YogaToday.com
By Jenn | September 11, 2008
I’ve been doing lots and lots of yoga lately, which is amazing and joyous and makes me feel so, so good. And while I’ve been going to local classes of all different kinds, I’ve also been developing a home practice for those times I can’t make it to a studio and/or I’ve already spent a small fortune that week on classes.
Keeping Momma Earth in mind, instead of stocking up on DVDs for practicing at home I’ve been going the greener (and cheaper, and more varied) route of logging on to the wonderful YogaToday.com site for a new and free streaming video class each day. Set in the stunning location of Jackson Hole, WY, I am inspired by the gorgeous natural backdrops to be a tree in tree pose and a mountain in mountain pose. I especially love it when nature takes over and a bug crawls over the camera lens, or the wind picks up and (temporarily) interferes with the audio quality! They offer classes in different styles of yoga, including Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Anusara, Kripalu, and Kundalini, which go a long way towards keeping the site fresh and interesting.
So, by avoiding the multitude of toxic chemicals required for the production of DVD discs, plastic cases, and printed paper inserts, plus the shipping of both the raw materials and finished discs, I’m making just a few tiny choices towards keeping my practice greener (which helps slightly towards offsetting my class-per-week Bikram yoga guilt.)
In their words: “We have set an intention at Yoga Today to make the benefits of yoga accessible to everyone, everywhere. Yoga brings health, happiness and a knowing of peace. It puts you in touch with the present moment which increases awareness. This empowers you to make choices about your thoughts and actions in accordance with your values.” And (I can’t find the link for this quote anymore, but it was on their site somewhere): “Yoga Today is a green company and each show is produced completely with clean and renewable energy.”
Now it’s time to replace my worn-out slippery PVC mat with a new eco yoga mat, and I’ll be one happy home-based yogi.
Do you have any tips for greening your yoga (or other exercise) practice?
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Topics: Yoga & Fitness |
The yoga studio I attend is walking distance from my house, so it’s not a big production to get there. I’ve had my yoga gear since 2001 (unused most of the time) and it’s still just fine. Planning to use it for as long as I can. I don’t own much in the way of yoga class clothing–1 pair of pants and 2 shirts so far. While I want another pair of pants and maybe one more shirt, I refuse to get anything more unless they wear out.
I may have to check out the yoga today site. It does look promising.
I used to ride my bicycle to my old yoga studio. It was about 3 miles, mostly flat with a slight hill, but I had a very bulky heavy yoga mat. (I still have that mat, as well as my first and my third, which is the rubber one from jade.) Even though there was not a storage spot and noone kept yoga mats at this suburban yoga studio, I asked the owner and she allowed me to. Keeping the mat there made it easier for me to ride there and it would also make me feel stupid to drive there, which gave me additional motivation to bike.
Some people get stuck in traffic driving to the gym where they sit on exercise bikes. Um, okay?
What a great tip! Thanks for this link. I’ve been wanting to get started with yoga, but all of the studios here are on the opposite ends of town and I haven’t had a chance to really look for a good DVD yet (and I’m trying to avoid spending the money). I’d thought about looking up videos on the internet but keep forgetting. Thanks for the reminder!
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