Have you ever thought of the “Power of One?”

It has been a challenging few weeks for all of us. The fiercest hurricanes we have witnessed in our lifetime, tragic earthquakes in Mexico, and the concerning news from places like North Korea with renewed nuclear threats. For many of us, our internal compass needle has been spinning, trying to find stability and grounding in all this chaos.

In some way, the earth itself seems to be trying to find equilibrium, expelling stored up heat from the oceans through powerful hurricanes; releasing tension between tectonic plates with earthquakes and volcanos. We must each seek to find balance and steadiness in our lives. Thankfully our yoga practices give us a safe space to explore and process all the emotions we have been experiencing. As we sort through our feelings on the mat, we use the body to strengthen the mind with our practice.

“We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.” – Ancient American Indian Proverb.

Whether you believe in global warming or not, humans are clearly transforming the earth. Homo sapiens first began walking the earth 200,000 years ago, but in the last 100 years more damage has occurred since our existence. As we watch oceans rise and our coral reefs facing extinction, many of us feel powerless to make a difference. How can one person make a difference in helping to protect our mother of life earth?

History has demonstrated time and again how the power of one can cause a ripple effect of change. The Power of One – Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, the guy in front of the tank of Tiananmen Square. You can blow out a candle, but you cannot blow out a fire.

Ask yourself what little things you can do, to reduce your footprint on this fragile planet?

Here are some things our Energy Yoga Teachers are doing:

“I have stopped using plastic straws when I order a drink at a restaurant. Americans alone use over 500 million straws each and every day!” – Cecy Borjas

“When I am in a check-out line, I ask the clerk to not give me a plastic bag. When I do grocery shopping, I bring my own reusable bags. Over one Trillion plastic bags are used once and discarded each year.” Gaby Bjork

“I try to walk or bike as much as possible to reduce my carbon footprint. It helps me to burn calories, stay in better shape and it reduces greenhouse gas emissions. A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.” David Yglesias

“I use a reusable bottle for my drinking water and avoid single use plastic bottles. Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. However, the U.S.’s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles ended up in landfills, as litter or incinerators.” – Yoli Villalobos

“Presently our food travels on average 1,300 miles from ‘field to plate.’ Buying locally grown food, from fresh local markets is important. Local foods reduce transportation, production, storage and packaging waste. This decreases fuel consumption and reduced carbon emissions.” Susana Gonzalez

The ocean is nothing but millions of drops of water. Together our tiny drops of difference will form a sea of consciousness and change.

See you on the mat!

David Scott Yglesias