Practice yoga with a "Conserving Conscience": Tips from Waylon Lewis

It's that time of year again. The time where we all set intentions to do "more" or "less" of something in the new year. One of my new year's intention is to do more yoga for 2010. Yoga has been a great thing for me. It quiets my mind, exercises both my body and my mind and helps me build inner strength. With any and all activities I look for ways to think about conserving and re-using per that activity and yoga is no exception. Greenopolis TV and I revisit my talk with Waylon Lewis, Yogi and Founder of Elephant journal on ways to think about conserving resources and reusing when it comes to practicing yoga. Some great tips from Waylon are:

Walk to your yoga studio or practice at home! Waylon really wants everyone to know that a "fancy" studio that you have to drive to is no more beneficial than a quiet practice by yourself or a walk to your "local" joint. He suggest walking more and driving less. (I'm not sure if Waylon drives at all, he rode is bike to meet me from North Hollywood to Venice Beach, taking the 405 Freeway!) Walking and riding your bike also encourages community engagement as well as the obvious, cuts down on emissions and air pollution.

Choose your mat wisely - Waylon suggests that the mat can be eco-conscious and in fact you don't really even need a mat at all. Yes, I had a nice no PVC mat because I had just learned that Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated as PVC, is the third most widely used thermoplastic polymer in the world. It is commonly made softer with the addition of plasticizers, the most widely-used being phthalates. In this form, PVC is used in thousands of different products, from yoga mats, to clothing and upholstery, to children’s toys. Unfortunately, there are numerous health risks associated with the use of PVC, most of which we have had to find out the hard way. It is commonly believed that harmful toxins, known as dioxins, are a byproduct of the manufacturing of many PVC products. Dioxins are a global health threat because they persist in the environment and can travel long distances. Even at very low levels, near those to which the general population is exposed, dioxins have been linked to immune system suppression, reproductive disorders, a variety of cancers, and endometriosis. Or Waylon suggest no mat! - how about a towel that you already have, or a nice thick blanket. I found these "yoga paws" on-line - a great alternative to the yoga mat ...check them out.

Yoga Lifestyle - Waylon suggest that yoga and a yogi life style is one of awareness. He believes that practicing yoga will help with growing your awareness and it is important to think about some lifestyle choices now that you are a "yogi". Clothing for yoga can just be a loose comfy item you already have in your closet, no need for the "sporty" brand new outfit. But if you do purchase look for "organically grown cotton" outfits. Carry a re-usable tote to and from yoga and think about your diet as one from organically grown foods. Be sure to recycle and again walk to your class, grocery stores and errands in your town so you can begin to engage in your community, focusing on local.

These tips from Waylon are a holistic approach to a "conserving conscience" when applied to yoga - or any activity - thanks Waylon!

For more information on Waylon please check out his website

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