“The Dharma informs us, however, that craving, aversion, and delusion within the human mind are the root causes of vast human suffering … Climate change is perhaps humanity’s greatest teacher yet about how these mental forces, when unchecked in ourselves and our institutions, cause harm to other people and the living environment.” The Earth As Witness: International Dharma Teachers’ Statement on Climate Change
Yoga teachs us a holistic vision of the world, blurring the boundaries between ourselves and other life forms, cultivating attitudes and igniting actions with the potential to more intimately connect us with the earth’s changing climate.
“Many aspects of yoga are in fact about being in the moment and at one with nature or the universe,” says Jane Jarecki, a Kripalu Yoga teacher at Evolution Physical Therapy and Yoga in Burlington, Vermont. “That’s why so many asanas reflect animals and nature. By putting your body into the shape of a tree or a stretching cat, by exploring the graceful wingspan of a bird or the fluidity of the Sun Salute, by breathing with the same cyclical sense as the tides or with an ocean sound, you evoke a sense of harmony, timelessness, and connection to the universe.”
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“If we’re to address the rapid warming of the planet, it’s of vital importance that we understand how to create balance internally. Yoga, with its slowness and inward focus, can be an important remedy to address internally the very same Yang and heat excess and lack of Yin and coolant that is creating the climate crisis.”Does Body Health Echo Our Planet’s Climate Crisis?
“The world’s mountains are home to about 800 million people and provide crucial ecosystem services for the entire globe, including freshwater for half of humankind …empowering mountain communities by encouraging leadership and use of local knowledge and by promoting platforms that enable learning and collective action can ensure more sustainable use of common resources and increase resilience to climate change.” From Mountains and Climate Change.
Bird of Paradise Bird of Paradise will indeed teach you the value of drishti (gaze) by increasing your ability to concentrate during chaotic situations, because with so many transitions during this pose, maintaining steady focus is crucial.
Climate Chaos The world will overshoot its long-term target on greenhouse gas emissions within two decades … Scientists have calculated that the world has already produced about a third of the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that could be emitted between 2000 and 2050 and still keep within a 2C rise in global average temperatures … the total amount of greenhouse gases that could be released over this time would be equivalent to 1,000 billion tons of CO2
Urban Forests and Climate Change The urban environment presents important considerations for global climate change. Over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas (1). Because cities are more dense and walkable (2), urban per capita emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are almost always substantially lower than average per capita emissions for the countries in which they are located (3, 4). Urban areas are also more likely than non-urban areas to have adequate emergency services (5), and so may be better equipped to provide critical assistance to residents in the case of climate-related stress and events such as heat waves, floods, storms, and disease outbreaks.
Do the Pose and Change the World One Tree at a Time. The Mythology Behind Vrikshasana (Tree Pose) … Trees are patient creatures. They live a long, quiet time, and they know how to stand firm through all the changes of day and night, climate and season. Silently, those ashoka trees spoke to Sita: “Stay still, little sister. Be calm and steady, like us. Seasons change, we know, we know. This captivity is not forever. Stay still, and remember Rama.”
By 2050, the impact of storms on coastal regions could cause trillions of dollars in damages as sea levels around the globe are expected to rise 6 meters (20 feet) if temperature rise 2C. Already, coastal regions are experiencing up to 200mm (8 inches) rise since pre-industrial times.
As many as 200 million people worldwide will become climate refugees in the next half century, forced from their homes by sea level rise, desertification and the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
The Water element is about our courage and will. … Water is a shape shifter and is able to adapt to the hardness of what lies in its path by yielding. The power of water gives us the flexibility and fluidity for movement./>