“Do you need that plastic lid for your coffee cup?” With support from YYoga and Lululemon Athletica and for the purpose of celebrating Earth Day, dedicated Vancouver yogis practiced yoga on a cold early morning in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery. It was beautiful to see all these yogis ready to spread the Earth Day message by gracefully moving through their asana practice with smiles on their faces. As I reflected upon this Earth Day yoga event and the importance of this special day, I asked myself, “Am I doing enough?”
I thought I was a conscious yogi until it hit me that I could do more. Years ago when I first came to yoga, I wanted to just stretch out my hamstrings and build my upper body strength. Over the years, yoga has changed my life so that I lead a more mindful one for myself, my family and hopefully society. Yogis go to their mats each day, practice salutations to the sun, stay focused in the present moment, honor their bodies and limitations and after some time, take this practice off the mat into their everyday lives. Last week’s Earth Day was an ideal time to challenge all yogis to make changes in their daily routines for the benefit of our precious environment.
Here are a few minor changes in my daily routine that I will be attempting which on a collective basis could have a significant impact on our ecological footprint:
- Shop locally and get to know the farmers. Buying produce locally reduces the environmental impact of transporting the product. Local crops are harvested at their peak of freshness and flavor, so they are better tasting with more nutrients.
- Bring my own bags to the market. The first time I was introduced to this concept, I was in Germany, 16 years ago. The idea of bringing your own bag to the super market has only recently become part of the American and Canadian culture.
- Bring my own mug to my favorite coffee house.
- Give up plastic bottled water. Think about the waste and the possible long- term health effects created by plastic.
- Eat less meat. According to Environmental Defense Fund (www.edf.org), if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off U.S. roads.
- Use public transportation, bike or walk whenever possible. We live in a beautiful city with great public transportation so I will enjoy the beautiful sites, take advantage of our city’s resources and connect with others as I go from place to place.
- Recycle including using a compost bin.
- Use environmentally friendly dishwasher soap, laundry detergent and cleaners.
We can no longer ignore mother earth and take for granted what seems to be an abundant offering. If we all make small changes in our lives, we can make a big impact on preserving our planet. Let’s continue to take our practice off the mat and into our daily lives.
This article was written by guest contributor Danielle Mika Nagel. Danielle completed her Yoga Alliance Teacher Training Certification under the guidance of certified teachers in the styles of Ashtanga, Anusara and Iyengar. She recently completed an additional YA Certified 200hr training with the Chopra Center of Well-being in Carlsbad, California that has its roots in Raja Yoga, which focuses primarily on the mind through meditation. In her Vinyasa Flow and Power classes, she invites her fellow yogis to have fun as they focus on their breath while weaving their way through a creative and challenging asana practice.
