eco-lovely

Discipline & yoga

When we sidestep our practice, what are we trying to escape? This was the question put forth in Donna Farhi's book Bringing yoga to life.  The chapter about discipline brings up a very important memory of a recent incident with my six year old, Sophia. Let me preface this with, my daughter, Sophia is an extremely active and strong-willed child. Our power struggles sometimes escalate to the point of no return. Times where I wish I had more patience and understanding to have possibly handled the situation differently.  Afterward I would fall into despair over harsh words spoken. The guilt of possibly creating a rift in our relationship, or hurting her self esteem filled me with feelings of failure as a mother.  I wonder... how did this happen? How did we get here? Where is my sweet little girl. Where mommy used to do no wrong? She can push my buttons like no other being]. I remember my relationship with my mom and I shudder at the  thought of Sophia as a teenager.  I think I must instill her with love & confidence. I must nurture her leadership personality...not  break her little spirit. But what about my spirit? Doesn't it start there?

One particularly rough morning-we ended up in a heart-wrenching melt down. I went to work and felt awful and terribly guilty. I sometimes take a lunch time yoga class if my schedule allows.  As I looked at my schedule and realized I could fit it in that day, a little voice within said " you don't deserve to take a yoga class. You don't deserve to feel good.  How could you feel good at a time like this?  After you made you daughter feel terrible. It made me really ponder the idea of who is the yoga class for?  Why do I need this yoga class? 

I took the class, so I guess on some level I knew it was my ego trying to keep me from the awareness that my practice could help me heal myself, and my relationship with my daughter. This was such an awakening. I realized this is what Donna Farhi meant when she said  "When we can't or won't make time to practice what are we avoiding.  Usually we are trying to escape all the little demons that have set up shop in our minds & hearts (the ego) who are currently having a reckless fiesta party and the drinks are on us."

I learned a valuable lesson.  My practice is not a selfish or self-serving activity.  It contributes to everything and everyone around me. And if I practiced in the early morning like I always say I am going to do...Would that melt down have ever occured? Hmmmmm......interesting.

Guru's in America in 2009?

How many people in this day and age have a Guru? Do people still do this?  I am so curious...
For myself, the whole Guru thing scares me. How do you know if it is real?  What if these guys are just crazy and hallucinating? I'd transport to another realm of consciousness if I sat in a cave for hours on end meditating with no personal belongings or attachments. No where to go, nothing to do.  There is a part of me who believes, and could see the value in being led down the spiritual path by a great master. But I definitely have my doubts.  I am afraid to give anyone that type of control over me. Maybe that's my problem. Maybe that is my wall. If I could just relinquish control.

I just finished reading Radha Diary of a woman's search, and although I have become a huge admirer, I won't be running off to live on an ashram anytime soon. Not in this lifetime anyway...

Swami Radha was one of the world’s most highly respected spiritual teachers. During her lifetime, 1911-1995 she inspired many people with her courage and willingness to lead a life of purpose and quality.

Swami Sivananda initiated Sylvia into the sacred order of sanyas, the path of renunciation, in 1956.  The first western woman to become a sanyasin, she was given the name Swami Sivananda Radha Saraswati. Shortly after the initiation Swami Sivananda sent her back to the West to "update the Teachings for the Western mind."

I couldn't put the book down. I just became enthralled with her story. She was meditating and Sivananda came to her during her meditation, so she went to India to find him to see if he was her Guru. She gets there, she sleeps on a hard wooden bed with bed bugs, and rats.... and she stays! I just can't even begin to imagine what kind of courage that takes. Then after 6 months he tells her to go back to Canada without any possessions or attachments, without any money and start an ashram. It would one thing if he was going to give her a how to manual with some start up money. Maybe like a franchise...but no, nothing-nada! Just go to Canada wearing your orange robe and start an ashram. She had nothing! No purse...no nothing!

I mean...what was she thinking during that flight back to Canada. What was it like walking through the airport in her saffron robe? What was going through her mind? Did anyone pick her up? She didn't have a dime to her name. Just absolute-total faith. Makes our small trials and tribulations look really small.

Don't misunderstand me. I dream about taking a month off and staying at an ashram somewhere.  I am drawn to all aspects of yoga. Not only asanas, but learning and practicing all 8 limbs.  Maybe I do need a guru. And that can take many forms. When the student is ready, the teacher appears... Hope.

Lakshmi the Hindu Goddess of Abundance

Shakti Mantras: Tapping into the Great Goddess Energy Within By  Thomas Ashley-Farrand

As I read through I understand the power of using sound and mantras during meditation. Having a mantra is helpful when you are trying to stay on the right path. Everyday life can knock you off, again and again. When I start to go in a direction that will not produce positive calm outcomes-I use my mantra to pull me back. Any negative thoughts or tension can be melted away by gazing softly at your third eye and repeating your mantra full heartedly with devotion and love. I chose this particular mantra to help repair and nurture my relationship with my 6 year old daughter after the birth of her baby sister 16 months ago. She has slowly begun to forgive me. It's been a bumpy road. With the use of this mantra and dedicating my asana practice to her each day, as well as sending her golden healing light during meditation. Things have really turned a corner. I even purchased a mala as an aid to meditation.

Here is a great link to an article at Daily OM about using a mala for meditation.

My current manta is:

Om Shrim Maha Lakshmiyei Swaha

which translates to:
Om and Salutations. I invoke the great feminine principle of great abundance.

Yoga & Depression

My first yoga class was in a local library in Highland park, NJ. It was one of those rec center classes. Then around 1997 in New York City. My practice, well It wasn't exactly a practice. It was pretty sporadic. Then I moved to Los Angeles and started doing yoga on a regular basis. In Santa Monica you could find a yoga studio on every corner. I did yoga 3-4 times a week. During this period I was focusing only, and probably only aware of the physical aspect of yoga. I knew it was a spiritual practice, and I loved the way it made me feel. But I thought yoga was just a class of asanas.

My practice slowed down after the birth of my first daughter in 2002. It resumed but not at the same frequency. Not at first anyway. I wouldn't say I had postpartum-but maybe a mild case. Feeling out of sorts, my body was weak, my clothes didn't fit. I just felt frumpy and grumpy. Once I resumed my practice, the sun started to shine again. After a little while I felt good. People noticed my spirits had lifted, my confidence was back-I was happy again. My body felt stron, I felt healthy, and my clothes fit again... Most importantly my sex life improved.  All that blocked energy can cause so many problems. I was happy, my husband was happy....everyone was happy! You know what they say, "if mama ain't happy, nobody's happy!".  So true.

Then we relocated from Southern California, the yoga mecca of North America to Maryland. Well, let's just say yoga studio's were few and far between. I had to go into DC. Which was not the most convenient thing to do with a husband in grad school and a small child at home. I yearned for a practice. I had DVD's at home, but I had a hard time being self motivated to practice alone.

My husband finished his degree and I was pregnant with our second child in 2007. We relocated to Northern Virginia. I had my second baby, Avery Grace, and here we go again! I knew I needed a practice, a regular practice. Money was tight, and time was even tighter. In 2009 I finally made a New Years resolution to start a practice, no matter how small. I started attending a local studio when I could, and I practice at home on the off days.

This time around I have become more aware of the other aspects of yoga.
Here is what I learned. I guess your awareness kicks in when the student is ready.
I am ready....

I'm back!

It has been over a year since I have been here. A lot has happened. Let's see...I will do a list of developments.

1. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, named Avery Grace. She is now 15 months old.

2. After 6 months I went back to work 3.5 days a week at a wonderful salon/spa in Old Town Alexandria, only 3 miles from home!

3. I finally got back to a regular yoga practice! And it helped re-balance my hormones and emotions after weaning Avery. After 3 months I am happy again! Aahhhhh....yoga!

4. I have also decided to go to an Anusara Immersion to prepare for teachers training. I start in September 09. Yay!

5. I am preparing to turn 40 this month, and I have to say I'm excited! 

Phnom Penh’s municipal rubbish dump

  I received this email from my good friend Carol Coote in Los Angeles. She is always up to something good! She came into contact with Scott Neeson.  He who had left Fox in 2003 to head Sony Pictures international marketing operation. In the 5 weeks between jobs, he took a mini-sabbatical through Asia, with a plan to travel from Bangkok through to India. A two day stop-over in Phnom Penh, experiencing first-hand the plight of the city’s children, became a 4 week mission that started him on the path to found the Cambodian Children's Fund  

This is the email:


As an aside to the documentary we are setting up about the girls who
work the Phnom Penh trash dump, my partner Lynne and I have been
setting up deals to sell these bags that the older girls are making -
which keeps them out of the sex trade.  I thought I'd pass this along
because it's such a rewarding activity.  Right now supporting the whole
shabang for these young women comes down to us selling them here.  And
to the many of you who bought them, we wanted you ton know how vital it
is and appreciated.
xxxC

  P.S.  we're already waiting for our second shipment of tote bags, and
are starting to market the famous "Grace Kelly" bag to a hipper
client.  Next we want to manufacture a very simple fold-over clutch. 
We hope you won't mind if we let you know when new shipments arrive -
they make perfect gifts.  At the moment they are exclusively at Polks
Dots and Monnbeams in LA, but will soon be in NYC.

  A special thanks to my friend Deborah Haggis who is going to try to
get one of her celebrity friends to carry the bag and be photographed. 
No pressure Deb - this is just an update to family and friends!

Best,
Carol

scott@cambodianchildrensfund.org writes:

just one typical example of the many that are being helped is a
girl of 19 years. (I say “girl” instead of “woman” intentionally), the
older sister of one of kids. She has never set foot in a classroom and
worked at the dump since she was 9 years old. After working all night
at the dump, she returned home to a drunken mother, who stabbed her in
the leg with a fishing knife. I got the call. As the sole salary-earner
to both drunk and violent parents, and no job skills, she was destined
to continue a pretty hopeless life. Long story short, she is learning
to bags for a half day, six days a week. The other half day she is
studying reading and writing – and still giving her parents the same
amount of money each month. Times that story by the number of people
benefiting from the bag venture and you have a LOT of good Karma!
   I attach a photo of this girl at our medical clinic, post-stabbing
and after talking about her new vocation.
  There has to be  a documentary  in these stories!
   

Help support this cause! Buy a rice bag here! and tell a friend! 

Happy birthday to me!

cancer & petroleum

Study points to cancer-risk from petroleum-based cosmetics

A new study carried out by lobby group the Environmental Working Group (EWG) suggests that a significant number of cosmetic and toiletry products with a petroleum-base may contain a cancer-causing impurity called 1,4-dioxane.

The group says that despite the fact that this impurity is easily removed during processing, it appears that many companies are neglecting to do so, something that is putting consumers at risk.

A computer assessment of 15,000 cosmetics found that 22 per cent of all cosmetic and personal care products may be contaminated with 14-dioxane, an estimate that the EWG says is based on ‘its common presence in workhorse detergenet-like ingredients that the cosmetics industry uses in a wide array of products'.

The group says that this assessment is backed up by new product tests which found that that the cancer-causing chemical was found in 18 of more than two dozen products, 15 of which were marketed towards both babies and children.

Breaking the findings down, the group reported that 57 per cent of all baby soaps contained the chemical and 34 per cent of all body lotions. However, the biggest offender was hair relaxers, with 97 per cent of all products found to contain the chemical.

To read more go to:http://cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/news/ng.asp?id=74119

Dangerous chemicals

Dangerous chemicals in personal care products compromise health

Researchers are now finding that the active ingredient in antimicrobial soaps and personal care products causes nerve damage. This really isn't surprising: I've been warning readers about this for years. The ingredient is called MIT (methylisothiazolinone), and it is found in antimicrobial soaps, hand soaps, dish soaps and a surprising number of personal care products. People buy these personal care products thinking they're protecting themselves from infectious microbes. They think it makes them immune to viruses and bacteria that might be found in their bathrooms or kitchens, and thus they believe in the mythology of using antimicrobial soaps to create a sterile environment in their own homes.

This mythology has been promoted by the manufacturers of these products who, through clever advertising, propagate the distortion that bacteria on the kitchen counter and in the bathroom are responsible for making people sick. But the reality is that we don't live in a sterile environment anyway: the only thing that prevents you from getting sick is a healthy immune  system. We are exposed to bacteria and viruses literally hundreds of thousands of times each day. It is our immune system that takes care of these threats and keeps us safe, not antimicrobial soap......

........It turns  out that this active ingredient is chemically similar to Agent  Orange. That's right, this was the Weapon of Mass Destruction used in Vietnam. And while it's not accurate to say that there's Agent Orange in your antimicrobial soap, there is indeed a chemical compound that's similar in its function, purpose, and molecular structure. Is this something that you want to be coating your dishes with? How insane is that?

To  read more visit the following website: http://www.newstarget.com/005342.html

purging our chemicals...

If I wasn't enough of a freak about chemicals in my life. I am now! Since being involved with One Group-Miessence, I have realized that even the stuff I have been buying that is supposed to be natural has bad stuff in it. The first one is Toms of maine toothpaste. Who by the way has been bought by colgate! My Alba skincare has parabens and propylene glycol and other preservatives. I am going to cut and paste the lists so you can check your own products as well.

Product Comparison
See below the comparison between the list of ingredients for a typical “off the shelf” moisturiser and the potent, certified organic, bio-active, chemical free, 100% beneficial ingredients found in a typical Miessence moisturiser. 

Typical Moisturiser Ingredient Label		Miessence Moisturiser Ingredient Label
Water Dimethicone (silica) Carbomer 941 PEG-50 Almond Glycerides (almond) Sodium Laurenth Sulphate(coconut) Cocoamidopropyl Hydroxysultanet Triethanolamine (TEA) Methylchloroisothiazolinone Phenoxyethanol Methyl Paraben (organic preservative) FD&C Yellow No.6 Fragrance Click here to see our toxic ingredient directory where you can learn how many ingredients used by other companies are harmful, irritating and environmentally dangerous.		Organic aloe vera leaf juice Purified water Organic rosehip seed oil Organic jojoba seed oil Organic safflower seed oil Organic shea fruit butter Organic sugar-cane ethanol Non-gmo lecithin Organic bitter orange extract D-panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) Organic lavender essential oil Organic grapefruit seed extract Organic olive juice extract Natural gum Olive leaf extract Organic calendula extract Organic chamomile extract Organic marshmallow extract Organic olive extract Organic St. John's Wort extract. Click here to view our Miessence full ingredient glossary.