Vision and Clarity for the New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! And welcome 2017!

I can’t believe it’s been five years of blogging now...it’s been amazing journey, and I’m looking forward to more to come! Following last year's choice of the word "inspiration," I want to share with each of you my view for this year: vision and clarity.

With regard to vision, I just pulled a healing angel oracle card titled “Vision.” It reads: 

“A positive outcome requires a positive vision. Visualize everyone involved in your present situation surrounded by light and love — make sure to include yourself also. Your love has the power to influence and transform the current events.”

This card was very enlightening for me, because I think it’s essential to have a positive outlook, and most of us get that, however, what I often forget is to include myself! I'm looking forward to including myself in this year's positive outlook!

Then there's the second part: clarity. Clarity is so important, because it’s about clear seeing, clear vision. There’s precision and brilliance that comes from clarity. It is of the utmost importance to see what’s really there, see things as they are. To quote one of my teachers, Steve Saitzyk: 

“We need to be able to work with things as they fundamentally are and not just how we think, believe, hope or fear they are.”

I tend to get so caught up in my preconceived perspectives of what I believe is “right.” For instance, I was talking to a teacher about expanding my business earlier today. I have it stuck in my mind that I need to hire a particular kind of person, and then everything will be perfect. But when asked to clarify what my vision is, I just want more time. It may or may not be a new staff member that helps with this vision. It seems I need to look and see clearly what my vision is!

Of course, my feng shui twist on how to create vision and clarity is a wonderful way to reinforce your intentions in your physical environment. It’s very simple: clean your windows! I’m talking squeaky clean! In fact, we just called someone to clean our windows. 😃 Your windows represent your eyes and how clearly you see in the world…how do your windows look? For bonus points, use green cleaning products, like our favorite glass cleaning recipe.

Chogyam Trungpa summarized the importance of vision and clarity well, when he wrote:

“ The universe is constantly trying to reach us to say something or teach something, but we are rejecting it all the time”

If we open our eyes and minds to seeing things with vision and clarity (and love), we can hear what the universe has to share. And I promise it will be beautiful. Here's to the new beginning of a year of vision, clarity and listening to the universe! 

by Anjie Cho

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Yes, You Should Go With Bamboo

As we work toward becoming a more sustainable, eco-friendly society, it's becoming more and more common to see bamboo used throughout homes in various ways. From flooring to paneling to furniture and more, bamboo is making its way to the limelight, and there's more than one good reason. 

Enhanced Performance

Perhaps one of the most important factors for building materials is performance, and bamboo shines here. Across the board, it has been shown to perform as well as, or better than hardwood. It can handle more weight than steel and concrete and is more water resistant than hardwood options as well. 

In the Janka test, which determines how hard a wood is and how resistant it is to denting and wear, both traditional and strand bamboo (we'll get into that in a second) outperform almost all other hardwoods, including oak. In addition, bamboo options are more dimensionally stable than other woods, meaning that, when exposed to moisture, bamboo doesn't shrink or expand as much. 

It is worth noting that not all bamboo is created equal, and we'll get more in depth with that in another post. To benefit from bamboo's outstanding performance, it's important to make sure you're buying bamboo from a trusted source, harvested at a certain age. If harvested too early, bamboo products are not as strong and can actually be inferior to other options. 

image credit: Teragren LLC for "Designing with Bamboo for Superior Environmental & Human Health Impacts"

Variety

If you're inclined to think choosing bamboo means submitting to the stereotypical "zen" look that bamboo often brings, think again! Bamboo is available in a wide variety of appearances, thanks to a few things. 

First, there are two basic types of bamboo building material: traditional and strand. Traditional bamboo is very obviously bamboo, and the knuckles of the bamboo plant are visible in the finished product. It's made by slatting bamboo, then gluing it back together, and this is the type of bamboo used most often in those "zen" environments. 

But the other type of bamboo, strand bamboo, is made by shredding the plant and compressing it with adhesive into solid, usable material, and it resembles traditional hardwood. This means it can be used to create more traditional looks, and it actually accounts for about 80% of bamboo sales. 

In addition to choosing your style of bamboo, you can also opt for multiple texture and finish options, including whitewashed, dark stain, multi-color and more. Just be sure to keep the toxicity of these chemicals in mind! 

Eco-Friendly

We've talked about this before, but using bamboo far surpasses any other wood in the area of green design. Based on bamboo's unique ability to sequester carbon, even after being cut, its ability to rapidly renew and the fact that it doesn't wear out soil, bamboo isn't just eco-friendly, it's also sustainable, environmentally and in terms of indigenous ecosystems. 

Natural

Bamboo may not always give off that natural, green look, but it is one of the safest building materials to use in your holistic space, and it brings in a touch of nature to any room, most notably bathrooms and kitchens, where stainless steel appliances can create a cold, austere look. Bamboo brings warmth to these spaces as well as the benefits of adding nature indoors, from stress relief to reduced blood pressure and more. 

If you're renovating your space, building from scratch or adding new components like furniture, consider using bamboo in place of other, less-sustainable, potentially more toxic materials. Using bamboo can enhance the look and feel of your indoor space while providing relief to our planet as well as communities across the world. Why not give it a try?

by Anjie Cho

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How (And Why) To Choose an Organic Pillow

A huge part of creating a sacred, holistic space is designing a place where you are happy and healthy. From the paint on your walls to the cleaning products you use, even down to the furniture and accessories you bring into your space, each addition has a chance to harm you or heal you. 

Since we spend spend many of our passive, yin hours in bed, it's especially important to make sure that we're resting in a healthy space, free of toxins and allergens. That's why I encourage you to choose organic bedding and linens, including pillows.

Most traditional pillows are filled with either conventionally grown cotton or polyester, neither of which are good for our health or the environment. Cotton contains herbicides and pesticides, many of which are carcinogenic to humans, and polyester filling includes the toxic chemical ethylene glycol (the deadly substance in anti-freeze) among others. Even most memory foam pillows give off harmful VOCs. These chemicals not only seep into your skin and lungs, they eventually, through washing and disposal, find their way to the atmosphere and even our water supply. Talk about unhealthy!

On top of all this, the production of these substances can put a heavy strain on our non-renewable resources, like water. One single shirt made from conventional cotton requires 2700 liters of water and 1/3 of a pound of chemicals. The chemicals used in cotton growth account for 25% of the world's insecticides, which often pollute our drinking water as well. As for polyester, it's made from non-renewable petroleum and its creation produces harmful gases that find their way both into the bodies of workers and the atmosphere.

With these statistics in mind, the case for organic pillows seems pretty cut and dry, but how do you find the perfect organic pillow for you? Before you even consider what material to opt for, it's important to consider your sleep style and other lifestyle choices. 

The type of pillow you need depends on your sleeping style. Typically, side sleepers need the most support, while back sleepers need a bit less, and stomach sleepers need the least. Spend a few moments determining how you sleep most often before you head out shopping. 

Other considerations are how you live the remainder of your life, as well as your personal preferences. Do you want firm or soft? Are you vegan? Are animal products an no-go? Are you allergic to any of the materials used in organic pillows? These are all important questions to answer if you're looking for optimal comfort (and aren't we all?). 

Once you've tackled those details, dive into choosing which organic material is best for your holistic space.

Natural Latex

Natural latex is harvested from natural rubber trees, a rapidly renewing resource, and boasts a variety of perks including being naturally hypoallergenic and resistant to dust mites, flexible, long-lasting, moisture-absorbing, heat regulating and resistant to mold and mildew. These pillows are 100% natural latex, are best for side and stomach sleepers and will even eventually biodegrade!

Organic Cotton

This popular option has the same supportive and comfort qualities as traditional cotton but is grown in a much more sustainable, eco-friendly and safe way, without perfumes, formaldehyde or dyes. It's 100% natural and is hypoallergenic, resistant to mold and breathes well during warmer weather (so no sleep sweat!). This option is best if you're a stomach sleeper, since it's not quite as firm as latex. 

Organic Wool

Organic wool is another very popular option for pillows. This material is great for regulating temperatures, keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter and has a natural moisture-wicking ability, just in case those few sweat drops do get loose. Like most other organic options, organic wool is naturally mold, mildew, fire and water resistant and hypoallergenic. Wool is best for side sleepers, and if you can, opt for alpaca wool, as it is lighter and warmer. 

Buckwheat or Millet

If you're willing to try something new, a buckwheat or millet pillow is a great organic option. These pillows are filled with buckwheat or millet hulls and have many perks including excellent air circulation, adjustability and potential to eliminate neck, back or shoulder pain as well as snoring. They're also naturally pesticide-free, hypoallergenic and water resistant. These pillows aren't super fluffy, and it's important to note that they can be a bit noisy, so opt for one with a wool outer layer to muffle the sound. Millet pillows are a bit quieter on this front. These pillows are great for all sleep types, but if you're a side or stomach sleeper, be sure to check out millet!

Kapok

Before you mourn the loss of your down pillow, let's talk about kapok. This material is a silky fiber from ceiba trees that feels much like down, but it's hypoallergenic! It's also eight times lighter than cotton and very fluffy, in addition to being naturally pest-free, water and mold resistant and quick-drying. This option is vegetable-based and great for back sleepers, or anyone who's a fan of down pillows!

There are many, many options for going organic with your pillow selection, and I encourage you to research your choices before making this investment. No matter what you choose, rest easier (and more organically) knowing that by getting rid of traditional pillows, you've taken a great step in creating a truly holistic space!

by Anjie Cho

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