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Twee bungee jumping in her Be Present duds while in New Zealand!
Eco-friendly fabrics, including bamboo + hemp, that are also hip + fashionable can be found at Be Present! And, to readers of the Twee Newsletter, you get 15% off until September 15th when you use this code: tweesummer2010 and shop here http://bepresent.com/
Read about various causes to care about, and how you can be involved in positive change here: http://www.care2.com/
Eco-friendly yoga mats and a mat recycling program can be found at Manduka: http://www.manduka.com
Pure organic cotton, and cutting edge designs can be found at Omnitom! Twee Newsletter readers get 45% off until August 31st when they use the code: TTRIBE and shop here http://www.omnitom.com/
by Carole Westerman
I have been so overwhelmed with gratitude and humility from the response of the yoga community to the events in the gulf, and issues that face our planet, race, and animal kingdom. Everything from encouraging recycling, supporting local and organic farmers, to reaching far across the globe to those in need. Yogis and yoginis from all over the world are responding to the issues that face our planet and it's inhabitants.
From actions large to small, local and global, every action creates a "Butterfly Effect" that spreads positive change across the globe and beyond. That is the whole idea behind our "Butterfly Effect Tour". We are having classes all over the world, with more to come, focusing on spreading positive change like a ripple effect... with monies being donated to both local and global charities. You can read more about the tour here: http://www.ButterflyEffectTour.com
My article this month, is a collection of inspiring works from our community of yoga practitioners. Please support these causes and companies that help make a difference. And please also send me any change agents, documentaries, companies, or causes that you think we should know about for future newsletters to admingoddess@tweeyoga.com. We are all in this together...
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To get things started, to light that passion and fire in the belly, we asked yoga teacher and physical therapist, Caroline Evans to share her thoughts on Manipura.
How can we ignite and make positive change in our lives? How do we spark up our own fire?
by Caroline Evans
The purpose of the third chakra - Manipura - is to transform. Before we can transform we have to be supported by our root - Muladhara. Grounded, we stand strong on our own two feet allowing us to move forward to walk our life purpose on this earth. As you practice your fire sequence, really have clear intention on connecting with this grounding and your physical connections and interactions with mother earth. Draw this nourishment and trust through your roots up into your second chakra - Svadhisthana. Here we learn to nurture self and others and move with sensate exploration of our world and we start to feel and release any emotion holding us back from transforming. Feel your flow as you move through the sequence, each asana folding and opening into the next with fluidity.
Learn to flow effortlessly. Draw these raw energies of matter and movement up into the fire, visualize a blazing sun at your core and think of the intention and goals being directed out with will through your index finger in vira mudra. Take time to observe the natural heat changes within your body, warming rays sweeping through every part of your being, dynamic alive rising up. Feel your power to transform. Connect deeply in twists and core cultivation to master organ breathing of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, stomach, spleen, small and large intestines (look them up in your anatomy book and know where they are). Bring your consciousness to each of these organs - where your intention flows your energy goes! See perfect digestion not only of food but emotions held deep within and see smooth assimilation of all transformed matter release the blocks of fear and stagnation and eliminate all that no longer serves you. Connect with the essence of fire - "be on fire". Feel that excitement of life force-shakti, burn through any limitations and ignite your passion ...here we realize our own self esteem can remain grounded in earth yet be flexible and flowing as water as we burn through new challenges with confidence and self belief. Here we ignite Manipura, our city of jewels.
Caroline Evans is also a hottie mommie of 2 and an assistant for the Twee Yoga Collective tribe. She is a yoga teacher and physical therapist who specializes in healing trauma. Her practice + home is based near Melbourne Australia. Contact her through caroline.trotter.evans@gmail.com for more details.
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A few of our favorite programs + companies making a difference:
"Like Indra's great net, we can shine on each other and take advantage of our interconnectedness -- helping ourselves is helping another individual which helps a community of people which affects all living beings. May our practices bring us compassion and wisdom. May we all live helpful lives working towards securing the greatest common goodness of all beings."
~ Jill Satterfield, Founder and Director School for Compassionate Action: Yoga & Meditation for Communities in Need. Read more about her program, and how you can become involved here: http://www.schoolforcompassionateaction.org/?page_id=229
Dr. Masaru Emoto is a well known scientist from Japan, who has been involved in many research projects involving water, it's characteristics, and the way water responds to human emotion. Using his research, Dr. Emoto has found that water positively responds to human prayer, meditation, and intention. So, we may all help the efforts in the gulf, just by simply sending an intention to help heal the oceans. Whether that be in the form of dedicating your practice or meditation session, or by praying or reciting mantra. Please click on this link for Dr. Emoto's prayer, or find your own that speaks to your heart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmhWsPNrRgs
Read about various causes to care about, and how you can be involved in positive change here: http://www.care2.com/
Empower African women to lift themselves out of poverty with the trendy Indego Africa fair trade Yoga Bag. Hand-crafted by the remarkable women at Cocoki cooperative in Rwanda, using nothing but their own creativity and foot-powered sewing machines, Indego Africa's fair trade Yoga Bag is handcrafted from Dutch wax cloth and has a zipper all the way up the side for easy packing and unpacking, plus a separate pocket for wallets, keys, etc. 100% of profits are returned to the artisans for training in long-term skills. http://shop.indegoafrica.org/collections/yoga-bags
Twee bungee jumping in her Be Present duds while in New Zealand!
