The World Needs Your Help!

“Never doubt that a small group of 
thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. 

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

The World Needs Your Help!

Watch the short video below. Then notice your feelings (mine were initially of despair and then of renewed determination to do something). Then read the 8 Ways to Make a Positive Difference This Weekend below. And then, as the great Nike slogan reads: Just Do It! By the way, did you know that Nike was the Greek Goddess of Victory? She had wings :-)

8 Ways to Make a Positive Difference This Weekend

Although the widespread destruction of our planet can seem just too great to overcome, here are 8 simple ways you can make our world a better place. This action of selfless service is aligned with yogic thinking. Its called Seva in Sanskrit  -  work done for the benefit of the community without any thought of personal gain. The benefits will be received by everyone, including our children and grandchildren.

1. Help your fellow avian beings by hanging a bird feeder in your garden. As we move towards winter, food supplies become scarce for birds and a little extra food will be well received. It needs to be regular though, not just a one off, because they will start to rely on your offerings. Although Seva is meant to be selfless you do get a lovely return for your investment with this one - watching the birds' behaviour at your feeding station is a lovely, peaceful, almost meditative thing to do. Click here for the RSPB's guide to bird feeding.

2. Become and organ donor. This one needs no explanation really but it's something that's really easy to put off doing. It will have an enormous life-changing, life-enhancing impact on someone else at absolutely no cost to yourself! The NHS website here explains everything you need to know, answers lots of FAQs and offers a quick and easy way to register online.

3. Make a decision not to buy water in plastic bottles.  Plastic waste is a mammoth problem for our world. It does not degrade so either ends up in landfill or in the sea. According to the website recycling-guide.org,

"275,000 tonnes of plastic are used each year in the UK, that's about 15 million bottles per day. Most families throw away about 40kg of plastic per year, which could otherwise be recycled. The use of plastic in Western Europe is growing about 4% each year. Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose."

Much of our plastic waste ends up in the sea, being gathered by currents (gyres) until they form big patches in the middle of the oceans. Here are some facts about gyres:

A Gyre is a naturally occurring vortex of wind and currents that rotate in a clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere. These create a whirlpool effect, whose vortex moves more slowly at the center and that is where marine plastic debris collects.

There are 5 major Gyres in the oceans worldwide, all of which are believed to contain plastic and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These consist of carbon-containing chemical compounds that, to a varying degree, resist photochemical, biological and chemical degradation.

The North Pacific Gyre, also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is estimated to be twice the size of Texas. Currently, an estimated 11 million tons (and growing) of floating plastic covers an area of nearly 5 million square miles in the Pacific Ocean, 700 miles northeast of the Hawaiian Island chain and 1,000 miles from the coast of California.

Big steps were made in the UK last month with the introduction of the 5p charge for plastic bags. By taking your reusable bag to the shops you already are making a difference. Here are some words from gov.uk about why this charge was introduced:

"In 2014 over 7.6 billion single-use plastic bags were given to customers by major supermarkets in England. That’s something like 140 bags per person, the equivalent of about 61,000 tonnes in total. They take longer than other bags to degrade in the environment, can damage wildlife, and are extremely visible when littered in our towns, parks and the countryside. Despite research showing that the average household already has 40 plastic bags around the home, the number of plastic bags taken from supermarkets increased for the fifth year running in 2014."

4. Give something to someone - a batch of cookies you've just made, a paperback book you've just finished and enjoyed, a compliment on the work they've done, or send someone a handwritten letter.  Expect nothing in return.

5. Use the local shops. Support the independent traders.

6. Watch Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's new TV programme on I-player here. He wants to find out why the UK wastes so much food. He challenges supermarkets to drastically reduce the amount of food they throw away. 

7. Get outside and go for a walk in the countryside. Even if it's raining. Look for the magic that can be found there, such as kicking through the autumn leaves, noticing raindrops dripping off leaves, pausing to take in the view of the cloudy skies. You'll love your planet just a little bit more (how could you not when you see that beauty all around you?) and you will then be inspired to take care of it a little bit more. 

View along the Polesden Valley, Polesden Lacey, Surrey

8. Do some yoga. Meditate.  You'll feel more relaxed, kinder and more compassionate. Can't get started on your own? Join my new website www.thriveyoga.co.uk and do the online classes there with me as your guide. 

I'm sure you can think of many more ways you can make a difference to our amazing planet. It doesn't really matter what you do, just do something. It feels good to be an activist.

Headstand in Nature - and wellies!!

Yorkshire, UK

Gatwick Airport's New Yoga Lounge Hopes To Help Nervous Fliers Relax And Unwind
The Huffington Post UK  By Brogan Driscoll


Whether you're a nervous flier or dreading being cramped on a long-haul flight, airport yoga may be just the ticket. That's why Gatwick Airport have launched 'floga' (a fusion of the words flight and yoga, geddit?) in a bid to help passengers de-stress before take-off.

The 20-minute class, which has been created by yoga instructor and Instagram star Shona Vertue, will be shown via video in a brand-spanking yoga room in the airport's South Terminal.

"Long flights can be uncomfortable and besides stretching in your seat and walking up and down the aisle, there's actually not a lot you can do," Vertue says.

The class, which lasts 20 minutes, is free to use and is stocked with yoga mats. Gatwick’s Head of Terminals and Passenger Services Nikki Barton said: "We’re thrilled to be opening a ‘Floga’ lounge here at Gatwick. It’s important to us that passengers have the best airport experience possible and this will be a great way to help individuals de-stress and unwind before a flight.

"The lounge is built for all to enjoy and we’re so excited to see members of the public use this fantastic facility”.

Travel Medicine expert at the Fleet Street Clinic Dr Richard Dawood said: "Modern air travel can be a stressful process, both mentally and physically. Passengers often feel tense when trying to make their flight on time and checking they have everything they need. "With more and more people travelling with heavy hand-luggage, the physical strain can also be considerable. We have also seen an increase in long-haul flights from airports like Gatwick, so a higher volume of passengers are likely to have their movement restricted for hours on end.  "A yoga work-out before boarding a flight will help passengers relax their minds and their bodies, turning what can be a stressful experience into a more enjoyable and relaxing one."

Gatwick isn't the first airport to introduce a yoga lounge. San Francisco Airport also features one and, according to The Evening Standard, was the inspiration for Gatwick's new opening.


Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus
via cookieandkate.com

Vegan hummus that's bursting with flavour, both sweet and spicy. Enjoy it as a snack with pita wedges and veggies or as a spread!

Prep time:  15 mins
Cook time:  55 mins

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
3 tablespoons tahini
3 cloves garlic, peeled
juice of 1 lemon
zest of ½ lemon
ground sea salt, to taste
1½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (start with less, season to taste)
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cumin

Note: I did half of these measurements and ended up with a decent sized portion that will last me a few days.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees c, (gas mark 6 or 400 degrees F). Bake the sweet potatoes on the middle oven rack or in a baking dish for 45 minutes to an hour. They should yield to a gentle squeeze when they’re done baking.

While the sweet potatoes are cooling, toss all of the other ingredients into a food processor and whizz them up (if you’re sensitive to spice, you may want to save the spices for last and add them to taste). Once the sweet potatoes have cooled enough to handle, use a knife or your fingers to peel the skin off. Add the sweet potatoes to the food processor.

Blend well, and serve! You could garnish with a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper and some sesame seeds.

This was yummy - when I started to take the 

photos there were more carrots on that plate!

The Teachers Who Have Influenced Yoga As We Know It Today - this week Sri K Pattabhi Jois

Sri K Pattabhi Jois was born in Karnataka, India in 1915 and started practicing yoga at the age of 12. His teacher was Krishnamacharya (read about him in my blog post from September here) and he studied with him until 1953. In 1948 he set up the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India.

Pattabhi Jois is known for developing the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga system which today we call Ashtanga Yoga. It consists of 6 increasingly physically challenging series of postures which should be practiced 6 days a week and always in the same order. The practice is dynamic, hot and sweaty, with lots of Sun Salutations and strengthens and purifies the body.  A class begins with 5 rounds of Surya Namaskar A (Sun Salutations), followed by 5 Surya Namaskar B, followed by a series of standing postures and then seated postures. Props are not used in Ashtanga and there are few ways to adapt the postures, making it appealing to those who are already fit and strong. Those who are less fit might find this practice challenging and need to be careful not to injure themselves. 

Ashtanga yoga can also be practiced "Mysore" style, following the set sequence of postures in one's own time, only being guided by the teacher as they walk around the room offering assistance where needed. 

In the early 1960's the first Westerners discovered Ashtanga yoga and Pattabhi Jois began training them to become his teachers. The method spread worldwide and is now taught at most yoga studios. He continued to teach until passed away in May 2009, aged 93.

Possibly Sri K Pattabhi Jois' most famous quote

Finally, an empowering quote for you:- Helen Keller said, "I am only one, but still I am one; I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and just because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."