sauchat – show ‘mat’ some respect

posted by freebean

so…it’s been several years of yoga & one day you finally look down at your beloved mat as if it was the first time & discover that those flip-flop treks (aka black feet) to your fave studio have left their mark (or rather marks) all over your supportive friend who has cushioned your falls in attempted bakasana & allowed you to sweat all over him without any apologies required or even expected. (ok,yes i have just personified the yoga mat, so roll with it & we’ll call my friend ‘mat’ for the rest of this post). now it’s time to give back.

show ‘mat’ some respect & commit to a cleanliness routine, after all it is a basic yoga sutra.

here are some options (now you have no excuse):

• diy -you dirtied it, now clean it – you’ll need a spray bottle, water, & a few drops of the essential oil tea tree & lavender.

• dwell smartly on the go – not feeling crafty? get samatharoma yoga mat cleaner. it’s all natural so you can use it to spritz your mat (& yourself) after a sweaty practice. it kills the nasties with essential oils of tea tree, lavender, pine, eucalyptus & geranium.

• the mat-er cleanse – cleansing is good for the body & the mat. when do you need more than just a spritz to wipe off the yoga wounds you inflicted on dear ‘mat’ try kulae organic yoga mat cleaner it’s natural cleansing powers & citrus scent get you back to sauchat. hey, if ‘twisty twin‘ can do it, so can you!

now fess up & cast your vote: how often do you wash your yoga mat?

Help! Mats for Mysore Kids

posted by ebean

Adventures in Yogaland author, Lara, is continuing her Rwanda work in Mysore.  Help her out!

It was very important to me to transfer the work I did in Rwanda to the community here in Mysore, a place I visit so frequently.  I was actually surprised that I had never even thought about the depth of the issues here.

In my first week I visited three HIV clinics.  I revisited them many times to assess their needs and capabilities and in the end started a yoga program for the infected children at a clinic called Asha Kirana.  The children come twice a month on Sundays to get their medicines and tests.  Many are from far away and chose Asha Kirana for its progressive outlook and because they will not be seen by neighbors if they go to a distant clinic.

The children wait for a long time to be seen.  During this waiting period I am teaching them yoga which keeps them relaxed and improves their health.  They love it!

The only problem has been that they don’t have mats.  Instead they were cramming together on woven rugs.  So, I decided to raise the money to supply each child with a mat.

There are 70 children and I envision each one having his or her own mat.

A donation of just $7 will buy one child a yoga mat.  To make a donation, simply click this link to paypal where you enter my email (BebiTaurus@aol.com), your email, and the amount of $7.  Once you make a donation, please be sure to email me with your full name and address so that I can send you an update on the child you supported.  Thank you!