10 Thoughts on Green Living

1. Living in tune with nature is an invitation to live creatively. 2. Extend the life cycle of your stuff. Find a new use for something old. 3. Nourish your soul; eat the freshest, most natural foods you can find. 4. Resolve to use less. 5. The earth is alive-it breathes, grows, evolves. 6. Enjoy an unplugged activity every day. 7. Think of nature as a destination in itself, not something to just drive through. 8. Your home is part of the environment. Keep it pollution-free. 9. Opt for quality over quantity. Value is revealed over the long term. 10. Change doesn't happen with a single action but with a series of small gestures.

Connect

The sound of a warm, familiar voice. The touch of a trusted friend. The soft, springy feel of new earth under your hands. When you're connected, life takes on meaning, purpose, synchronicity. It's the very real sense of things clicking into place, a hum along the wire. A rootedness. Connection isn't linear; it's multidimensional, transcending time and circumstance. Whether it strikes bright and sudden like lightening or illuminates your life with a steady, warm, glow, true connection sustains you, carries you forward-and gives you firm footing in the world.

A Body to Love

Our bodies are concrete, physical. But there’s frequently a distortion between what they are and how we perceive them. When women criticize their bodies, it’s as if they’re talking about something separate from themselves. In my view, this is possible because most of us “live in our head” much of the time, disconnected from the flesh and blood that carries us around every day. When you feel separate from something, you can look upon it as an outsider. And if you’re playing the role of the critic, you don’t have to look far to find the ideal against which to measure yourself: Images of the “perfect body” are everywhere. Whether yesterday’s waifs or today’s sculpted, washboard-abs models, it’s an impossible standard. So how do you forge a healthier relationship with your body? Simply spending more time “in” it helps. For those who don’t exercise, taking daily walks with your attention turned to your body (noticing how it moves, how it feels) can be a great start. For those who do, instead of tuning out with magazines or focusing on burning calories, simply feeling the sensations-your muscles working, your feet hitting the ground-can begin to reconnect you to your body.

Homemade Medicinal Preparations

For minor complaints and for alternatives to such products as insect repellent, it is safe to make your own preparations.

Sage lotion for sunburned skin
Tear a handful of fresh leaves into a bowl, cover with boiling water and infuse for 20 minutes. Strain into a bottle, refrigerate, and apply when needed.


Saint-John's-Wort lotion
The mashed yellow flowers of Saint-John's-Wort mixed with olive oil make a soothing lotion for sunburn or varicose veins.


Peppermint oil for muscular pain
To relieve sore muscles, massage the affected area with peppermint oil. If you use a commercial oil, check that it is suitable for external use.


Basil mosquito repellent
Simply crush basil leaves and rub them onto areas of exposed skin to repel mosquitoes.


Disinfect with feverfew
To disinfect slight wounds and to aid sleep, gather dried or fresh feverfew flowers in cheesecloth bath bags and add to bathwater.


Removing nits from hair
Soak your hair in neat white distilled vinegar, wrap it in a towel for an hour, then comb with a nit comb to remove the creatures before washing your hair again. Finish with another coating of vinegar without rinsing off-this leaves hair glossy and shiny. Combining neat vodka through hair also removes nits.


Combat hair loss
Drink a banana smoothie made from mashed bananas, honey, yogurt, and low-fat milk regularly; this mixture is rich in biotin, which is said to prevent hair loss.

MEDICINAL USES FOR WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR

Bee stings- To soothe bee stings hold a cotton pad soaked in vinegar on the affected part.


Blocked sinuses- Make a vaporizer by adding a quarter cup of vinegar to steaming water, and inhale the fumes to help clear sinuses.


Burns- Keep a container of vinegar in the fridge, and apply to minor burns to relieve pain.


Sunburn- To soothe sunburn, apply vinegar with a soft pad of cotton.


Dandruff- To rid the scalp of dandruff, use a solution of half a cup of vinegar and two cups of warm water.


Sore throats- To soothe a sore throat, gargle with a glass of water to which to which you have added two tablespoons of vinegar.


Hot toddies- If you don't have a lemon to add to a hot toddy for soothing a cold, use vinegar and honey in hot water.

Dream Rooms

When it comes to bedrooms, we all dream of a restful, luxurious, romantic refuge. A master bedroom and its bathroom are the most intimate rooms in a house, the ones where you most want to relax, indulge your senses, and prepare for -- and let go of -- the day. Thankfully, that goal has become remarkably easy on the conscience.
Virtue and indulgence might initially seem strange bedfellows, but in linens, as in life, first impressions can be deceiving. Sheets that could get by on sheer sumptuousness, for example, may have the added benefit of being organic. In fact, given the increasing demand for all things eco, there's almost no aspect of the archetypal dream bed and bath that doesn't now exist in some natural, organic, or otherwise socially redeeming form. You don't have to change everything all at once; the ideas presented here -- some small, some large -- work individually or collectively. It's your choice. It should, however, be an informed choice, so here are some basics, keeping in mind that there is overlap among these categories.
Natural materials, as the name implies, are nonsynthetic -- they come from plants or animals, like the breathable, long-lasting, skin-friendly natural fibers for bed and bath here.
Organic materials, like organic cotton, are natural materials that have been grown free of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and are often manufactured without chemicals.
Sustainable materials, like bamboo, are natural materials that regenerate at healthy rates, preventing resource depletion.
Socially responsible products and companies, if not always eco-fabulous, earn merit by reviving handicraft traditions, treating people well, and giving back to the community. In the bedroom, organic and natural bedding lends itself to a layering of colors and textures, like a striped linen blanket and an organic-cotton jacquard-weave blanket against smooth, white linen. A subtle mix of complementary colors -- the green tones inspired by spring -- gives depth to the room. The layering of subdued greens and blues starts with the carpet and connects the blue-gray trim of the bed skirt and the headboard with the tans and beige of the bed skirt, the duvet cover, and the chair. Green-gray walls and a natural-wallpaper "collage" tie it all together, while sheer curtains add softness and privacy. It's a combination of beauty, comfort, and consciousness --perfect for your body and soul.

Bathroom

If the bedroom is a sacred space in which to retreat and renew, the bathroom is its inner sanctum. And although getting clean may sound about as utilitarian as you can get, bathing also happens to be one of the best (and easiest) things you can do for your psyche -- especially given beautiful, natural surroundings, including a Belgian linen nightgown (hanging), a porcelain oyster-shell soap dish, a hand-knotted cotton towel, a functionally elegant wooden table, an organic-cotton bath rug, and a Belgian linen robe.

Furnishings

Furniture It's becoming easier all the time to find stylish sources for greener furnishings. Q Collection, for instance, a manufacturer of eco-friendly decor, was founded on the principle that serious design need not compromise the environment -- and vice versa. The company uses sustainably grown woods, natural fibers, and recycled glass to produce everything from the club chair at left to accent pillows and lamps.
Lighting One of the fastest ways to make your bedroom more environmentally friendly (and to reduce your electricity bill) is to install super-efficient bulbs wherever possible. Long-lasting compact fluorescent bulbs are now easy-to-find replacements for almost any standard incandescent bulb. For your favorite reading lamp, try a full-spectrum compact fluorescent, which mimics natural sunlight.

Fabrics

Silk, unwound from silkworm cocoons, is one of the world's strongest natural protein fibers. And it's one of the oldest textile fibers, long revered for its rich hand and luster. For function and form in the bedroom, whether in a comforter or adorning a reading pillow, silk is hard to beat. It's beautiful, durable, a top-notch temperature regulator, and soft as, well, silk.
Organic Cotton is an any-season favorite for bedding, though its light and cool qualities have special appeal in warm weather. In fact, more and more consumers are choosing ultra-breathable all-cotton bedding over standard cotton-synthetic blends because it's more comfortable. Make that cotton organic, and you'll rest, sleep, and breathe easier.
LinenNo wonder "linens" were once the ubiquitous bedding of choice. Linen's hollow-core flax fibers both insulate and wick away moisture, providing all-season comfort, and its smooth, buttery feel only gets better with use. Sleep on linen sheets and pillowcases or read and relax with a linen throw -- it's one of the nicest in-the-bedroom fabrics you'll find.
CashmereAccording to devotees, nothing is better to cuddle up with than this "specialty wool." Traditionally gleaned from the silky-soft undercoat of goats living in the high Asian plateaus of China, Mongolia, and Tibet, cashmere is one of the world's warmest natural fibers, but its high-moisture content allows insulation levels to change with relative humidity. In other words, a cashmere throw might be the perfect reading-chair fixture.
Wool's superior wicking and insulating abilities -- the latter due to an abundance of tiny air pockets that get trapped in its crimped fibers -- prevent over- and under-heating all year round. That's why wool historically has been used in both desert and arctic climates. And a wool blanket or comforter is a long-term investment -- the fiber's elasticity and resilience will buy you years of use.

10 Thoughts on Whole Living

1. Inspiration can't be rushed. Learn to linger
2. Love for the earth begins with a sense of wild 
3. The spiritual and physical cannot be separated; you need one to experience the other 
4. Never underestimate the power of pen and paper
5. Alignment comes naturally. Balance cannot be achieved by force
6. Exercise is more than a series of poses: it's an approach to life and to the world around you
7. Let your breath bring you back down to earth
8. Fun is not an occasion-it's a way to live your life
9. True relaxation is productive; it helps keep you whole
10. Admit to yourself what you don't know, and you begin to evolve

Process of Change and Transition Into Clarity

Forget knowing-The very nature of a transition is not knowing, you'll need to become comfortable there. By admitting that something's broken and, for the moment, you have no idea what to do about it, you softly open the door to what wants to come next. Gratefully acknowledge "I don't know" as a mood of ripe possibility, the mood of learning-it's evaluation in action.

Find your center-Centering yourself during periods of change can be difficult, but it's essential; you'll be calmer, more resourceful, more open to learning, and better able to recognize and choose between opportunities. Notice what gives you a feeling of stability in your body.

Tune in to Guidance-Times of transition require a "listening practice." What should you listen to? Intuition, the parts of yourself that you may routinely ignore, the still small voice inside, your deepest values. All that matters is that you set aside time, without distraction, and earnestly create space for the next step to reveal itself.

Do Your Homework-When something calls you, don't rush into action. Ground your next step with facts-committing to benchmarks by which to judge your progress will create momentum; you'll start moving forward with a sense of grounding, responsibility, and growing clarity.  

Discovery

When you are adrift from your core, the space between your surface and your depth fills up with anxiety.Perhaps your inner self has been throwing you clues for years, and you've been too busy to get the hint. Maybe who you really are and how you perceive and present yourself are miles apart. Discovery is about finding resources, hidden strengths, and treasures. Labeling, on the other hand, suggests that you find something outside yourself and apply it. Labels can conceal. Discovery reveals. Try to suspend any preconceived notions you may have about yourself, and be willing to experience a few "wow" moments: Wow, I can see how much I value reliability. Wow, I need much more freedom than I'm getting. Think outside your box. Exercise your past. Laugh at yourself, and admit to a few bad choices. Above all, think highly of yourself.