That’s me. All organic & American-made, domestic even. Last week YogaCowGirl wrote about her commitment to organic husbandry of her land, food & environs. What she didn’t focus on was the painstaking, time-consuming, heavily documented process required to be certified organic. She’s shared some of her process on her blog & on Twitter. The process is impressive and represents a real investment in the value of organic food and land. The yoga of food involves our consciousness of what we ingest, literally as well as metaphorically, how we ingest it and how the whole system interacts to support the beauty of existence.
The leap to textiles isn’t far – most of what we wear is fibre of some sort and we choose what feels good. Maybe our choices are guided by what’s at hand, or schedule or activities, but among the options available, we gravitate towards what feels best for the conditions today. Now there’s a lot of reason to choose among what’s at hand or when we buy to buy second hand. Consumerism is itself a choice that reflects and interacts with how we create our worlds.
When we do buy new, however, how much thought do we give to where our clothes came from? I must confess that as much thought and effort I put in to an all organic kitchen, I’m spotty at evaluating my clothing choices. I’m guided more by convenience than thoughtfulness and my prior attempts to investigate practices behind my clothes led to so many complicated answers that I essentially gave up. More than that, when I have bought organic the fit degraded with the slightest movement, and if there’s anything my clothes have to do, it’s support me in a really active lifestyle. (btw: stay tuned for a review of the latest YogaPaws… hint: great for motel room, or the first 10 sun salutes outdoors).
So, when a representative of a new yoga clothing line contacted me today, I was really impressed with his knowledge and their attention to detail. He had simple, straightforward answers to my questions about production and green quality. They’re no newcomers to women’s clothing having started in maternity and have a clean, well-organized website: renuyoga.com .
What I want to know from you, dear reader, is this: have you worn any of their clothing? How has it stood up to your practice? Have you hiked in it? How did it hold up to washing? How long did the seams hold up? And what do you think of their styles? Leave a comment, email me, call me (505-506-0136), let me know about your experience.
And more than any single clothing line, I’m interested in your views on organic food, clothing, homes. How much thought do you give to organic materials and food? Has it made a difference in your life? Is your interest in manufacturing practices sort of theoretical, non-existent, or all consuming? The veil of confusion and the difficulty of getting the straight scoop on such things can thwart the most stalwart of conscious consumers. What have you done to ignite the forest of obfuscation between us and the materials of our worlds?
Badlands Yoga 