The topic of sustainability presents us with the idea of a limited world, a limited supplied world that needs our more conscious care and attention in order to maintain itself, and as we know… all of us! Sustainable practices are those that aim to preserve rather than waste, and to recognize our responsibility to younger generations. We should implement sustainable practices that help reduce our carbon footprint as a species: developing a sense of inner abundance, voluntarily embracing simplicity, letting go of what is not essential, and overall making conscious, responsible choices.

The idea of finding “balance” brings us back to our yoga practice and of course to the children we have around us. This idea is what we seek and what we must integrate into other aspects of life from our yogi journey. Yoga means harmony with nature, and an open invitation to explore ways to support sustainability.

Here are some ideas! I encourage you to adopt more of this and to open the conversations with those around you so that together we can restore this beautiful planet we call home.

• Refillable bottle: Most of us have a refillable water bottle. Now let’s do the same for our coffee or other drinks of choice and carry our own mug.
• Less paper and more cloth: Try having available in the kitchen and bathroom hand towels and wipe cloths. You ‘ll be surprised how well it works and how much money you will save. Cloth napkins are also the way to go for work and school lunches.
• Straws: We finally had been hearing lots about this! Make it a goal, tell your server to skip the straw. If you feel you need it, purchase some reusable ones. I prefer metal and bamboo. Carry them with you in your car and be proud to support marine life.
• Beeswax wrap: Ok, you have to give this a try! You can use this to cover bowls or to wrap any produce you can think of. The wrap is also great for sandwich, muffins, etc.  There are also some interesting and fun DIY on this.
• Reusable bags: Ditch the Ziploc bags! You can freeze, and be confident of the leak proof promise with these easy to wash silicone bags or reusable zipper bags for snacks and sandwiches.
• Clothing: Only the oil industry is a bigger source of pollution than the fashion industry. It takes an estimated 2,700 liters of water just to grow the cotton for one t-shirt! The rapid shift offshore of European and US brands has left a mess behind. So, check your sources, and donate or re purpose what you don’t longer need.
• Yoga mats: For ideas on what to do with old yoga mats check this website.
• Water: And last but not least be conscious about your water use! Stop the water while you brush your teeth or soap up, or while you are shampooing… you get the idea. Water is a natural resource we take from granted in the US, but in honor of all those humans who do not have it this easy, let’s use only what we need.

Now, when we think about our workshops and classes, let’s make sure we adopt sustainable practices when we carefully choose the supplies we use, encourage recycling, re purposing and a deep caring love for our mother Earth throughout themes, conversations and leading by example.

There are several “no waste”, “going green” and other challenges around the internet where you can get inspired to reduce and simplify. It will be fun to get the family, coworkers or student on board! Also, check out anything related to “minimalism” to expand on the idea that less is more and for concrete ideas in every area of life.

Let’s us embrace sustainability so that future generations can enjoy what this magic world has to offer!