Small steps towards greener living will help you practice yoga off the mat as well as on. Here are some tips for living more consciously from Kat Farrants, founder of Movement For Modern Life.
I set up Movement for Modern Life because I wanted to make the very best teachers in yoga, movement and mindfulness really accessible, financially and physically. I was living out in the sticks, and didn’t want to settle for teachers who weren’t really living yoga day in day out.
But what is it to be a ‘yogi?’
Well, there are some aspects of yoga philosophy which are key to why yoga isn’t gymnastics or stretching.
One of those aspects is living consciously.
That means that we become aware of all of our decisions in life, both in our inner and our outer world, and we make sure that those decisions, words and deeds contribute to a better world. One of the ‘Niyamas’ or yoga’s ethical guidelines relating to how we behave in the world, is about ‘Ahmisa’, meaning non-violence to others. Yogis interpret this differently, but, for example, Ghandi interpreted this guide as meaning non-violence to animals, so we must be vegetarians.
One other aspect of non-violence is non-violence to the environment. Thankfully, public opinion is starting to understand the immense violence that humans have caused to the oceans, the soils, our rivers and other creatures, all in the name of ‘progress’, but as yogis, there are many little things that we can do each day to help live in a non-harmful life.
A Toxin-Free House
And one thing that I’m starting to do now, is to live in a toxin-free house. I’m starting to do this by not having any toxic chemical chemical cleaning products in the house, either for my skin, hair cleaning or using round the house. There are so many non-harmful ways we can live and cleanse ourselves and our houses, so it’s funny how many toxic chemicals we all use, and we see at the supermarkets.
This week why not have a think about different ways you can clean and wash, and what other ways you can make the world a little greener? And we hope you’ll enjoy reading about the power of plants to green up your environment from our new partner studio, Thaxted yoga.
with love
Kat and team MFML
xxx
>> More Tips To Start Your Low-Tox Lifestyle>>
Not so far from lemons, I’ve been using cider apple vinegar for general all-purpose cleaning, it’s brilliant for sparkling showers and shower screens. Diluted, 50:50 with water, it’s a wonderful facial cleanser, leaving your skin feeling fresh and soft.