In favor:
“You get to lessen animal cruelty and exploitation, improve your health and you’re doing your bit to help out the environment too.”
And opposed:
“Yeah, but, mmmmm, bacon.”
If you’re vegan and reading this, then you’ve more than likely heard the bacon “counter-argument” before. Along with hazy reference to “protein” from people you know have never discussed nutrition before in their lives, but are now suddenly offering opinions on protein intake; desert-island survival conundrums; and if you’re really lucky, the mind-blowing revelation that tomatoes have the same capacity for pain as a Golden Retriever.
For a lifestyle that offers so very much, veganism is daily confronted with either those pearls of wisdom or, is completely misunderstood.
“So, what do you eat as a vegan then?”
The temptation to reply with “I don’t, I’m dead – this is just a very convincing hologram of the former me sent here to toy with you” is so very, very strong.
Snarky replies aside, it really does take a vegan to know a vegan and just why they are vegan.
It is an acceptance that industrial scale pain and misery inflicted upon our long-suffering non-human animal neighbors is never justified for the sake of a fleeting moment of taste.
It is an acceptance that one cannot be a genuine “animal lover” if you pet some and yet eat others.
It is an acceptance that “I couldn’t live with without cheese” is a complete nonsense of any sort of defense - it’s cheese, not a central nervous system.
It’s an acceptance that a family stroll through an apple orchard is a wonderful thing, whereas a family stroll through a slaughter-house would warrant some kind of psychological evaluation.
It is that feeling of seeing fellow vegans browsing the vegan section of your local store and smiling inside as you know the lifestyle is continuing to grow.
Veganism – the revolutionary idea that hurting animals is bad, our health is important and we should take care of the one and only world that we all live upon.
]]>Today we’re trying something new. You’ve been hearing all about our great partners lately, and why we support them – but this time, we want to put THEM in the driver’s seat!
For this post, we’re talking to Jen Martinez, the owner of YogaHub – a studio located in the beautiful tropical island of Cebu, Philippines!
Jen got involved in yoga just as a tool to supplement her running skills, but now has embraced yoga as a way to bring balance and fitness into her everyday life. She came to our attention as a fellow yogini, but also because she loves Sound familiar? Read on to get to know Jen a bit better. Who knows, you just might find your yoga soulmate an ocean away!
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What’s a typical day in the life of Jen?
JEN: I wake up at 5 am everyday to do my own personal yogapractice. Then, I go to the studio for work. I see to it that I go home to be with the kids for lunch and then, I am back again at the studio from 3PM until 6PM. I make sure that I home in time for dinner with my family and, of course, I personally tuck in my babies to bed.
Your lifestyle is so inspiring, with its focus on going green! Any tips you want to share?
Living a green lifestyle is a choice and it is a state of mind, I guess. It might be harder for others to eat and live right, but when you are into yoga, you are more conscious of what you place inside your body. This came easy for me though because I have been a vegetarian for 13 years.
And, I wouldn’t really venture into giving out tips to others. All I can say is that once you decide to live healthier, then you are either in it for the long haul or not. Just make the choice and you will see it reflected not just in your body, but also in how you live your daily life.
Speaking of life-changing decisions, how would you say yoga has affected you?
JEN: Yoga has changed my lifestyle a lot. Aside from having helped me shed the weight I gained from my first two pregnancies, it also changed my outlook in life. It made me more grounded, more passionate and calmer about taking each of life’s moments as they come. It did not only change how I perceived myself up to the point that I changed the way I ate and became a vegetarian, but also how I see and react to other people. It improved me physically, mentally and emotionally. So, when I got into yoga, I got the best of it, from inside out.
What’s the yoga pose you like the most, and why?
JEN: My favorite yoga pose is the Chaturanga Dandasana, which is the Four Limbed Staff Pose in English. It is basically part of the Sun Salutations Surya Namaskara A and B sequences and is very good for strengthening important muscles in the body and developing good form.
Do you have any advice for young women out there who are trying to live a healthy lifestyle?
JEN: Living a healthy lifestyle has to start with yourself. You have to make a decision to really commit on doing it or else you will end up giving up after a while and then move on to other things. If you decide to eat healthier, then do it. Start slow by giving up soft drinks. Do not shock your system into going vegetarian all of the sudden. Taking small steps is always the way to go.
The same goes for yoga. It is a practice that should be done every day or at least every other day. It is a matter of commitment and passion comes later on.
That sounds great, Jen!
One last question – what’s your top piece of apparel you’d recommend to any new Green Apple fans out there?
JEN: I absolutely love the Green Apple double strap bra!
There you have it! Let us know if you have anything in common with Jen!
Cellphone beeping. Keyboards clacking. News stories popping up, emails coming in, piles of documents to be sent out… Is anyone else feeling a bit burnt out with the modern, Western world?
If you are, maybe we can all take inspiration from our newest advocate, Joan Hyman. Joan’s a brilliant yoga teacher and blogger based out of Los Angeles, and we’re so happy to have her on board!
While many of us use yoga as a way to bring balance into our modern lives, Joan takes it a step further, bringing her students to India, Bali, and other places that she loves. That’s because Joan believes that a true yoga journey is about getting to know Your Self – and the best way to do this, is to disconnect and go somewhere completely unfamiliar. This breaks down any walls you might have internally and allows you to go deeper and connect better with your heart. An added bonus is that India, a place that’s probably very different from most of our everyday lives, has a much deeper level of yoga and spiritual connection than the one we may experience here.
While we’re dying for all of you to experience a trip with Joan, or visit her in her studio, it’s probably not possible – and definitely not possible all the time! Why not go for the next best thing, and do something new this week? Visit a place of worship, a park, the beach… Anywhere you might feel better connected to Your Self. Let us know how it went!
We love Joan, because her adventurous, world-aware view is something we believe in too. That’s why we love supporting her with our apparel – our yoga pants, leggings, and more are made of bamboo so it’s sustainable, durable enough to handle globetrotting, and has antibacterial and deodorization properties so it can protect you as long as you need it. Want to be a Green Apple Advocate, too? Drop us a line!
See you soon, Green Apple Fans!
It’s time for more inspiring, real-life stories from our Green Apple Advocates! This time around, we’d love for you to meet Kia Miller. Kia’s life sounds like a fairy-tale: growing up riding horses across wild acres, moving to urban England and falling in love with yoga early on, then making films, modeling, and travelling the world.
However, what we think we love most about Kia Miller is how she’s not afraid to go ahead and see new ways of doing things, regardless of what “should” and “shouldn’t” be done. Whether it’s about chasing her passion to make films and model instead of choosing a more stereotypical career, then turning her back on that to pursue yoga and film making, or travelling the world first instead of settling down immediately, Kia follows her heart and it’s led her to some great places!
The same goes for her yoga practice. Kia’s classes pull from different yoga practices to form Radiant Yoga, which combines Kundalini yoga and Vinyasa yoga. For Kia, doing so allows practitioners to not just get the physical benefits of yoga that many classes stress, but also lets her stress pranayama (breathing) as well as meditation. Not only do you get stronger and more flexible physically, but there is an active move towards strengthening your inner energy and connecting with yourself as well.
Kia’s success shows us that while sometimes rules are there for a reason, often taking the initiative to explore new ways of doing things can lead to great discoveries. We love this story, since Green Apple is the same way. We discovered that great yoga clothes need not be chemical-laden or unsustainable. Our clothes are made of bamboo, so they’re naturally antibacterial and lets us preserve our relationship with the earth, but also let us feel indulgent when we wear it. We’re constantly trying to find new ways to make it better – every day proving that just because “everyone else” is doing something, doesn’t make it the best way.
How about you, Green Apple fans? What “rules” are you thinking of breaking in order to explore a way that you think may have merit?
We recently had the chance to chat with founder of Radiant Body Yoga Kia Miller. Radient Body Yoga is a potent combination of breathing, movement, stretching, meditation, chanting and relaxation. Check out the video for more on Kia Miller & Green Apple Active's 100% organic eco friendly clothing.
To shop Green Apple Active's eco-vintage line click here.
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