GPB: The Woes of Commuting: Did We Make the Best Choice?

We are moved in to our new pad and I've finally had a minute to sit down and blog!!

First post, post move... on our awful commute.

Go check out my  post on the Green Phone Booth to read about my cognitive dissonance and share some of your thoughts on commuting.

"The Woes of Commuting: Did we Make the Best Choice?"

Private Practice and Yoga in the Park 2013!

Oops, where did the week go?

Some news in the EcoYogini world (and the reason I've been a little absent in my posting)... I have taken the leap and am starting my own private SLP practice.

Introducing.... Parler pour apprendre/Talking to Learn! 

Setting up a private practice was more work than I originally thought, but I am happy with the effort I put into all my policies, procedures and fabulous website. Here's crossing my fingers!

Other news: YOGA IN THE PARK 2013!

It has been a dreary, cold and drizzly spring here in Halifax. Unlike the previous three years of YITP (wow, this is our 4th year!) where we were practicing intermittently from March onward, it has not been above 15 degrees on a weekend until now.

And today, just like THAT, we go from frost warnings in the morning to BAM 30 degree (celsius) humid weather. Ok, I promise I am not complaining. :) I'm actually excited to return to creating yoga sequences and drawing little yoga stick men. :) Fun!

First Halifax YITP 2013: Saturday*, June 1st!

When: 10am-11am

Where: Point Pleasant Park (Tour Site 10)

Cost: Free!

*Except for tomorrow, YITP will be on Sunday mornings btw 10-11am. For the MOST up to date YITP info- please join our facebook group: Halifax Yoga in the Park.

Yoga peeps- if you haven't already, check out your local city's YITP- seriously the best way to practice yoga. If your city doesn't have one- start one!

GPB: Critically Thinking About Research: Thoughts on Autism

I'm ending this week on a bang with some thoughts on critically examining research, the responsibility of health professionals and recent news on placentas and risk for Autism (yep, I said 'placenta').

Go on over, share your thoughts and perspectives. Like I said, just a discussion and observations to share. :)

Happy Friday!

My Inner Speech Therapist Hates Colours and Numbers

(inspired by a comment on this rainy saturday post... thank you Amy!)

There is almost nothing more useless than knowing your colours. From a communication standpoint.

No really. I really couldn't care less if a 2, 3 or even 4 year old knows their colours. It is the least useful language component we could teach our children... and yet that is the first thing when I hear that a kiddo is "so smart" because they "can count to 10 and know their colours".

Ugh.

I would much prefer a child say a noun, a preposition or better yet... an ACTION word! Oh, how I SWOON over verbs. Instead, we're focused on how he can say "boo" (ahem, "blue" for you non-toddler speak).

How communicative is a colour or number anyway?

If you had a bowl of fruit filled with bananas, lemons, golden delicious apples and cut pineapple and your child pointed and said "LELLO" (yellow...) would you know which one he wanted? What about if he pointed and said "TWO"... two what???

Recently I saw a little guy (4 and a half) that was learning French. It was obvious what they were focusing on at preschool. Oh, he couldn't follow simple commands, recognize French words or even string together a two word phrase in French to save his life but he sure could label his colours and count to ten. It was maddening.

Do you know what is the best class of words to get kiddos to combine words? VERBS. Yeppers, in French and in English (and I would assume other languages), action words trump them all. The beauty of that is that in every.single.thing that we do there are verbs. AND children LOVE to be active and physical... you can model "jump/saute" probably a million times as you jump up and down with your child and I guarantee they will have a fabulous time.

Sure, exposing children to colours and numbers before school is academically (and ok, somewhat communicatively) useful... but that's doable as a pre-academic (as in, pre-school year) goal. And has nothing to do with intelligence or language skills.

ps- a kiddo needs to hear a word at least 500 times before they will try it.... drop in a bucket.

My speech therapy advice? Forget the colours and numbers- verbs and nouns are where it's AT. :)

(please note: Although I despise colours and numbers, I am a big fan of referring to speech therapy- big surprise since I am a Speech-Language Pathologist. Speech Therapy (in Canada) is free, you don't need a doctor's referral, and it's fun. If you do have any concerns about your child's communication development, please refer to your local public speech and language services. It's much more difficult to make progress once school starts, and waitlists can be long, so why wait?)

GPB Day in the Life: With Kittens!

Ever wonder what I do all day when I am not furiously writing this blog, being eco-licious or yoga-licious? No? Well.... ok then.

In case the answer was actually yes- go check out my post at the GPB today! It's filled with kittens, chore charts and speech therapy!! Woo!

(also, speaking on kittens... update on Atreyu- he has been officially diagnosed with a psycho-somatic disorder and the vet recommended anti-psychotics.... le sigh. Currently, he is sick from a mild bladder infection, again, and has developed a sensitivity to the anti-biotics... so he threw up everywhere and refuses to eat. It's great. Thank goodness he has a squishy face and we still love him to bits).

Happy Weekend!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Test Run Your Feet: Walking to Work

(For all my peeps who bicycle- you rock! I'm chatting about walking here because bicycling to work just isn't in the cards for me. But if you're reading and really want to give it a try- Five Seed has fabulous resources for the bicycling discoverers! 
For all my rural peeps, I understand you can't walk-bicycle-public transit to work. I get it- a 30-45minute car drive on the highway into work just wouldn't be fun. Maybe carpooling or finding an energy efficient vehicle should be your thing.
For everyone else:)


Small eco-step: Test run your feet.

Yep, instead of driving to work, take advantage of the beautiful summer months to give your feet a try and walk (and+or take public transit).

This will be my third year of walking to work and the second year taking the ferry for 70% of my work days. This includes winter months of snow storms. Honestly, my original motivation was lack of parking at the office downtown. The bus system in Halifax is terrible, so it was just easier to walk for 35minutes instead of paying for parking (160$ a month) or an 80$ month bus pass.

Then my office moved across the harbour to Dartmouth. Thankfully it is directly across from the ferry terminal. Unthankfully (yes that is now a word, since blogger didn't outline it in red), the terminal is a 20minute walk from my apartment. For a grand total of 45minutes each way to get to work. Despite it being cheaper to drive (bridge tolls are 70cents vs 2$ for the ferry) and faster (20minutes instead of 45minutes), I prefer walking.

Why you should test drive your feet:

• No traffic. Not worrying or shouting at bad drivers is pretty blissful (yes, I have road rage...). 
• Your feet are dependable and on time. No traffic jams or slow drivers will impact when you'll get to work.
• You'll avoid all those pesky traffic accidents. Just this week there was an accident on one of the bridges and I was the only person at work on time. And might I say quite less flustered.
• No worrying about parking. Your feet don't need a parking spot!
• Having that extra bit of quiet time while you walk to work at the start and end of your day will is almost meditative. 
• You can practice your pranayam while you walk. If you're a yoga geek like that.
• Even if you don't walk near the water like I do, having your headphones on and listening to your favourite music will help you centre before a work day, or unwind and leave work behind at the end of the day. 
• Your health will thank you.
• The Planet will thank you. 
• Your wallet will thank you.

(The MacDonald bridge with Halifax on the left and Dartmouth on the right from the Ferry. This week it's been blazing sun every morning!)

So, you've read this far and you're like- "Hey, this Lisa gal has got something here!" (yes I do, thank you), I have a few more tips to help you keep this new mode of transport:

Shoes:
When I heard a former colleague say she "never wants to be one of those business women wearing running shoes to work" I was a little confused- seriously? People really judge that? If that's what is holding you back, you don't REALLY need sneakers to walk to work. But having season appropriate footwear is crucial. Here are mine:
Summer- flip flops.
Fall- flats or rubber boots (depending on weather)
Winter- winter boots (or rubber boots) depending on weather.
Spring- rubber boots or flats.

What is convenient, is I usually leave a pair of flats at work when I don't feel like bringing them in my bag while I'm walking.

Weather Protection:
I have an arsenal of weather protection that I use depending on what it's giving for the day. A raincoat is a must in Halifax, as is my fabulous eco-friendly winter coat, mittens, scarf and tuque. I also invested in some leg warmers to wear over my pants during the really really cold winter months.

Preparation:
When you start walking, you should become closely acquainted with your local weather forecast website. Being a fisherman's daughter, I have spent my entire life hearing about weather patterns- so no  issue there. There's nothing worse than walking home and realizing you hadn't checked the weather... and it's pouring out. And you don't have your raincoat.

Also, if you don't like walking in the quiet- download your favourite podcast or make several 'mood inspired' playlists. I listen to radio-canada (usually médium large) every morning.

So who's in?

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Consignment and EcoFriendly Clothing: Crimson and Clover!

Working in a professional environment involving presentations and PR means revamping my wardrobe every season. I'm not that hard on clothing, but if it starts to look worn I end up looking shabby and not professional.

I try to invest in clothing that is made as locally as possible and with environmentally friendly textiles, but it's definitely pricey with a limited selection. My body type means I need to physically try clothing on for the most part- so ordering from Etsy or online isn't always straightforward.

Another option people often bring up is second hand shopping. I'm going to be honest- until recently, finding previously loved clothing that looks professional and crisp was almost impossible. I don't have the patience (or time) to go serious Frenchy's shopping.

That has all changed thanks to Crimson and Clover!

In early autumn a new Consignment Boutique, Crimson and Clover, opened up in Halifax. Located on 1351 Birmingham Street (below Clyde Street) in the cutest little heritage home, Crimson and Clover was opened by two fabulous fashionistas Jennifer and Stacey.

 "Used Clothing for the Rich and Famous" teehee!

 Love this part of Halifax with the cute streets and heritage buildings. Grey-Blue building houses Crimson and Clover!

 Check out the fabulous heritage finishings- the plaster molding on the ceiling lamp, the fireplace on the right above and another in the front room below! Also LOVE the original floors.

Unlike other second-hand/consignment shops, Crimson and Clover has extremely rigid guidelines as to what they accept into consignment. I know, since I've just consigned two items (a beautiful lululemon top that was worn once and sacha london shoes). They only accept clothing that are from important fashion labels (the only department store labels are high level such as Club Monaco or Banana Republic), extremely gently used, within recent fashion trends and must be impeccably cleaned/ironed/pressed.

Prices at Crimson and Clover reflect the quality of the garment. Since all clothing are in pristine condition and very well made, you can expect to pay a reasonable price. That said, the prices are much lower than if you'd buy the clothing brand new.

Buying previously loved is one of the BEST ways to wear environmentally friendly. Unlike new eco-clothing such as organic cotton or sustainable bamboo, previously loved doesn't have any extra manufacturing footprint or transportation carbon footprint. Since you have to be prepared to pay premium dollar for organic cotton made in USA/Canada clothing, the prices at Crimson and Clover for eco-friendly clothing that looks fabulous is a steal.

(They even have a fantastic selection of yoga gear!)

The first few times I visited the store, it was like walking into a whole other fashion universe. Stacey and Jennifer are fun and smart ladies who are quick to recommend and so excited about their clothing. It's contagious and soon their passion for beautiful pre-loved stylish clothing rubs off. They constantly have new offerings, literally every weekend there are several new pretties to look at!

My purchases! Top: Harujuku Lovers sweater (tags were still on it!), Blu Heaven Stop. Bottom: Ella Moss soft herring bone dress, striped shirt, Velvet feather dress and cutest ever silk dress/shirt!

Me in my new-to-me harajuku lovers sweater and beautiful gifted scarf that my friend Carla found for me in Pakistan!

If you're in Halifax I highly recommend that you add Crimson and Clover to your EcoFriendly clothing must see!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Yoga as a Health Profession: Some Thoughts

I'm sure I've mentioned before, but I'm not just a yoga practicing, tree-hugging gal... most of my life is actually centered around something I don't blog about that much: Speech-Language Pathology. Human communication. That is my schtick really. All things about how we communicate fascinates me and if you add multiple languages and you've got me hooked. I love me a fantabulous accent, grammatical differences, allophones of the same phoneme stuff.

(ahem, boring stuff for most!)

Unfortunately, this amazing profession of helping children connect, communicate and achieve love through language has also embedded itself into my every waking thought. I analyze sounds, notice dialectical aberrations (sadly "I seen" just isn't correct, even if I might say it myself sometimes-BAD SLP) and geek out over interesting multiple language interactions. The yoga instructor has an accent? I spend most of the class puzzling together what sort of vowel changes she's doing.

I've simply accepted it as work place hazard.

All this to introduce how the past five years of my life have taught me quite a bit about the helping professions- what can help and what can hinder.

Traditional health professionals can be pretty darn snobby about alternative therapies... but as Yoga increases in popularity and supporting medical research continues to support Yoga as a valuable member in the wholistic interprofessional team, we need to make a decision. Often I read doubt, cynism or complete distrust to embrace a change toward yoga fitting in the rubric of "health profession". I understand where this is coming from. I do.

That said, what disappoints me are those who refuse to see how Yoga could find it's own unique place.

A few of the benefits of a health professional:

• Having a national organization (CASLPA) that supports and advocates for SLPs (and Audiologists) helps me have a valid say in how my profession changes and grows. 
• Requiring certification (5 hour exam) that is the same across the country assures that those SLPs who are also certified meet a certain standard. 
• This standard then feeds back to the master's programs nationally. The exam reflects what should be taught in master's programs assuring that there are no programs that pump out substandard SLPs, which in turn results decreased percentage of "poor caliber" SLPs to tarnish the profession.
• National certification also assures that SLPs maintain continued education of a certain standard. This encourages evidence based knowledge sharing and giving.
• Although Nova Scotia is one of the last provinces to do this, our legislative body (crossing fingers will happen soon!) assures that you can't practice in Nova Scotia, call yourself a "Speech-Language Pathologist" without meeting certain standards (i.e. CASLPA certification).
• This protects other SLPs, the integrity of our profession as well as the client. If you're seeking out an SLP in the province you can be assured of a certain standard.
• Client satisfaction and safety can actually become an issue in Speech Pathology. SLPs work with individuals with swallowing problems (lung infection, choking, quality of life), laryngectomies, head and neck cancer, strokes along with Autism, Down Syndrome, Seizure disorders to name just a few populations. Having a poorly trained SLP could truly impact the client for the rest of their lives.
• Interprofessional work is easier- other professionals can expect a certain level of knowledge, skill and credibility. This is essential when working as a team- trust.

I hope you can see the connection between these benefits and the recent issues and concerns being raised with the growing Yoga Instructor Profession. Bemoaning the lack of training, the lack of rigidity, the inconsistencies between training programs while in the same breath railing against any attempt at certification or standardisation seems counterintuitive. I get that change is scary, difficult and challenging with so many disparate paths to becoming an Instructor. I also understand that some may be nervous about losing their ability to teach. Physiotherapy wasn't always a master's degree... what happened to those who didn't have a master's degree? They were "grand-mothered" in.

I most certainly do not have the answers. This is a complex question. As someone who (gasp!) works within the western medicine cube, I just see so much potential for Yoga to influence and shape health professions around the world. I do believe there is space within the confines of what constitutes a health professional for a Yoga Instructor. I also believe that should this work be undertaken BOTH Yoga Instructors and students will benefit greatly from this new path.

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Irrational Emotional Financial Anxiety (IEFA)

The Yulemas season is fast approaching (No huge 'Black Friday' in Canada means no official holiday season starting point) and I've been feeling increasingly stressed about the shopping and consumption.

I thought it was linked to the whole 'sustainability, buying more stuff is bad for the environment' mantra that I've been trying to REDUCE over the past years.... but what I've realized is that it's more like a sort of generalized anxiety or malaise.

After some thought, I've realized that the constant barrage of global economic instability, government debt, cuts, job losses and job insecurity in the media has been internalized in my general emotional system. Even though my job is permanent full time (and I'm unionized), I'm surrounded by uncertainty and job anxiety at my work. From the 'Occupy' movement, to the recent plunge in lobster prices which will force my family and friends of fishermen to basically live on unbelievably low wages, we're constantly under the impression on eminent social collapse.

Despite my permanent nature of my job I'm acting as if I could be unemployed (while still having to pay off a ton of debt) at any moment. I'm worried about investing in a long lasting, uber environmentally friendly winter coat- even though I walk to and from work in blizzard conditions daily and my current peacoat isn't warm enough, nor water-snow resistent. Even though I could budget for this coat.

I don't attend yoga classes (I saw a 'holiday deal' for unlimited studio access for one year at 899$....wow! can you imagine spending that much on a GIFT for someone??), I didn't even go see Michael Stone's talk about Occupy movement because it would have cost Andrew and I over 30$ (which seems counterintuitive to charge money for an 'Occupy' talk).

My yoga practice has been a temporary respite and I've upped my practice goal to 4x a week (for other health reasons as well), but it's this unconscious almost underlying theme to all my thoughts, all my conversations.

Does anyone else feel this irrational emotional anxiety about their finances?

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Being "Eco" at Work

Work.... although it would be nice, blogging is not my day job :)

Ecological questions and life changes truly become much more than a few things you do at home to make life better. Once a person realizes that our current destructive way of living, consuming our resources until there are none left (which scientific genius and leading researcher Dr. William Rees informed us we were consuming 1.6 planet Earths currently... ) we realize that our children and grandchildren's lives are at stake.

Not to be all fear mongering, but when all scientific evidence points to climate change, lack of resources and explosive population growth on a finite planet we really can't deny that the human race is in peril.

So. This acceptance is kinda a big deal for many. Not really the same as saying: "Well, Yoga isn't for everyone, no biggie". This is why becoming an Eco-Yogi(ni) really does mean more than changing a few things at home, it means bringing this realization and passion to every part of your life. Including where we spend the majority of our waking hours.... work.

Work is hard as so many decisions are beyond our control. For example, cleaning agents, paper use, recycling facilities, light and computer energy usage. Although every place is different, I have worked in three separate sites over the past two years and have tried several different things.

1. Recycling. At my former site the building itself had recycling bins placed for patients throughout, but our clinic cleaning staff (not our employees, but contracted out by the building) refused to recycle anything except paper. So, after chatting with colleagues I volunteered to bring plastic, cardboard and metal home for recycling. It involved a few chats with the cleaning staff as well, some signage with pictures and a few minutes every two weeks bringing the bag home and sorting.
I think the hardest part was the convincing a few specific staff members that I wasn't trying to make them feel bad, or guilty. In the world of corporate life direct conversations can be tricky...

2. Paper usage. I have figured out how to print all my reports double-sided. WOO. Also, our organization has many of the filing components that are paperless which is fabulous. At the same time, there are certain things beyond my control. Like use of weird little paper forms to communicate tasks.

3. Light, heat and computer usage... this one is tough. Our staff room light is always on during the day, even when no one is in there. I think it's ridiculous and was shutting off the light during my first few weeks... until I noticed that someone was going right behind me and turning it back on. So. This is a long term goal for me. I do turn down the heat in my office every evening and have asked co-workers to do the same (which I wouldn't have done if they weren't open to the idea).

4. Group site events (i.e. meetings). This was a huge success recently as my friend J. helped organized a meeting for all three sites. When she sent out an email stating we should all bring our reusable mugs for coffee/tea I responded with a supportive email... as did a few other of my site's coworkers. Thank goodness, as we found out later that one of J.'s colleagues was extremely against the idea. J. also had a compost bin she brought from home (and had to take home herself) and although she was forced to buy bottled water- the plastic was post-consumer recycled content. Yay!


5. Leaky Tap in the public washroom. I started to panic when I noticed that the tap in the public washroom at work was *ALWAYS* dripping whenever I went in. This was because the taps needed to be pushed back forcefully to stop the dripping. It was mind blowing the amount of water that was wasted over the course of a day. Just because people were too lazy to give it a bit of a push.
So... I made a little sign that says: "Please push taps, I leak!" with a picture of a leaky faucet.

Now. I can't say that it is never dripping now... but it's gone down to about 30-40% (from 100%). I say that is a success.

What I have learned in this process of bringing ecological mores to my work environment:

Lead by example.

People really don't want to hear your go ON about how they are terrible people and you are awesome (even though we all know that you are). I've found that people will notice when you bring in your really cool stainless steel lunch box (or glass containers) and reusable mugs. They ask questions and you can give a few reasons why it's so important.

The best thing was when I came back from Pete's Frootique with my salad in my reusable tin. That got lots of discussion going about how their salad containers aren't recyclable or compostable.
Turn off the lights as you leave a room, turn the heat down in your office and if there isn't any recycling in your office building consider bringing your own container to bring home every so often. People will notice.

Make a few comments.

This is key. Although a coworker may appear to be interested in the environment, often a heated political debate isn't exactly empowering. They will undoubtedly compare what you're saying "should" happen with what they haven't been doing.

Instead, make a few comments here and there. For example, a colleague of mine leaves her office heat on all the time. A few times I've entered in and commented on how hot it was... and asking if they forgot to turn the heat down over night.

Last week we were talking about coffee filters and I commented on how I though cleaning the reusable filters was easier. My colleague indicated she used paper towel... and I responded with how paper towel was no more in my household. With a caveat that it was very very difficult to decrease my paper towel addiction. This led to sharing ideas on cleaning at home. She now uses a spoon to scoop out her coffee grinds.

Be compassionate and empathetic to different situations.

Not everyone is able to follow through with similar changes at home. My colleagues all have several children. I may be able to make changes that are much more difficult for them at home.

For example, I was so excited about the new farm fresh glass bottled milk I bought at the farmer's market. My colleague asked the milk fat percentage- about 4%- and the amount in a bottle- 1 litre. She has two boys and typically buys 8 litres of skim milk a WEEK. Boys drink a lot of milk.
Instead of trying to convince her of alternatives or to try it anyways, I nodded, agreed that it would be almost impossible and let it go.

Accept that some things are beyond your control....

and begin the process as to how you can change them from a management level. This applies to the toilet paper used in the bathrooms, cleaning agents (we had scary chemical laden H1N1 killer wipes that we were forced to use on all our toys and books... that children chewed) etc. If you feel management is open to these types of discussions, request a meeting for further possibilities while approaching management as a site instead of as an individual. These things take time and a lot of calm clear headed chats. Acceptance is key.

Avoid politics.

And religion. lol. Such a common sense thing for work, but there are many political aspects of being ecological (as the only real change will happen by voting and letting the big decision makers know what we want), but work really isn't the place for these discussions to take place.

Actually, I only talk politics with the closest of friends. Not everyone has the same ideas that I do and I know from experience that my discourse and heated passion won't change their minds. Again, small comments here and there are the way to go.

Think cultural change-not behavioural change.

Once being wasteful, mindless consuming and polluting no longer becomes socially acceptable or "cool" that's when we start to get social and cultural change. Which leads to people demanding and voting for government change as a given as opposed to something special.

This means being a bit more calm and matter of fact about things that just no longer fly. I guess I'm also young enough (barely!) to say things like: "That is so not cool" (although maybe that dates me too?? lol).

When you think of it that way, the above strategies to fall in naturally.


Do you have any eco-work change ideas to suggest?

Blessings!

Article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com