Green Yoga
Green Yoga is a bridge between the many practices and styles of Yoga and our inherent connection to the natural environment.
Following the ancient teachings of Yoga to harmonize our vibrations with our tangible and physical world, it seems that living in an environmentally friendly fashion falls in line with these philosophies. Green Yoga teachers are dedicated to fostering ecological consciousness, reverence and action in the Yoga community. By bringing together real life activism at the consumer level and the deeper yogic teachings of harmonizing with our world, Yoga teachers can elevate consciousness with yoga and help save our planet through environmentally sound living.
Through our teaching and living, we can have a positive impact on the world and as Yogi’s, we have a responsibility to live in reverence with the Earth and support others in doing the same.
Look to the bottom of this page to find a list of Green Yoga Sadhana/Practice ideas. These are Yoga Class themes to inspire you to teach with an ecological heart.
There is also a list with step by step instructions for you to ‘Grow Your Own Green Sanhga.’ This manual gives you guidance and ideas to build community around the platform of Yoga and the ideas of environmentalism. It is translated into many languages to share with everyone.
This is a ‘do it yourself’ program designed to support you in creating community to honor the Earth through
Yoga.
The following files are for you to download and follow the steps to ‘Grow Your Own Green Yoga Sangha’. More details on this program coming soon... but you can start now. Download the files in your language and start today!!
Please try these ideas for making your Yoga ‘Green.’ Please email me with your ideas for Green Sadhana and I
will gladly include them on this list.
Sadhana Ideas (Sadhana is the Sanskrit word for ‘practice’):
1. The Elements in Asana: Guide a class through the five elements (or one specifically) with asanas and pranayamas that represent
each one (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space).
2. Extensions of Natural Forms: Invite students to touch some natural being (a rock, tree, plant, flower) and feel the essence of it.
Sound a chime / bell and have them move their bodies into a physical extension of that being and hold the shape. Repeat this several times and they can move around and change ‘being’s between cycles.
3. The five senses: Guide a class focusing on the senses and our perception to the natural world through them. (Smell, Taste, Sight,
Touch, Hearing)
4. Animals! Make an entire yoga class using poses that are named / represent animals. Try and make a class based on the animals you observe in your local area!
5. Blindfold: Guide a Yoga Journey with the students blindfolded and open to the natural world through other senses.
6. Silent Nature Walk: Guide a walking meditation in which every step is a prayer to the Earth.
7. Vayus: Lead a journey through the ‘inner winds’ and their physical effects on the body. (Prāna, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna)
8. Chakras: Connect students to their energy centers.
9. Eco Yamas & Niyamas: Integrate these principles into an applied practice with an environmental approach to living them in daily life.
10. Lead a Circle Dance with an Earth song or Mantra.
11. Sun and Moon: Guide a class around the theme of luminosity with asana and meditations
12. Four directions: Guide the opening of a class or workshop with devotions/mantras and movement honoring the four directions
(especially profound when first arriving or moving into a new location)
13. Trees: Guide a class with asana of insects, birds, and other connections to trees
14. Surrender: Offer the experience of letting go with meditation and restorative asana supporting the space with silence and few words.
15. Orient all the poses around the human body being a conduit for energy and communication between the earth and the heavens. Drawing earth energy up through the feet, drawing cosmic energy down from the heavens, they meet in the heart chakra.
16. A class of gratitude practice for the earth’s body and our human body.
17. Relating to gravity, the connection between our body and the earth.