Green Yoga Association - Spiritual activism for the planet
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Since the early 1970’s, Bonnie Raitt has been entertaining audiences with her distinctive guitar playing and her silky voice. She has also been a leader in raising awareness about the need to take action on environmental issues. And, she has a steady yoga practice to keep it all grounded.
"I have found so many benefits from my yoga practice,” Raitt told Yoga Journal (Sept 2011) “Aside from its being a wonderful way to get and stay fit and strong, I love the calming effect it has on my mind and nervous system."
Bonnie, at 62, has been recognized as one of the best musical artists in four decades. It is hard for anyone to deny that she has an wonderful body of work; she has had numerous big hits, has won Grammys, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now her new album, Slipstream (itunes, amazon) hits the stores as a fantastic collection of songs that is full of energy and inspiration.
Her Yoga practice, by helping to keep her strong and fit, has contributed to her ongoing success. A few years ago she told the USA Today, "Yoga helps. If you get to have a healthy balanced lifestyle and a psyche that's not tortured too much, and you calm the occupational-hazard stuff that can wear people down, there's no reason you can't be even more excited and energetic in your 60s and 70s."
In the environmental activist community, Bonnie is well known for her smart and enthusiastic involvement. As a founder of MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) and the No Nukes concerts in 1979 she established herself as a clear voice on important issues. At her concerts, she has brought awareness to large and small organizations allowing them to network with concert-goers.
Similarly, her Yoga practice surely contributes to her effective activism. “I was raised in the Quaker tradition,” she told Yoga Journal, “and yoga provides a similar path to achieving quiet, centering on your true spirit, and connecting to the earth and to a bigger community.”
The Green Yoga Association also exists at the intersection of Yoga and ecology. We see how a Yoga practice deepens one’s ecological perspective. We see how ecological lifestyle deepens one’s Yoga.
We are grateful to Bonnie Raitt. For her music. For her activism. And for the way she lives as a shining Yogini in the world.
And, we love the new album.
For more info... www.bonnieraitt.com |
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A new book, published by Loyola Marymount Press, combines a new interpretation of the environmentally themed Sanskrit Veda, The Prithivi Sukta, with beautiful photographs from around the world that illustrate and deepen the environmental and spiritual message of the verses.
 Prithivi is the sanskrit word for Earth, and these ancient verses give praise to medicinal plants, the inter-connectedness of humanity, and to the Earth herself.
The Prithivi verses are a guide, a method of transcending the limitations of a materialistic culture and cultivating a deep relationship with the planet. The text inspires both global stewardship and an appreciation of our natural inter-relatedness through our mutual connection to the Earth. This meditation of text and image encourages an understanding of the interlocking, healing and resplendent essence of the divinity of nature. It reveals through the intrinsically beautiful images how sacred our planet truly is.
"The amazing range of earth images — from mountains to children, butterflies to tree bark — fill the heart with awe and bring to life the beauty of this ancient scripture," says Laura Cornell, Ph.D., and Founder of the Green Yoga Association, "read this powerful book, and watch your consciousness be transformed."
The new interpretation, by renowned scholars O.P. Dwivedi and Christopher Key Chapple, presents each verse in the original Sanskrit, along with the translation of that verse into English. This book will enhance a Yoga practice through the direct engagement with the teachings of the ancient masters of Yoga.
Get a copy of In Praise of Mother Earth: the Prithivi Sukta through our donations page. |
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Five years ago two Green Yogis began putting theory into practice in Lincoln, Vermont. Inspired to bring Yoga, Nature, Permaculture, and Community together, they began building the Metta Earth Institute.
 Gillian Kapteyn Comstock and Russell Comstock are exactly what you would expect from pioneers in Ecology, Yoga and human culture. They are deeply compassionate, insightfully smart, and dedicated to achievable practices. All of which you can see manifest in the programs at the Metta Earth Institute.
The Metta Earth Institute is a yoga retreat center, a working farm, a community resource, and an art/writing creativity space.
When asked how they managed to accomplish so much in such a short period of time, they always say, "with the long and dedicated work of so many people, both those living here and those in the larger community. But also with so much grace!"
To celebrate their five year anniversary, there will be a full day retreat with Yoga, food, and music on March 24, 2012. For full details, visit the Metta Earth Institute Schedule.
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BY GARY SNYDER
Once in the Jurassic about 150 million years ago, the Great Sun Buddha in this corner of the Infinite Void gave a discourse to all the assembled elements and energies: to the standing beings, the walking beings, the flying beings, and the sitting beings--even the grasses, to the number of thirteen billion, each one born from a seed, assembled there: a Discourse concerning Enlightenment on the planet Earth.
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Read more...
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Yoga Journal Conferences has partnered with the Green Yoga Association to create greener conferences throughout the year.
We will be at all the conferences, including...
The Yoga Journal New York Conference
April 12 - 16, 2012
Find classes and register online.
There are many special events at the conference, including a Friday night Yoga and dance party, a panel discussion titled "Yoga Shouldn't Hurt," and profound meditation with Pamela Bliss.
There will be many great sponsors and vendors in the Yoga Marketplace.
Yoga Journal's Boston Conference brings yogis from across New England to gather in community and learn from master teachers. Green Yoga will be there helping to keep waste and environmental impacts to a minimum, while boosting the spiritual and health benefits to a maximum.
Yoga Journal's San Francisco Conference is one of the Yoga community's premier gatherings. There are lots of fantastic opportunities to meet and connect with other yoga students, teachers and business owners. And with all this connecting, there seems to be lots of paper... brochures, post cards, and flyers.
In years past, an awful mess has been created, as various surface areas have been overwhelmed by this paper marketing material. Much of it ended up in the trash as the conference and hotel staffs struggled to keep public areas presentable.
Green Yoga will provide a community service by creating a clean and orderly location for the placement of paper marketing materials. Through a deposit-for-placement system we will ensure that marketers take responsibility for their materials, and that there is a minimum amount of paper wasted.
Read more about our greening efforts.
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 Dr. Vandana Shiva, an internationally recognized environmental activist and feminist based in India, will be in Los Angeles, November 1, 2011, to accept an award recognizing her work "fostering understanding between cultures, people and disciplines."
The Doshi Family Bridgebuilder Award is given annually in association with Loyola Marymount Univeristy. Past recipients include, Greg Mortenson, Thich Nhat Hanh, Zubin Mehta, and Deepak Chopra.
The award ceremony will be on the LMU campus at 7:30p.m. where Dr. Shiva will deliver a lecture: "The Future of the Planet."
Earlier that day she will speak in the Pereira Auditorium at LMU in a special event sponsored by ASLMU. All are invited, including faculty and staff and community.
"Vandanda Shiva is India's leading eco-feminist and one of the world's strongest Gandhian voices. Plan to attend!" - Dr. Christopher Chapple.
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A new book of poetry, edited by Green Yoga volunteer Kate Vogt and Ravi Nathwani, provides a collection of timeless poems that celebrate the eternal spiritual truth within each heart.
