Most of us want to live on a happy green planet. But often we act in ways that undermine our opportunity to enjoy life on this planet.

Some say that yoga teaches us to be better observers to notice the effect of our breath. With luck this may translates the planet into the ability to notice things that we didn’t think about before, like the effect of our mood on a friend or of our consumer habits on the planet.

Adi Carter used the power of observation to notice how much trash I was creating—and to create less by being mindful of what I consumed. Inspired by the actions of four fellow AcroYoga teachers, she challenged herself to collect her own trash. For three months, she  carried everything with her that I she normally throw away or recycle. Her rubbish would travel with her everywhere she went. It would function as a visual aid to educate people about sustainability issues in a fundraiser for the Cambodian Children’s Fund. Called the Mindfulness Challenge, with proceeds going to help Cambodian children living in extreme poverty in rubbish dumps. She had to think ahead about everything she bought and ate cooking meals the night before, packing them in reusable stainless steel containers.

Apparently the average Brit generates four pounds of rubbish a day. By being mindful, Adi created a fraction of that. In three months, she had less than 10 pounds of rubbish and half of that was junk mail, it fit a large shoulder bag. Adi enthused “The trash tour was a brilliant learning experience. It’s easy for trash to be out sight, out of mind’ once we throw it away. But when we are faced with the aftermath our consumption every day, we can’t help but notice how our actions affect the planet. noticed the effects on myself, too. Buying foods without packaging, like produce and bulk grains, meant that I was eating fresh foods, rich in prana (life force) and nutrients. By planning and cooking my own meals, I felt healthier and happier.”

How can you help?

To get foods minus the packaging.

shop at farmers’ markets (for fresh produce) and stores with bulk bins (for staples like flour, cereal, beans, and grains).

Bring your own plastic and canvas bags.

Call catalog companies and ask to be taken off their mailing lists.

Pay your bills electronically instead of using paper.

Avoid single-use paper products, Substitute hand towels for paper towels, hankies for tissues, cloth napkins for paper.

Carry your own stain- less steel or glass water bottle. Carry your food in stainless steel containers.

If you are interested in all things yogic then you should get yourself along to the Yoga Show which is taking place at Olympia from 30th October – 1st November. The show is a great way to discover and try out the many different styles of yoga that are out there. There are free workshops that you can pop along to anytime throughout the day and 1:2:1 equipment sessions, children’s yoga, demonstrations and lectures.

You can always give yourself a little break from being bendy and discover some tasty and healthy snacks. It’s also a excellent way to finding out about new music and many other things with a ‘wellbeing’ feel.

Yoga Wellbeing will be there on Sunday 1st November, we will be wearing our YW shirts so if you see us stop us and we can have a good chat.

To find out what’s in store, take a look – www.theyogashow.co.uk.

It was a beautiful night for a spot of Yoga in the Park. We set up beside the circle of trees and got on with perfecting our yogic flying. One of the ladies commented on what a difference closing her eyes and hearing the wind rustle through the trees made to her relaxation pose. This all adds to the experience of doing yoga outdoors.

Since yoga began in India I can’t imagine many yogi’s practiced in shiny studios. They were happy to be outdoors, enjoying nature. We have to be realistic, when it gets a bit chilly we will be retreating indoors to a studio, shiny or not. As we watch the rain droplets roll down the window mid cobra. Until then I am sure you would like to be outdoors enjoying the mini summer in England. So until the sky turns grey join us for a bendy session or two.

My Yoga Online is happy to present a new yoga article by guest yoga author, Kino MacGregor. Enjoy this latest yoga writing offering inspiration in creating a strong sense of wellness through the action of mindful thought.

You create your reality in every moment with the thoughts that you think. Your attention is itself responsible for your life experience. No matter how awful the traffic jam is, how loud your neighbors are, how inconsiderate people may seem, how delayed the airplane is, you are the one who is ultimately in control of your reality. Regardless of what type of experience finds its way into your life you always have power over your reaction to reality. In doing so you are the true master of your own fate. Think that life is awful and it is…for you. Think that people are careless, blind and ignorant and they will be…to you. The power of positive thinking is a common topic of conversation, books and seminars in the yoga community. Most of yoga practitioners agree that it is a good idea to concentrate our thoughts towards a positive goal, rather than lull around in the doldrums of complaint and whine. The real question lies not in the debate about whether we can create our own reality or not, but rather in the how.

Enter the five thousand year old tradition of which you take part when you practice yoga. Yoga is a true science of the mind where you actively practice choosing a peaceful response to distressful situations, thus giving you the tools for creating your reality in each moment. When you practice yoga, you watch your mind’s reaction to touching the borders of your physical reality. Your inner dialogue in postures that seem impossible to you parallels your reaction to life situations that push the boundary of your comfortability. Pushing these limits brings up fear, anger, sadness, frustration, and numerous other insidious emotions.

It is easy to let your mind spin away into these temptations, however, with regular practice you will have the strength to remain calm, focused and aware. It’s like the difference between scratching an itch automatically and feeling the itch, acknowledging it and then choosing not to scratch. As you remain calm you are able to choose a peaceful response to your experience and thereby create your own reality. Wayne Dyer says that it is always possible to stop any life experience and say to yourself, “I can choose peace over this.” Yoga gives you a forum to practice saying to yourself that you actually can choose peace over the patterns that you have practiced in the past. You finally have the strength to stop scratching those pesky itches. Your thoughts are crystal clear in between your breath, posture, and drishti. With no one else to blame, no where else to run, nothing left to do, you can finally start where you are, in the center of your created life experience and begin the dedicated, devotional path towards creating a peaceful life in the present moment…one breath at a time.

About Kino MacGregor
Kino MacGregor is a small business owner (www.miamilifecenter.com), yoga teacher and freelance journalist who has produced two yoga DVDs and is currently working on her first book, Inner Peace, Irresistible Beauty to be released late April 2009. For complete details please see www.ashtanga-awareness.com.

Related Articles:
Energy of Positive Thinking
Five Principles of Yoga

No Tags