Earth Day Everyday

by Karen Keltner

April 22, 2010 marks the 40^th anniversary of our celebrated Earth Day, which auspiciously started in our very own hometown of Santa Barbara (http://www.cecsb.org/). Today Earth Day is globally recognized and celebrated as a day to recommit to our 3 R’s: REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE so that our planet and we can live sustainably. However, to live sustainably and to have our planet thrive it takes more than one day a year. It takes an everyday “green” mind over “organic” matter approach to ultimately live sustainably within the means of our natural resources. But who said it’s hard or more work to live within ecological balance!? It’s actually as easy as your ABC’s to be green- all the way from iPhone apps to legislative acts, 3R’s trade-ins to eco work-outs, social meet and greats to green eats, to home cleaning and body cleansing.

Below are some of SOMA GET FIT favorites for living sustainably on Earth Day and Everyday!!

How to be Earth friendly for Earth Day and Everyday:

Eco ABC’s:

We love Care2Healthy & Green Living’s how to be earth friendly daily Eco ABC’s with quick and easy ways to make your day-to-day lifestyle earth-styled. Click on each letter of the alphabet (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/tag/eco-abcs) for an in depth of how to be green or take the challenge and see if you can come up with your very own eco alphabet pledges. In honor of SOMA GET FIT we made our own eco alphabet pledges…

S–Sustainable short showers with low flow showerheads instead of taking baths.

O–Outdoors, outdoors, outdoors! Take the opportunity to breathe in the fresh air on a hike, bike, run or doing yoga outdoors!

M–Mindfulness and meditation. Allow time each day to bring awareness and the extra-ordinary into the ordinary of life!

A–Adventure locally and explore new trails, parks or beaches by foot, bike or board and discover a new sanctuary.

G–Grow a garden, start composting, and I guarantee you will grow a community of eco biodiversity and new friends.

E–Eat local, organic foods that are in season.

T–Turn off all things that plug-in by using a power strip. When your computer, lights, kitchen appliances etc. are not in use its as easy as a flip of a switch to save $ and the planet.

F–Fix it or find it before putting it behind you! In other words instead of throwing things away see if they first can be fixed or if someone else can use it; you know Reduce Reuse Recycle.

I–Invest in or even better yet be inventive and make your own re-useable water bottle, hot mug and shopping bags made of renewable long lasting materials.

T–Transportation first by foot, second by bike, and third by carpool, bus, or mass transit.

Free Eco Apps (for iPhone):

Easy for on the go eco we love iRecycle (http://itunes.apple.com/app/irecycle/) and FindGreen (http://itunes.apple.com/app/FindGreen/). They are just a few of our favorite apps for knowing which materials and where we can recycle as well as find local green and sustainable businesses like SOMA GET FIT, bicycle shops to tune our bikes, or find organic restaurants when we are hungry! Latest app that is out for 2010 Earth Day is Billions Acts of Green (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/billion-acts-of-green/) where you and billions of others from around the globe can find local Earth Day events, share eco pledges, and create community projects that fulfill your passion for preservation and protection of Earth.

Eco Acts:

There are many legislative Acts and causes that need your signature as a voice for making a difference in this world. On Earth Day you can do your part by signing the Earth Day 2010 Climate Declaration, which is part of the official Earth Day 2010 Campaign (http://action.earthday.net/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2732) to making an eco pledge and/or take action.

Eco Trade-Ins:

We mentioned Reducing, Reusing and Recycling as a great everyday practice for living an everyday Earth day. But here are a few resources that will keep the 3R’s easy as a click away. Whenever you are in need of “new” stuff or want to get rid of your “old” stuff check out Freecycle (http://www.freecycle.org), TerraCycle (www.TeraCycle.net) or Craigslist (www.craigslist.org/). Who knows maybe you’ll find your next bike, kayak, SUP, or even some outdoor adventure friends!

Eco Work-Outs:

During our SOMA GET FIT workouts we like to work it outdoors, and when we need a mat we would rather be in the dirt than on a non recycled sustainable mat, so we go for the green and like to get down in our downward dogs on Eco-Mats that are made from non-toxic TPE, which contain no PVC or latex. Our favorites for finding an Eco-Mat are Gaiam (http://www.gaiam.com/), Barefootyoga (http://www.barefootyoga.com), and Lululemon (www.lululemon.com).

Eco Meets & Eats:

Check what is going on in your community for Earth Day and join your community for some fun meet and greets with fun green eats! On Earth Day Network (http://www.earthday.org/events/) you can find or even create events in your communities to celebrate getting down and green, and in TimeOut (http://www.timeout.com/) you can find the hottest, yet still carbon neutral clubs, bars, and restaurants that are painting the town green. In NYC for example you can join the Earth Day is Everyday Ride (Meet at the southern end of Union Square, E 14th St between Broadway and University Pl, times-up.org; Thu 22 at 7pm, free), for a group bike ride organized by environmental organization Time’s Up! This year’s trek goes from Union Square to Billyburg watering hole East River Bar (97 South 6th St between Bedford Ave and Berry St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn), where riders will take part in a BYO barbecue and be treated to a DJ, dancing and an Eco Art Show, courtesy of JustSeeds Cooperative. And If you like your vino in abundance and sans pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, imbibe more than 20 different “green” wine varietals at NYC’s Chelsea Wine Vault’s Think Earth Drink Green tasting (Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave at 16th St; 212-462-4244, chelseawinevault.com; Thu 22 7–9pm, $30).

So find your city and green-it up!

Eco Cleaning & Cleansing:

Last but not least Earth everyday comes back to the home and to the heart, where spring cleaning and cleansing are often a laborious chore to rid or detoxify ourselves of the burden of dust, pollutants, chemicals, and other build-up. When we clean, treat and care for our homes and ourselves we always go for natural green cleaners such as Seventh Generation (http://www.seventhgeneration.com/) products that are safe for the air, surfaces, fabrics, pets, and the people living in our homes and Chivas Skin Care (http://www.chivasskincare.com/) made from fresh hand-milked goats, herbs from the garden, and fair trade shea butter & natural essential oils for our bodies. We also found a great way to get rid of nagging health problems such as allergies and fatigue and enjoy greater energy and a greener planet with this new book Clean, Green & Lean (http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Green-Lean-Toxins-That/) by naturopathic doctor and environmental medicine physician Dr. Walter Crinnion. With these helpful insights on our search to reveal and remove everyday chemicals and toxins in our homes and in our bodies the doctor helps guide us through those certain items in our homes and foods that slow our metabolism and can lead to common health ailments. Thanks Doctor Green!

From ALL of us at SOMA GET FIT…

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYDAY!!!

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on April 22, 2010 at 10:20 pm, filed under Food, Green Lifestyle, Life is Fitness, Lifestyle and Spa, Outdoors, Press, Products, Santa Barbara, Skin Care and tagged earth day, Karen Keltner, SOMA GET FIT. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

EXPLORATIONS in ALTERNATIVE METHODS to HEAL the BODY

The Alexander Technique

Explorations in alternative methods to heal the body

By Peter Dugrè

This is the time of year when people strive for new beginnings, when people take a good look in the mirror and reflect on what they ought to do differently. While some advise not to look too deeply and not to try to change too much, June Chadwick, certified instructor of the Alexander Technique, would teach a student to forget—or unlearn—all of their old bodily habits, and when it comes to posture and body movement, she would ask for a total transformation.

The Alexander Technique (A.T.) is about posture, but not about standing at attention; it is about increased fitness and wellness, but not about a rigorous exercise regimen; it is about body awareness, but not about harsh criticism of body image.

Although the A.T. is about ease and relaxation, it is an intensive lifelong journey. “Even after being a student and then a teacher for 30 years, I still come to realize new things that I’m doing, areas where I’m putting too much stress on myself, that I could be doing differently,” said Chadwick.

Chadwick teaches A.T. at her home on Toro Canyon and also at the Santa Barbara Polo and Raquet Club during the summer. The technique, although almost unheard of by many in the United States, is more popular in Great Britain, Chadwick’s native country, where Frederick Matthias Alexander, creator of the technique that shares his name, spent much of his life after migrating from Australia.

Alexander began to develop the technique in the 1890s while working as an actor in Australia. He had trouble with voice loss and hoarseness, problems that threatened his livelihood, and he was told that there was no explanation or remedy for his sudden, onset of hoarseness. As an actor, Alexander could not go on without a voice, so he began observing himself with the help of friends to determine what he might be doing to cause his voice problem.

Alexander’s observations led to a simple discovery. He noticed that when he wished to project his voice, his habit was to throw his head back as if trying to yell into the air. Upon observing this habit, he realized that what he was doing actually blocked off his airway and was counter productive to his goal of pushing more air through his vocal chords. When Alexander stopped his old, counter-intuitive habit, his voice woes disappeared.

From that pragmatic approach at rectifying his personal problem, Alexander developed a far more complex system of teaching others how to use their bodies properly.

Chadwick said that some open-minded chiropractors refer clients to her so that she can help them learn what type of body mechanics could help ease tension on their spines and inhibit body motions that cause skeletal injuries in the first place.

“People always say my back hurts or my neck hurts,” said Chadwick, “but what they should say is, ‘what am I doing to hurt my neck and my back?’”

Like Yoga, the A.T. teaches its students to become more aware of their bodies, but according to Chadwick, only the A.T. carries over to everyday life in a way that is specific to individuals to help reduce unnecessary strain on the body.

For instance, Chadwick teaches students how to properly sit at a desk if they do so for a major part of their lives, or how to lift boxes, ride horses or any task that requires repetition and the potential to cause problems in overworked areas. “Eventually, you will know when you’re pulling in or squishing, so the right way will become automatic,” said Chadwick.

The starting point for instruction in the technique is with the head’s relationship to the spine. “The body needs to support the heaviness of the head,” said Chadwick. “Most therapists—nobody really—addresses the relationship of the head to the body, but it weighs 10 to 15 pounds.”

Chadwick explains that the body is actually a fine-tuned machine, designed to work well, if used correctly. And that means realizing that the spine is a like a big spring meant to have that dense head balanced on top of it.

Yet, Chadwick hesitates to call the teachings of the A.T. a way to correct posture, because, she says, posture is too rigid of a term. Always trying to sit up straight actually can cause problems. People try to have correct posture and actually force their bodies into tight positions that may restrict lung motion and scrunch the shoulders and neck, or force the head and butt back and out of their natural alignment with the spine.

In a personal lesson of the A.T., Chadwick quietly observes a student’s way of moving, and with gentle hands-on instruction, makes her students realize when their muscles may be too tight, and when too much strain is being placed on the body. “I think this is about giving people choices they didn’t know that they had,” said Chadwick.

The main goal of the A.T. is easy to embrace: put less stress on the body by making it work less. Chadwick does not particularly agree with high impact workouts that she says tend to harm the body more than help, especially in the long term.

For 2009, perhaps instead of ramping up the workout routine to put stress on the body and cause lasting injury, pursue an easier course of body recognition and reeducation that can provide long term health benefits such as the A.T. The new beginnings can develop from within.

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on March 28, 2010 at 9:26 pm, filed under Alexander Technique, Los Angeles, Press, Santa Barbara and tagged Alexander Technique, Healing, June Chadwick, SOMA GET FIT. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.