'A bread maker....Oh you shouldn't have!'

I (Mia) got an amazing video from one of my dearest friends. I met up with this wonderful lady yesterday and as we were discussing it I realized that I really need to share its message with all of you fine people.

In the past couple of years I've been to what seems like a million bridal showers, baby showers, house warming parties, kids birthdays ect ect....and the list goes on and on. In theory these events are a great way to celebrate milestones in the lives of those we love. And I understand that its a great way to ensure that the soon to be newlyweds or soon to be parents aren't completely broke by the time all is said and done. However I believe there is a difference between getting what you need out of necessity and getting enough stuff to start your own store right there in your living room. And I'm afraid most showers I went to leaned more towards the second. As I was sitting at these events my stomach would turn at the site of all the wrapping paper, packaging, ribbons and material that went into making all these products. I realize I'm one of the few who is sitting there trying not to pass out while the 67th present is being opened; and I certainly don't expect others to be the same but hear me out for just a sec.

The truth is most of these goodies will be used a couple of times and stored away somewhere never to be seen again. I understand that not everyone has big showers to only get things that they'll barely use, but the reality is that a lot of people do. Again I believe gift giving is great, and getting what will actually be used on regular basis is fantastic, but in the western world we've gone way beyond necessity to ridiculousness. If we take a moment to bring awareness into our lives, think globally and look at the big picture it becomes apparent that we create more waste then necessary, not only that but all the stuff that we buy at such low prices and high quantities have a great effect on our plant's resources and people in other parts of this world. This is sometimes referred to as the 'true cost' of production. To see what I'm talking about watch the 'Story of Stuff' video posted here.

And is it all really worth it? I think this is a great question to ask ourselves. Is all this stuff making us happier or is it enriching our lives in any way? Does the child who just celebrated their 1st birthday need 10 stuffed animals instead of just one or two? I dunno, just putting it out there. Instead of getting the child you love oh so much a closet full of clothes that they'll get to wear twice before they grow out of it, maybe the money would be better spent on something like starting a college fund.

And it doesn't stop with just showers and birthday parties, I'll be the first to admit that I'm guilty of impulsively buying things in the past that I don't really need. And for that reason I know first hand that the joy that the item brought me at the time of purchase is not a very sustainable feeling over time.

To sum all this up when we look at the three things that makes us happy in our lives, I would argue that the stuff we buy doesn't make it on the list. So the payoff for the 'true cost' of production barely seem worth it at all.

The video that I was talking about is posted below. Go on take some time to watch it, it talks about measuring a country's success not by how much it can produce but by the welfare and happiness of its people. What a concept! Using this as a measure of success Costa Rica tops all other countries...you'll find out what they're doing to come in first place. Its no wonder so many North Americans are moving there.

Nic Marks: The Happy Planet Index | Video on TED.com

Water

This is a post about water. Water, and yoga...and other things. Read on please.

We Canadians, live in the proverbial land of milk and honey. Yes we have our own issues, problems and concerns. Yes we have pollution, poverty, debt and sub-par public transportation.

However, when we really put things into perspective, it’s easy to be grateful.
I (Joanna) read an article a couple weeks back in the National Geographics which lit a fire under my seat. According to this article, 46% of the world’s population does not have access to clean drinking water. Let me say this again…46% of the world’s population does not have access to clean drinking water. Let that sink in for a moment. That’s almost half of the people on this planet. My initial thought was…how could this happen? How can other people, let this happen?

As I read on, it was clear how this happened. Greed, depletion of natural resources, and all of the usual suspects. However, this post is not about these reasons (though yes, we should discuss these reasons, another time.) This post is about how the yoga community, in Toronto, in Canada, in the world, can truly “do” yoga.

An asana practice is designed to strengthen your body, calm your mind and improve your overall health. For those who practice regularly, you know what I’m talking about.
But what happens, in time is the development of a heightened sense of sensitivity and decernment.
You know when you’re in class and the teacher asks you to: go inside, be aware, slow down. All of those other things that are often times difficult for us to do because we get caught up. Caught up in our own stories, dramas and worries. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trivializing anyone’s personal situations…life can be rough man.
Essentially though, this exercise in slowing down the thought process does not merely relax you, but teaches you to become, aware. This, in my humble opinion, is the most important aspect of a yoga practice.
That word; aware. Now, what does this word imply. Because technology is so great, I googled the synonyms for aware:

Aware: Synonyms: alert, alive, appreciative, attentive, awake, cognizant, conscious, enlightened, grounded, heedful, in the know, informed, knowing, mindful, perceptive, plugged in, receptive, sentient, sharp, wise

Antonyms: ignorant, insensitive, unaware, unconscious

A couple words jumped out at me, which of those I’ve put in bold above. So again, in my humble opinion, being aware goes SO beyond our yoga mat and our yoga class. The seemigly solitary nature of yoga practice, is actually the seedlings of a greater depth of understanding.

We can take this gift, this lesson and use it to open our external eyes to what is happening around us. Whether it’s cultivating and caring for the relationships with the people we love. Or, knowing that our inhabitance on this planet is also a relationship, one we must treat with care. Or perhaps it’s about waking up and not dismissing and forgetting about the other 46% of the world who can’t just turn on the tap as we do, every day, to drink.

There are millions of yogis around the world. Think about the impact and change that we can create together.

Seva is a Sanskrit word meaning selfless service. Ghandi and Mother Theresa come to mind. However, there are many people and companies in the yoga community that are practicing what they preach.

American yoga teacher, Seane Corn has an organization called Off the Mat and Into the World. There site is here...truly inspirational. Jade Yoga, a yoga accessories company based in the states which plants one tree for every rubber yoga mat they sell. Their site is here, and they do a good job, at putting back what they’ve taken out. Plus, they have the best mats in the world, again, my opinion.


Unlike Atlas, we don’t have to carry the entire weight of the world on our shoulders. If this post resonates with you, yogi/yognini, start somewhere. Pick a local charity supporting a cause you are passionate about and donate your time/resources.


Mia gave me a great quote the other week when I was blasting her ear off about the contents of this post. She said something to the effect of, “It may just be a drop of water, but a multiple drops of water fills oceans”.

As for me, I too will practice what I preach. Mia and I have always been on the same page when it comes to giving back to the community. Green Lavender has done several fund-raisers and Karma classes in which we’ve donated our time and resources to local charities (check out of Free Kula Friday classes).

However, I myself would like to do more. I’m posting this publicly so that I can get called out on it if I back-track. I’m currently researching local not-for-profits that I can donate my time to. If anyone knows of a great organization which helps to feed those in need, in a healthy, sustainable way, please send the info my way. I’m also researching international organizations which raises funds for those who need clean drinking water.

After all...one drop, is still one drop.

The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others - Ghandi

Just Be

This is a great post for all entrepreneurs and those thinking of entrepreneurship...enjoy. I (Mia) wish I knew this prior to opening up a business, but I guess learning is part of the process.

Along the path of becoming and being in a position where you get to sign your own cheques you hear a lot of encouraging words such as: 'Good for you!' or 'You're so lucky, I wish I could leave my full time job and become my own boss' or 'Whats it like to wake up and want to go to work every day?'. The point here is: although these words of support are always great to hear and are very empowering, they may have a very negative impact depending on how they are internalized....as I learned the hard way. I got to a point of thinking that I'm so blessed to have a business that is flourishing, and to prove that I deserved it I brought my life to a state of serious unbalance. Some mornings the thought of going to work made me want to pull my eyelashes out one by one. Serious, I know. But the second a thought like that came into my mind I started judging myself. I mean how was I suppose to live up to my standards of being a 'happy' business owner if I'm waking up in the morning not wanting to go to work? You can see how this could be an issue and a serious waste of energy. I quickly learned that even parents who love their children more than anything had moments where they just wanted to run away from it all for just a little bit. So what makes me so special? Why do I have to be excited about my business 24/7? Well the truth is I don't, its not possible. We're human, we need balance in our lives and perma excitement is just plain creepy. Not wanting to go to work some days does not mean that you made the wrong decision when choosing your path in life or that you're unhappy with what you're doing.....it just simply means you'd rather sleep that day.

My lesson: let yourself be in whatever space you are in, without judgment. There is nothing wrong. If you watch your thoughts, without trying to change them its funny how fast they pass because you realize that they're just your thoughts and not the truth. Ah, one of the many great lessons to be learned from Yoga.



This quote doesn't have much to do with my post but I love it so much I had to share it:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your playing small doesn't serve the world.
(Marianne Williamson, quoted by Nelson Mandella in his inaugural speech)

Breathe. If you know that's good for ya.

I hate planes. I, Joanna hates planes. Wait, let me re-phrase, I hate riding in planes, jumbo-jets, single engine Cessnas, anything that takes my feet off the ground. Blame it on my yogic path that teaches me to “ground”, that I need to feel earth underneath me, supporting me, instead of being a gazillion miles below, separated by checked-in baggage and air…lots and lots of air.

So, last month I got hitched, and instead of a having a lavish affair here in hot, humid Toronto, we wed, Pacific shore side in hot humid Panama. It was great, and I felt so blessed to have my close friends and family there to celebrate with us.

Having the wedding of my dreams (and yes, it was) in Central America however, entailed having to get on Boeing 747, or 649, or whatever kind of plane it was, to get to my destination. A small price to pay right?

I should back-track a little…no, I am not deathly afraid of flying, nor do I pop pills to zonk out during the flight. Flying is just…so damn uncomfortable…right? It didn’t help that I was stuck in between two guys (my husband, and his friend Dan) who’s god-given shoulders cannot respect my personal space (or arm-rest). Not their fault. Since I’m the “shrimp” I apparently don’t have any rights to the aisle or the window seat. It also doesn’t help that the plane’s recycled air, constantly smelled like a soup of industrial cleaning product, airplane food and that undeniable fuselage scent.

So the flight to Panama City is about 5 and change hours from Pearson, and about 30 minutes in, I’m already sick of the plane. I’m annoyed, thrashing around, tired and just generally grossed out from being on the plane. I’m also super annoyed that JP and Dan both have their head-sets in, thoroughly enjoying the gags Just for Laughs they are playing on the little monitor in front of us. How dare you be so… so CONTENT!!?

2 hours in, I’m ready to pull out my own eye-lashes, and so I get up to do some stretches in the back of the plane. Yes, I bust out a couple yoga moves to stretch out my lower back (uttanasana) and shoulders (garudasana arms) and I instantly feel better, almost in a quantifiable way. I get back to my seat, and I’m not that annoyed anymore, and I actually take out my headphones to join JP and Dan to watch an episode of Two and Half Men and guess what…I actually laugh.

Not wanting to revert to my old miseries, I decide that to keep my sanity I needed to do some more yoga. But this time, I’d stay in my seat.

I spent the next half hour or so in my seat, eyes closed just breathing. No fancy pranayama. Just me – inhales and exhales. When I was through, I put on my sweater and read my gratuitous chick-lit book, calmly, all the way to Panama City airport.

I tell you this little anecdote to illustrate how wonderful the breath truly is. In yoga, it is THE tool, the common denominator we use to connect body, mind and hopefully spirit. One of my teachers calls the breath “the wind in our sails”. Think about that for a second…

As a yoga teacher, it’s my job to get people to not only breathe, but to breathe properly, and effectively. Yeah, that’s right, I see it in your blissed-out eyes after class, you were breathing! Every wonder why yoga feels so good? In addition to the physical benefits of asana, a yoga class encourages you to breathe fully, and completely, which most of us do not do automatically. We are a society of chronic chest breathers.

Did you know that effective breathing actually allows you to eliminate up to 70% of the toxins in your body. Why is this important you ask? Well, because that means your kidneys and adrenal glands can take it easy, and don’t have to work as hard to cleanse your body.

Very cool no?

So start breathing, folks.

Here’s a very simple breathing exercise to help you breathe fully and effectively. You can do this at home, at work, in the park…and of course, on a plane

Start by finding a comfortable sitting or lying position. Close your eyes, and simply start by observing your breath. Breathing in, and out your nostrils. Notice that you are in fact taking breaths in, and out.
Notice the difference of sensation between an inhalation and exhalation. Enjoy both.
Bring awareness to the quality of your breathing; pace, temperature, depth, effort. Try not to judge, just notice.
Then begin to notice where the inhalation goes after it enters your nostrils (where do you feel it in your body? Do you shrug your shoulders upwards when you take a breath in? Does your belly suck in when you inhale?). Do the same with the exhale, where does the breath go?
Now, to deepen your breath: As you inhale, allow your breath to travel into your belly, allowing your belly to gently swell. Keep your shoulders and upper chest quiet as you do this. As you exhale, gently pull your navel in towards your spine as if you were squeezing all of the stale air out from your lungs.
Continue breathing deeply, as you imagine sweeping every inch of your lungs (top to bottom, side to side, front to back).
Let the breath be easy and natural.
If you find this un-natural or difficult, try to stay with it. They don’t call it a yoga practice for nothing.

. (Start with a couple of minutes, building to longer increments of time. If you’ve got respiratory problems, or other health considerations, please be sure to check with your health care provider before doing any pranayama)

And yes...we did yoga on the beach. How can you not breathe, with a view like this