ON BOTH SIDES OF LIFE presents
The Sustainable Yoga Project: Transitioning Ecology into Consciousness

HELP US RAISE OUR GOAL BY DONATING NOW!

Summer 2016 will be the official start of our non-profit On Both Sides of Life. We will start in Whistler, BC at the Wanderlust Festival on July 28th and end in the Bay Area of California on September 1st. During the month long pilot tour we will be offering free workshops on compassion fatigue, nature to human connections, community sustainability and collaboration, and understanding our earth and ourselves through movement and ecology. We will be collaborating with organizations and designing unique classes specific to their audience and ecosystem. The activities will take place in parks, at summer camps, farms, and at non-profit institutions along the way!

On Both Sides of Life explores dynamic relationships for a more harmonized planet. Through learning from the environment, society can glean important concepts to live sustainably. Sustainability can’t only be reduce to acts like recycling, eating organic food, and practicing responsible wilderness principals such as “Leave No Trace” (though we certainly support all of these efforts), true sustainability starts within the individual. The average adult makes approximately 35,000 conscious decisions everyday. We strive to make the majority of those decisions for a healthy planet! Sustainability involves how we treat ourselves, others, and the planet in every aspect of our lives. Ripple effects of our discussions and actions spread into the world around us.

Our team has traveled the world studying environmental sciences, cultural landscapes, and mindfulness practices. We have learned from many communities and individuals along the way and couldn’t help but to see the interconnectedness of every group we work within. We saw the beauty that a group of conscious passionate individuals can have on the world and we felt the impact they have on both environment and personal levels. We have trained and worked with Save the Frogs, Street Yoga, Inbound Yoga, AcroYoga, Africa Yoga Project, Jinja Community Yoga, The Evergreen Yoga Service Collective, and Wilderness Medical Institute, just to name a few!

This pilot project is our first expression to bring our own ideas and creativity into those discussions. We are striving to engage the social and environmental rights actions along the way. After each class we will have discussions, local ecologically farmed snacks, and gear for the project. Donations will help to get us money for food, gas, and camp sites along the way.

Collecting qualitative and quantitative data along the way will give us a platform in which we will be able to launch future campaigns and projects. We hope to directly service between 300-500 people in 4 states, in two countries and in 15-20 communities along in our month long journey. Having this time to collaborate with others and network will help us to transition this project into an NGO!

Examples of workshops include:

“The Life Cycle of Amphibians: Adapting to Life On Both Sides”

“Arachnid Adaptations: Navigating The Web of Life”

“Trophic Dynamics: Movement through the Chakras”

“Operation Pollination: Receiving Life's Sweet Goodness”

“Flying like Birds: Trusting your Wings and Soaring”

“The Peaceful Warrior: Mindfulness to prevent Burnout”

“Biological Niches: Finding Where You Belong”

We are in the process of finalizing our exact route and stops but will be following along the general timeline and locations listed below. We are very open and interested in collaborations so please make sure to contact us if you are in one of the areas we will be passing through!

July 28th-August 3: Wanderlust Festival (Whistler, BC)
August 3-5 (Vancouver, BC)
August 6-8 (Seattle, WA)
August 9-11 (Olympia, WA)
August 12-15 (Portland, OR)
August 16-17 (Corvallis, OR)
August 18-22 (Bend, OR)
August 23-27 (Reno/Tahoe NV and CA)
August 28 - 31 (Bay Area, CA)

Where will the money go?

100% goes to the project, donations during our travels, and to fuel the journey! We are not receiving salaries to offer all of these free sessions so we are asking for support to fund camping, food, sharing material, and to get from point A to point B, C, D… :)

Here is a breakdown of funds needed:

Food for one person for one day: $15

One night of camping: $10

Gas for one day: $5-$10

Workshop supplies and meeting treats: $10 per session

Outreach Gear (stickers, shirts, business cards!): $300

Total for one month: $2,500

Who we are

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

We are three young ecologists eager to provide a fresh perspective on connecting individual sustainability to environmental education and social justice. Through our month long road trip of interactive workshops, mindful movements courses, and free events we will be spreading the passion of creating sustainable change in the global community. Founders Chelsea Carson and Tin Bindi will embark on this journey with fellow yogi and activist Hayden Reynolds to make the world a better place the best way they know how. Together our team, with the collaboration of many organizations and individuals, will pursue education, sustainability, and yoga for the greater good.

WHY IT WILL BE SUCCESSFUL

It has been proven that both yoga and nature can provide therapeutic relief in a variety of settings and for a large range of audiences (from elderly to children and PTSD to daily stressors). We know mindfulness practices like yoga, breathing, and meditation can reduce stress, enhance creativity, and encourage patience in the workplace. This is why we will offer courses to non-profit staff and give them unique and easy ways to prevent burnout and increase productivity. As we have seen with Yoga 4 Classrooms, the National Kids Yoga Conference, and Mobius Moves children also highly benefit from incorporating movement into their education.

Social and environmental justice are intrinsically related - and we cannot afford to separate the two. We are unique to existing organizations because we will bridge the gap that grants access to mindfulness and education around sustainability, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, political, or economic status. We believe that in order to grow healthy communities we must also start by growing healthy individuals. We will increase the sustainability of our planet by incorporating environmental education initiatives like we see in Outward Bound schools, NOLS, and experiential learning academies, but connect this hands-on approach to the outdoors into our individual sustainability work through yoga and mindfulness. Similar to the organization Off the Mat into the World we will address important social issues through a holistic approach, but we aim to tie in these themes within relevant ecological conservation topics as well.

In order to leave a lasting impact and ensure the sustainability of the project we will be partnering with existing non-profits and initiatives within the communities along our route; maximizing participation, supporting local involvement, and increasing awareness. Our team is trained and has experience in these realms with a deep desire to emphasize that these movements are not separate and should would all be strengthened through collaboration and mindfulness

As a part of the trip outreach we will be collecting qualitative data that will help us to gain credibility to secure future grants. We will do this by documenting the events held, topics covered, people reached, and conservation actions taken.

GET INVOLVED

Please visit our website www.onbothsidesoflife.com to learn more about us. You can also support us by liking us on Facebook and Instagram. If you have any questions please send us an email at onbothsidesoflife@gmail.com

Namaste,

Tin Bindi, Chelsea Carson, and Hayden Reynolds

Published Journal Articles

Spiritual Ecology: A Paradigm Shift for a Healthy Planet: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/10/spiritual-ecology-a-paradigm-shift-for-a-healthy-planet/

Metamorphosis Yoga Sequence: http://www.savethefrogs2.com/community/teachers/metamorphosis-yoga-sequence/

How to Rebuild Yourself and a Country after a Natural Disaster: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2016/04/how-to-rebuild-yourself-a-country-after-natural-disaster/