries close again (Angier, N 1999 p.110).

No constant blood flow to exit (that would be a lot more than six tablespoons!) but a squeeze, open, squeeze, open, stop sequence of temporary active blood flow.

I'm not a gynecologist, but it just appears strange that since these arteries only provide periodic blood flow in order to detach the endometrium lining from the uterus (from all sides I would point out, not just up and down), that the risk for engorged artery collapsing, tearing or occlusions seems fairly minimal. Especially since, for the most part, I don't spend more than a few seconds up in shoulderstand.

From the article description, it would appear that these arteries are fragile things that can tear or break at any moment. I'm almost inclined to stay seated or upright only during my periods, in case- ya know... tearing. I can't even imagine these poor arteries and how they survive providing blood to the placenta during the entire 9 months of pregnancy....(just a little bit of snark there).

I'm all for taking it easy during your moontime because you feel it's what is best for your body at that time. Or if you strongly feel that your energy doesn't enjoy inversions (I really don't enjoy shoulderstand in general as well!). However, I do feel that we can't honestly take a look at restrictions without taking into account cultural and physiological confusions and history.

Just a few thoughts :)

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

The Potential Exclusive Message of Yoga, Blogs and Movements

I have always loved to read, I've always adored school and language has never been a problem for me. Getting fabulous grades and excelling academically wasn't ever an issue. I know I'm a smarty pants.

My problem has always been sounding like one. Or should I say- not really sounding like one.

Coming from a small village, growing up tromping in the woods, catching frogs and riding four (and three!) wheelers since I was six years old doesn't really suit the use of a higher level vocabulary. Why would I want to use words and phrase structures that others around me would find weird, snobby or not understand? I wanted to communicate, not preach (or pontificate).

Yoga in the park- circle warrior III hands from inside the circle. All students- practicing together!

I think this is an invaluable lesson when trying to articulate your thoughts and form ideas and opinions to be shared. The way a message is packaged, the vocabulary, speaking and reading level, has always been a point of contention for me with academia, feminism and blogs.

It became increasingly clear that those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to afford university do not represent the population as whole. Even less so at the graduate level. I can't understand why movements like the feminism movement, would package ideas and theories at a language level so completely foreign to so many. If we want cultural and social change, shouldn't we be spreading the message in a way that makes sense to everyone? So even my grandmother, who didn't go further than grade 7, would be able to read and relate? (I was kicked out of that book club passive-aggressively, they changed the date and place so I wouldn't know where they were meeting...).

The same applies to the environmental movement, yoga and my blog. Over the past few years I've gone to several public environmental lectures at Dalhousie University. They've all been very interesting and informative. Unfortunately, they've all been wrapped up and presented in an extremely intimidating academia-speak... and predictably the only people there were students and academics (and us). 

These people already get the message, they already buy in to the bottom line. They already know.

At times I find yoga blogs, articles and 'speak' to be similar. In the sense that it's either packaged in an intensely scriptural way, quoting the Gita or Sutras and throwing in countless sanskrit terms. It's not that I don't see the value in using appropriate sanskrit terminology for asana, nor the value of sharing 'parables' and spiritual insights. I just don't feel that it's the most inclusive way to share a message. Honestly, most people are not going to relate. It all depends if that's a goal or not. 

A great example is a recent commenter's use of the word 'proprioception'. I used 'spatial awareness' to describe my inability to know where my own body is in space. As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I know the official 'Occupational Therapist' terminology for this is 'proprioception', which was kindly pointed out in the comment section. I might know this, but 'spatial awareness' will not only be much more self-explanatory (who wants to copy and google a word while reading anyhow?), it will get my point across in a much more inclusive fashion. 

I might also know that our 'ear drum' is technically called our 'tympanic membrane' or that our 'vocal cords' are actually 'vocal folds', and having trouble swallowing is 'dysphagia'. Just because I know this doesn't mean I have to use it in my regular every day speak, or while trying to dialog with an unknown group of readers about a message I think is important to share (like the importance of avoiding q-tips while cleaning your ears, proper use of voice while teaching a yoga class or how to help protect your father's lungs while he eats after a having had a stroke).

When I don't know who my listeners are, I can't assume either way.

When I started writing this blog, it was for the purpose of sharing some environmental insights that I see as being a primordial aspect of Yoga and my Spiritual Pagan path. 

If I want someone to make a small change (or a big one) I could go three ways:

• intimidate the crap out of them with a very formal science speak. 'I use big words, hear me roar!' Some people prefer this type of rhetoric, but you peeps are the minority.
• be completely silly and use very low vocabulary and simple explanations. This can be entertaining, but it's never my goal to assume that the reader can't understand a concept- it's insulting. Which isn't my goal.

- Find the balance of an appropriate reading level, humour, approachableness, likeability and respect while still putting forth the information and ideas in an organized manner.

This is the hardest thing. Finding this balance. I do believe that this precarious balance (or failing to find it) is the reason why so many scientists have trouble communicating theories, ideas and science to the rest of us... and why so many people still believe that Climate Change doesn't exist. 

What do you think?

(** ps- I DO think there are a lot of fabulous writers and communicators out there who do an amazing job in yoga, feminism and the environment. Usually, sadly, there's a backlash from the more academic community- think Gloria Steinem, or even Al Gore- for 'betraying' or playing to the media and being lifted up to the 'face of_____insert movement here' as a default of no one else stepping up.)

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

The Onion Known As 'Eating'

I walked through the door today, my legs and arms shaking, my heart beating my face flushed... and I wondered why this keeps happening. I felt fine leaving work, as always, but arriving home after a 20 minute walk I felt as if I could collapse (actually I did, right on the bed).

During the day today I had a jar of blueberries and strawberries, a sandwich and half a chocolate scone. Since when has that not been enough?

For the past several weeks I arrive home as above, a shaking, blubbering mess. It usually means I need to eat right away, including days when I practice yoga in the evening. There's no two hour wait- I wouldn't make it through the yoga practice.

I'm going to be honest here and admit that feeling full has never made me happy. A combination of digestive issues (IBS) and a pervasive social culture that values thinness has always left me feeling uncomfortable when full. I know I can't be the only woman out there who has a strange feeling of satisfaction when her belly is flat and empty. Even typing this makes me shudder: I am NOT that woman!- but I think it's important to talk openly about something our culture forces on us as young as prepubescence. 

It's there in yoga as well- the feeling of 'lightness', of floating. 'Diets' that are masked as 'cleansing' meant to purge our system (of what? nutrients? I'm sorry, my intestines do a pretty good job cleansing themselves naturally as they were meant to). It wouldn't take long to get caught up in micromanaging our eating around what Dosha, yoga practice, or recent health fad is recommended. The act of eating takes on another layer of spiritual morality on top of the cultural and social pressures, the socio-economic pressures and the environmental pressures making up one hell of an onion called Eating.

Bringing a lunch to work is tricky for me, since I walk 20 minutes to and from the ferry. It means carrying stainless steel and glass jars filled with food over my right shoulder. Since I'm not getting a backpack (budgeting reasons and just cuz I'm sorry, but I think they're ugly), I hate the idea of loading more than my lunch tin, my coffee stainless steel Klean Kanteen thermos and a jar of berries. 

These past few weeks taught me that I may need to. A larger lunch paired with an afternoon snack will help me arrive home in ossicular form as opposed to amoeba. I can spend more time with Andrew cooking a healthy, sustainable supper instead of something quick and easy just so I can stop shaking.

 My happy self having a 'moment' where I actually picked something up with chopsticks at 'Le Lotus Bleu' in Montréal. I ate copiously during our visit and drank lots of wine and I felt gorgeous the whole, full, time.

My brain will be happier with more nutrients during the day. I will feel better because in the end I will be eating more, which will make me a REBEL against the constant 'thin' culture we live in. My body and my yoga practice will thank me.  The planet will thank me.

My Spirit will thank me.

Blessings!

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

I Reject the External Yoga Ideal; It's Time to Stop Blaming the Individual

I have a problem with "If you just try hard enough you'll be____" insert unrealistic and externally determined physical attribute. It bothered me when I became aware of the negative effects of body image and the media and it bothers me when it comes to yoga.

Yep, I am comparing the two.

 (Although this ad is 13 years old, it's still relevant today... and I heard it's making the news again recently, which is weird since it's so old...)

I'm wholeheartedly against fitting a person's physical body in a predetermined box. Our media tells us (mostly women, but also men) what the ideal body type and look should be... and we're expected to strive for this. We know, anatomically, that only 5% of the female population, even with dieting and cosmetics, will ever fit the ideal body type. And yet still we get the message: "If you only try harder, workout more, wear a certain kind of makeup/clothing/hair style you'll look better and thus be happier". Every single media advert is based on making us believe that it is OUR fault that we look the way we do (so we should buy their product to help fix it).

I've finally made a connection with why I am so uncomfortable when I hear yoga instructors tell me that someday I will reach= a certain level of flexibility/posture/strength. It's the exact same concept of: "You can't do it now because you just haven't been practicing long enough/trying hard enough/practicing often enough", a blame the individual mentality.

Oh, for the most part it's done with only the best of intentions in mind, to motivate and reassure the student that progress occurs for everyone. At the same time there is a certain extent where I've found some (not all!) yoga instructors believe that their level of flexibility/strength/stamina is achievable by ALL students. Which implies that the only reason the student isn't there yet is due to their own internal faults.

I am a prime example. I'm thin, so I find people automatically assume I should be flexible. Ummm, far from it- as I've said many times it took two full years of regular practice to be able to *just barely touch my toes*. And yes I push myself adequately, thank you very much, I've learned the difficult way just how inflexible my body can be. Due to my extremely non-gumby body, I can easily pull and tear muscles and tendons when pushing through asanas or when they're overheated (um- hot yoga is a no-no for me). Sure I've made progress, but it is completely unreasonable to assume that even after a decade of practice (which will be three years away) that I will be able to fold forward completely in standing forward fold or seated forward fold, even if I practice every.single.day.

And I'm ok with that.

I've accepted that for me, my yoga doesn't have to fit a preconceived physical notion. I also know enough about anatomy and physiology to understand that not every person's bone and muscle structures are exactly the same, and therefore neither should their asana yoga outcomes should be the same. I resent the fact when I'm made to feel like I a) haven't been practicing often/hard enough b) haven't been pushing myself enough (umm several injuries should just be ignored right?) or c) I've just been doing it plain wrong. (Can you tell I had an experience at class last night?).

Last evening I had an instructor inform me that I can go further in "parsvottanasana" (intense side stretch), while she pushed on my back. When I informed her that "Nope, that's as far as I go" with a follow up of "It hurts" when she insisted, she informed me that I still had a curve in my lower back. Yep, that's my slightly curved spine she pointed out, how nice of her. A few more insistent adjustments and loud suggestions ("Why aren't you doing upward dog?" to my baby cobra's followed by insisting on upward dog stating that I would be hurting my lower back more with a baby cobra than an updog), resulted in my practice becoming about letting go of disappointment and anger and fighting the impulse to push my body harder.

I've had enough injuries that way and would hate to pull my achilles tendon or have intense lower back pains from too many strenuous upward dogs and savasanas.

When I approached her afterwards to thank her for her suggestions and time during class, it was to recognize for myself that she assumed even the most basic yoga postures were achievable for everyone and only meant well. (As if one hip opener is really enough to "open up the hips" for ridiculously tight people haha).

Her response was to point out that I had a consistent lower back curve in almost all forward folds and that what was holding me back: "You just have to work on not jutting your bum out". Um... My acknowledgement of "Yes, I actually have quite a natural spinal curve to my lower back" was cut off with: "Yeah, you gotta just work on tucking your tail bone in more".

At that I just thanked her and walked away. Obviously, it had never occurred to this veteran Ashtangi that some people actually have spines that are over-curved. No over tucking my tail bone is going to change the bone structure of my spine- it's not muscle habit that I stick my ass out, it's an actual spinal formation. I resent the fact that she implied I just hadn't practiced hard enough, long enough or pushed myself enough to achieve some external "perfection" that she felt would be the penultimate experience of the yoga pose.

I'm happy with what my body has achieved in the miniscule steps it has taken over the past seven years of regular, dedicated (mostly!) physical practice. I firmly reject the idea that all yoga asana is achievable and accessible to everyone should they just try hard enough/long enough.  

Each person should not strive to achieve an "external yoga ideal" but should find what yoga looks like for them.

Blessings


article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Body Image and Yoga... Fun times!

This post is part of A Green Spell's The Coil, a fantastic supportive, moon-based blog party that explores everything spiritual and personal. Monday (29th) is the Storm Moon, which is aptly named for a rant post... Check out her honest and beautiful post on Yoga Shadows!

Body Image, Yoga and Feminism. Think these are worded in the wrong order of relationship? Unfortunately Western mainstream Yoga is very much influenced by the toxic, sexist body image ideals of our society.


First, just in case you're a skeptic, think that 'feminist crap' is behind us, a quick review. 


Women still only make 78 cents to the mans dollar. We make up a fraction of a percentage in the top 500 professional jobs and salaries as well as political positions. According to the Global Gender Gap Report for 2009 (yep, they still need to make these) Canada doesn't even register in the top ten Countries regarding gender equality, ranking 25th with the US ranking 31st.


Eating disorders affect approximately 10 million women in the United States alone. Disordered eating and body image affect girls as young as grade 5, and eating disorders remain the leading mental health cause of death, with 10 to 15% resulting in death. Think men and women suffer equally? 90% of all diagnoses of both Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia (both subtypes) consist of women, while only 10% of diagnosed cases are men (NEDA).


Disordered eating and body image are a complex issue resulting from psychological, social and physical (among other) stresses. Media that creates a cultural definition of 'beauty' has been shown to have a significant impact regarding the rise in eating disorders. The average US citizen is exposed to approximately 5000 ads per day, 1 out of 3.9 ads have some sort of 'message' regarding beauty, girls as young as 11 years old (prepubescent) have stated they were on a 'diet'.


The advertising industry is a billion dollar industry, for a reason. We are influenced by those 5000 ads that bombard our visual and mental space each day, whether we like to think we are or not. And women are disproportionately targeted with regards to an unrealistic body image ideal. Even ads such as Axe body spray, targeted for men, is a commentary regarding how to attain thin, big breasted beautiful women, regardless of the man's body shape or type. 


(did you know this was Victoria Beckham? check out About-Face.org for frank discussions of recent ads... and how we should stop and take a few extra minutes to consider what they're really saying).


The way yoga is portrayed in the media is also affected by our Western philosophy of body image (read, unrealistic and toxic). Strangely, despite being introduced by men to the western world, Yoga has historically (as much as we can use that word here) been portrayed as a 'female' endeavour, with articles and posts asking 'where are all the men yogis?'. 


Like other female-attributed sports and activities (think ballet, gymnastics, figure skating) yoga was been slotted into the societal expectations and framework. Unlike other sports that attempt to emulate acceptable male sports (like female hockey with their natural strong feminine role models), yoga has been flounced as being for limber, thin and nubile young, white female bodies. Companies like Lululemon were formed to accentuate the 'yogic butt' (see this lulu youtube vid) including products such as 'boob boosters' to wear UNDER your sports bra.


Top yogis in the western world tend to be men or of lesser yogic status beautiful, white, thin women. These yogic 'stars' are the yoga world's role models, and are thrust into this role by the media. Women such as Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, Rainbeau Mars, Tara Stiles, Sadie Nardini, Patricia Walden... I do not doubt that there are strong, non-white, non-stick thin female yoginis in our world (I know so many wonderful women who read this blog!), however the Big Yoginis, those that become our social representatives with the most media 'light' remain beautiful and skinny. What a powerful message.


Even funny, clever blogs such as Yoga Dork (whom I adore!) feature yoga in the media... and if your a reader you'll recognize the trend. For example (although there are many), the article on Chloe Sevigny, with the title that she practices for fitness reasons... but the picture is an extremely sexual, while maintaining the 'little girl' pose, mag spread. I get the emphasis Yoga Dork is trying to make, poke fun at these ridiculous media portrayals, but why not focus their attention on instances where it's done right? A blog post is another form of media. Just sayin'.


Roseanne at the clever Its all yoga, baby posted a few weeks ago about 'Naked Yoga' and mused whether it was a reclaiming of the 'natural' female body. From the clips and photos available and the extremely close ties to porn (whether a celebration of natural bodies or not) it's a bit too close to body objectification for my personal sensitivity. I'm a little sensitive to female bodies as something to be looked upon, as being the 'object' and thus 'an object' as opposed to a person. 

I am a proponent of nude yoga as art, though. I'm thinking Jasper Johal, The Body Temple type stuff (although it took a LOT of searching through muck online to find the photographer's name... which tells me something). Although I can't put them here (another 'something'), I especially love the pregnant belly yoga postures (full, beautiful with child nudity here).


All this to say... although the essence of true yoga is so far removed from all this, the reality of how yoga is portrayed in our western society definitely, sadly, sends mixed messages to our young (and experienced!) practitioners. Yoga fits into that paradigm of 'female activity rules'. Wouldn't it be nice to start speaking about non-gumby, non-white, non-skinny yoginis? Strong, mature and real yoginis that are worth looking up to. Worth admiring. I gotta say, I ADORE Linda-Samas photos of herself practicing. Aren't they gorgeous?


And that is my rant for the weekend. Maybe it was the snow returning....



article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Creepy Junior High Yoga... with Beer

There has been a LOT of talk about what "is" and "isn't/shouldn't" be yoga around the bloggy community lately. Overall I'm pretty tired of reading how other individuals view their yoga as best. Perhaps by remaining a student I'll keep the openness to learning and acceptance that seems to slip through the grasp of most yoga teachers immersed in what they believe is "right". At least, I hope to keep that integrity. (windmill in the fog at home)

Regardless, I do have a few issues on what I personally believe pushes those boundaries of acceptance (yoga as competition being one) and I thought I'd share a WTF yoga gossip with you.

In my village and the surrounding villages there are three or four yoga teachers. Which is strange as the population is so small and populated by fishermen and their wives for the most part. In any case, it has been growing in popularity where students (for the longest time wives who had money to spend on lulu clothing and classes) practiced in Legion Halls, old Ballet studios, school gyms and even lofts of barns (which I heard was beautiful).

I attended a few classes at the Legion while visiting family with a specific local instructor. It was a bit scary, the environment was pretty hostile and the women formed a cohesive, gossip-y judging group (there's a reason I decided to move away...). The instruction itself consisted of the teacher practicing at the front with most students trying to emulate her asanas without modifications or adjustments. If she suggested a more advanced version, EVERYONE tried it, whether or not they had the basics. (view from the water of my village!)

Not really my thing. A few more classes like that, leaving me feeling stressed and hostile and home practice it was for future family visits. An injury while being caught up in the competitive nature isn't really my thing, I'm there to learn and not compete.

The other day my mom, Tante C., cousin C. and cousin R's gf were in Halifax to shop. I was sick that week, but met up for supper. My cousin's gf is the epitome of why I don't practice yoga at home; money and brand-names are the most important thing and I'm sure she went home and let everyone know what I was wearing and what I said during supper. An example, she commented on my SamSara bag so I told her how it was vegan, a Canadian company and proceeds are donated to Canadian charities. Her response: did it cost more than a Mat&Nat bag? (as in, it's only cool if it did).

She practices with M., the non-adjusting teacher at home. She also informed us that she got my cousin, a fisherman, to practice yoga with her. Wow- that's pretty darn impressive! The instructor had set up a partner's yoga class and it was actually attended by the fisherman spouses!

How did the yoga teacher do it?

One acronym: BYOB. Yep, it was a bring your own beer/liquor yoga session. Apparently the men drank alcohol while the women warmed up on their mats and they watched. Kinda like a creepy junior high dance where the guys stood and watched the girls dance. Then they moved to the front of their partner's yoga mats and the women demonstrated asanas while they watched close up. For example, downward dog....and made some minor adjustments (pulling on the hips etc). According to my cousin's gf, comments were made about the suggestive nature of the postures and jokes were had. One man even said: "This is the closest I've ever been to an orgy with my wife around!"

ICK.

These people paid for a set of partner yoga classes. Although the students think nothing of it, it surprises me that someone who traveled to India, trained with respected yogis in the city would do warp something so beautiful into an experience filled with sexism and alcohol.

But hey, that's just me... and I AM trying to move towards being more open and tolerant right?

Happy Sunday Yogi/nis and be safe: Don't Drink and Asana!


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

Spiral Arteries and Ashtanga Moon Time Restrictions

This is my "moon time" and I am having some difficulty keeping my happy smile up. Since I've shed my estrogen-pee habits these times have become more trying. At least I can say it's natural.

Why am I sharing this? Because I am on my period and I still practice yoga. Gasp. It would seem that we talk a lot about menstruation here, with my copious praises to the Diva Cup... however I do firmly believe that menstruation is something that isn't talked about enough in our society. We hide it, continue to view our periods as dirty and *gross* when 50% of the human population (between 11-55yrs) has this week-long phenomenon monthly. So why are we still ashamed? Perhaps the thousands of years of cultural negativity has some blame. Just maybe.

I remember when I first started my period, I thought my life would END for the entire week. I shouldn't go hang out with friends, couldn't swim, couldn't do too many physical activities... What if I didn't get to a bathroom in time? Being a teenager sucks, especially a monthly bleeding one. Now, although I had grown considerably (many many feminist readings, classes and empowering friendships later), when I started to practice yoga this period-stop your life- theory applied. I had SUCH difficulties with those ridiculous tampons. They weren't comfortable, they leaked, they caught... I hated them. I hated practicing yoga during my moon time, it gave me pause to seriously consider punking out each month.

The Diva Cup completely changed that. Now, moon times mean no rush to the store, no leaks, no worries for the entire day (12 hours!), as much physical movement as I would like! Oh the freedom! Now my yoga is not dependent on my menstruation.

A recent comment has reminded me why I have resisted reading specific texts in detail... It was asked whether I was aware that Ayurveda recommends never placing plastic in the vagina, including tampons. Actually, no I wasn't aware. But now that I am... my answer is: The Diva Cup is silicone.

I agree, plastic (with it's petrochemicals and leaching BPA properties), especially chemically bleached cotton, should never have graced my beautiful vaginal walls. Just like that new chemically dyed pink breast cancer toilet paper won't come within ten meters of my bum. I am so happy that I have found a safe and chemical leaching-free alternative.

Now, if the theoretical reason behind this "no plastic in the nether regions" has to do with some sort of no-obstruction rule... than I have to say that I disagree. And this is where the ancient texts study "block" comes into the picture. For practical reasons I cannot see why I would want to use a diaper-styled apparatus to "catch" my flow. I find them uncomfortable and restricting. I don't want to be restricted by the fact that I menstruate. Further, as far as I have read there has been no overall scientific data stating that catching the flow with a silicone cup is damaging in any way to the vaginal walls or overall health of a woman.

These thoughts started me thinking about how in certain practices, women are either restricted completely, discouraged strongly or told to practice a modified sequence while on their period. The theory (and please clarify if I've interpreted too loosely as I haven't read actual theoretical Ashtanga texts) is that it should be a time for rest.

Like my body stops functioning properly when I'm on my period. Right. Menstruation has actually been found to be a time of heightened activity, intellectual clarity, feelings of well-being and general happiness. (Woman: An Intimate Geography p.107). The theory that shedding our endometrium lining is calorically expensive (i.e. that bleeding decreases energy levels) has been refuted by several scientists in recent decades. Keeping UP our rich caloric-eating uterine wall would in fact be MORE costly than shedding and regrowing once a month (Strassmann, B; Human Nature 1992). From this we can infer that women should in fact be MORE tired pre-post menstruation than during.

Furthermore, I'm always cautious when interpreting medical texts. The Western medical system has been fraught with misogyny and patriarchal roots. Modern medicine has always been a "man's" world and subsequently the study of female anatomy and physiology was either minimal, or biased. It has only been in the past two or *maybe* three decades that science has taken a more feminine spin. Also, we need to remember that most traditional texts were written by men, from a culture with a history of hundreds (if not a thousand) years of patriarchy. Blood was viewed as a reason for concern, and instead of being celebrated was often thought of as some sort of injury, malaise or "wrongness" (to name some nicer terms).

Now I may be more clumsy, I may have a bit less balance (personally trying to practice Tree pose during my moon time is wobbly!) and I may choose to practice more soothing postures... but the key word is "choose". As there is no anatomical nor physiological reason why practice a sweaty vinyasa practice should somehow "damage" my uterus, should I feel inclined I will.

The theory that inversions during menstruation could be harmful has also been poorly supported empirically. Kinda like the theory that a tampon could get "lost" up there. Up where? It's not like the menstrual stuff is going to tip up and leak back in. The cervix takes care of that.

Menstruation is most definitely NOT a passive process. We don't passively leak out from gravity's influence. Menstruation is dynamic. Our spiral arteries (three) feed two superficial layers of the endometrium. Pre-period these arteries grow longer and tightly corkscrewed and circulation to the endometrium slows down. 24 hours prior to the flow, they constrict tightly and blood flow ceases completely. As a result, the endometrium tissue starts to die, followed by a release of the arteries and blood flows again, pooling beneath the lining and forcing it to separate. A few more start and stops and essentially we have menstruation.

Where in that active process is there any indication that blood flow is controlled willy-nilly and could be redirected elsewhere (by say, an inversion?). I'd say that if you hold an inversion for long periods of time and start to feel wonky... perhaps it's because you'd held the inversion for a long period of time... and not because you have a uterus that sheds.

For all of that, I have no problem with other women choosing to: wear pads or not practice during their moon times. My wish is that we can make these decisions based on solid non-biased information as opposed to traditions that imply something lesser or restricting.

Many Blessings!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Feminist Yoga...

Out of all the topics that I've written about over the past 9 months, I know this one will be the trickiest. There was a time when I kept most of my views to myself, and only recently has being "environmental" come into acceptance. I found that meshing my passions with yoga and the environment almost seamless.

My passion with feminism, however, hasn't been fitting so well or garnered the same kind of like to like in the yoga world. This actually came as a surprise, as the realization that practicing yoga wasn't truly the same kind of "left" as being an environmentalist. Whereas many environmentalists are also feminists (in some way, shape or form, whether they use the label or not), I have found that many yogis are not, or aren't even aware of a need for feminism.

Perhaps this is due to Yoga's history; modern yoga being introduced to our Western culture by men, a traditional text that was written in a time deeply eschewed in patriarchy and male superiority or that it has been popularized by a media in a culture (ours) entrenched in unequal, misogynistic tendencies where women are objects and sexualized. Regardless of the reason, yoga's rise in popularity is most definitely coloured by how our culture views women/men, their bodies and our power structure.

After spending years studying and presenting on how our media influences our body image, self esteem and relationships, how women in Canada and the US do not, in fact, make equal wages (70 cents to the male dollar...as of the Gender Report 2008), the corporate "glass ceiling", the percentage of women with eating disorders vs men (90% of diagnosed eating disorders are with women, the number 1 cause of death by mental illness) etc etc.... I started to realize that I was accepting cultural mores as "normal" as I rationalized everything through my own socialized "glasses".

I'm talking mostly little things, comments that irk or may go completely unnoticed but are telling. Like when the instructor apologizes to the one man in the room for calling Utkata Konasana "Goddess Pose" while she had spent the entirety of the class naming "warrior's", "Lord of the Fishes", "King Pigeon" etc. Regardless if you believe that names are simply that, meaningless (which of course as someone trained in language, our words matter and influence our thoughts), it is interesting to note the instructor's reaction. Why did she apologize for calling it "The Goddess Pose", but didn't even think twice about the other "male-named" poses?

Another area of interest is those celebrity Yogis who are leaders in our community. Quickly I can name both female and male: Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, Patricia Walden... and B.K.S. Iyengar, the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Bikram Choudhury, Baron Baptiste, John Friend...

Notice any difference? All the women are beautiful and described in physical terms along with their revolutionary impact on Yoga. Have you seen pictures of the male yogis? Not one would I term as a traditional "male model beauty"- their fame has been achieved solely through ability. I would be kidding myself if I believed that Seane Corn, Patricia Walden and Shiva Rea became such media icons completely through their yoga expertise.

All movements have media "reps" who do well in the lime-light, the women are usually always beautiful. In the feminist movement Naomi Wolf received quite a bit of backlash from her very own feminist-sisters for this very fact. For a woman in our current culture, more so than men, being beautiful sells and the female body is being sexualized younger and younger (Have you SEEN the recent music videos?? ugh). I just read a post discussing Tara Stiles and her "sexy" videos. The author implied that Tara, Ford model, was popular because of video's being "sexy" and that she was cashing in and using her body to sell her yoga (in part). I have checked out her videos and there are many, many, that are not overtly sexual in any manner other than the fact that she is beautiful. There is definitely one where all the video shots (labeled Tara Stiles Yoga) are conveniently close ups of her butt and feminine bits, but that was a promotional video... telling all by itself.

What I thought was interesting was that the author implied "blame" being put on Tara and not the consumers (whom were quoted to like her yoga because of her beautiful bod). His opinion; she had a choice (to be born beautiful?) and therefore if she wanted to "use her body" to sell her videos, so be it. There was a discussion on how short her shorts were, or revealing her tops were. If you check out her videos she wears skimpy clothing for the promotional vid and stretch vid, the rest being long pants and shirts or shorts and long shirts... jogging pants and work out clothing. Hardly as if she had decided to practice yoga in a bikini, which was what I was expecting from his post. I especially thought this video (Handstands Everywhere) was sexy... seriously though. If an entire culture views women's bodies as sexual, how can she have a choice in the matter? I would postulate that perhaps as consumers WE have that choice on how we view, discuss and judge other Yogi/nis and people. My clothing (or lack thereof) should not be considered an invitation for sexualization or objectification.

An interesting discussion on Yoga Dawg's site with Tara's American Apparel advert occurred in August. Tara even made an appearance. As an ad that sexualizes the female body (which it does) it continues to support the cultural norms of female body objectification. We are bombarded with ads every day which as a BILLION dollar industry, obviously works. We are influenced by ads.

This brings me to Bikram... whom I've seen in skimpy, skimpy speedos, and have not heard of followers claiming they love him because he's sexy. As women we are caught, practicing yoga can be Hard Work, we get sweaty and smelly. I personally do not like to practice yoga in long pants and cannot even FATHOM practicing with long sleeves (as IF I care about somehow being inappropriate by showing my arms). I would like to be able to practice in a class without worrying that a fellow yogi will deem my shoulders, back, arms and legs as inappropriate. I'm there to practice yoga comfortably, not to be judged. Lululemon, the most popular yoga clothing supplier, sells and pushes clothing with a focus on looking cute above function. I remember reading somewhere that the founder, Chip Wilson, "wanted yoga pants that would make women's butts look good". There's even a weird video explaining WHY the pants enhance the female bottom.

Alright. Enough about this entire can of worms. I do feel very grateful to the awesome Yogi/nis who are aware and are angry that I have met. :) If you don't think it's a problem, perhaps take the next few weeks to notice just how many ads are geared at the sexualization of women... or watch Killing Us Softly (1,2 or 3), here's a clip.

Blessings

article authored by EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Coffee; Eco-Ethics (Part 1)

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays! Hosted by Food Renegade- please go check out all the other fantastic REAL FOOD posts over here!

Starbucks and Lululemon... does anyone else see a trend here? Since the beginning of my yoga journey, five years ago in Montreal, Lululemon and Starbucks were close behind. Late nights studying for my grad degree required lots and lots of coffee, and boy do I LOVE mochas. It was so common to see yogini's decked out in Lulu gear while sipping on their starbucks that it just seems like the two companies should be somehow in cahoots together. In Montreal we used to always always stop for a Starbucks pre-yoga with Jim (dreamy Brit instructor at the Y). (The Bean Scene, my favourite coffee shop in Vernon BC)

Most of us know that coffee is "bad" for us, that most likely huge corporations like Starbucks make a zillion dollars in profit at the expense of the little guys... but did you know just HOW much your latte is costing our planet and it's people? The USA consumes one fifth of the world's coffee, making North America the largest coffee consumer in the world. You would think with such a huge demand that setting up your very own coffee field and becoming a coffee bean farmer would be a worth while venture... Unfortunately coffee farmers have been, and continue to be exploited to the point of slavery. Coffee farmers are often paid less than 50 cents per pound and live in appalling conditions, are indebted to the point of working for nothing.

Coffee beans are grown in countries that typically have delicate rainforests and unique, essential ecosystems. According to the National Resources Defense Council reports that deforestation is a huge part of "sun grown" coffee (40% of coffee growing lands in Columbia, Mexico, Central America and the Carribean; where deforestation takes place for "monocultures" of coffee bean plants) and the World Wildlife Fund reports endangered species habitats are being destroyed by illegal deforestation for coffee plantations along with a 90% drop in migratory bird species.

Want some DDT with that latte? Although measures have been taken to ban many (but not even close to all) pesticides in North America, many coffee beans purchased today are grown in countries where such carcinogenic pesticides are still permitted. For example, NRDC also reports that Costa Rica allows the use of the toxic insecticide chlordane that has serious health and lasting environmental impact. Chronic, dangerous pesticide use also erodes the coffee farmer and their communities drinking water safety, soil health and food safety. Discharges from coffee processing plants have been a major source of river pollution in Latin America, releasing thousands of tons of organic waste into the water systems, clogging up the water ways and decreasing oxygen supplies of the local aquatic wildlife (NRDC).

Of course these environmental concerns are only the beginning of the coffee empire. Huge corporations such as Starbucks (who buy coffee beans at "slave" prices, followed by an almost 200% markup to us, the North American consumers), also ship these beans to roasting plants, emitting huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Followed by the energy needed to roast the millions of pounds of coffee beans and finished with beautiful plastic packages that are shipped all over the world for another bunch of carbon emissions.

I knew all this, I did. The kicker, was a documentary called "Strong Coffee: The Story of Cafe Femenino" that I was invited to watch by my friend Sharyn in B.C. It has changed how I view my coffee and being the sap that I am, it also made me cry. (I strongly urge you to check our the Trailor here).

Cafe Fememino tells the story of the women in these coffee communities who are marginalized, continue to have no rights, are not educated, are abused and are treated as subhuman. Despite progress made by Fair Trade organizations, the women in these communities (50% of the population... don't forget!) continued to be abused and were without basic human rights. With limited resources farmers invested money in educating their sons, daughters stayed home and were married between the ages of 12 and 16 years.

In 2004, 464 female coffee workers banded together, and with some support decided to separate their coffee from others. The label requires that coffee be grown, sold and the land owned, by women. That they be paid above fair trade prices, that the coffee be grown sustainably and organically and that the women have humane and improved working conditions. (Cafe Femenino bean bags are tied with a pink ribbon!)

Finally, buying Cafe Femenino also means supporting a local woman's organization in YOUR community. Coffee roasters that agree to carry the Cafe Fememino label are bound by contract to donate 2% of their profits to a local woman's program of their choice and must have the Cafe Femenino label on their packaging. A true pay it forward- women in third world countries decided that other women elsewhere would benefit from their hard work and commitment to make our world a better place.

Although I began this post with the purpose of talking about mostly Starbucks... the story of why buying locally roasted, organically grown, fair trade certified coffee is an essential backdrop and took up quite a lot of space.

My options were to either find an alternative or quit drinking mochas. Quit?? Lol, one day without my one cup and I have a headache (sad I know).

Obviously, certified organic coffee is a fantastic way to assure a mocha sans pesticide residue and decrease your latte's impact on our precious blue planet. Fair Trade certified also assures that the yummy coffee you are drinking isn't supporting "slave" labour. However, having one does not automatically assume the other. So both was a must for myself.

Buying certified shade grown coffee assures that those "sun", monoculture, bird-killer fields are not involved and that you are supporting a return in biodiversity. Of course, my absolute favourite... Cafe Fememino, certified fair trade, organic and a pay it forward to support women in MY community from a local roasting company. How do you find such a fantastically awsome tasting and ethical coffee??

Well, in Halifax "Just Us!" (a Wolfville fair trade, organic coffee roasting company) claims to carry Cafe Femenino. However, recently I have been having a difficult time finding it in their Coffee shops. They've never promoted it and it seems to have quietly disappeared from their shelves. I'll be writing them soon to find out the latest.

Otherwise, go on Cafe Femenino's website here, and search by company and region. Currently, Canada has not implemented their Certified Organic Logo (federal website states June 30th 2009), so make sure to closely examine logos when purchasing, logo copiers are out there!

Next stop: Starbucks and my love-hate relationship :)

Blessings and happy ethical coffee drinking!