I love my yoga studio! And its not just because of the amazing teachers at Kelowna Hot Yoga Studio or the bliss that I receive from my daily practices.  I love my yoga studio because they take into consideration  how their daily business impacts the environment.  As a greenie, this is a must for me when choosing the right studio.Yoga as a practice teaches us to focus our awareness on ourselves self but of of external environment as well. I just assumed all yoga studios placed some importance on their  impact on the earth. I recently went to studio here in Kelowna and my first impressions  of the studio were  greatly  influenced by a few important (to me anyways) things.

First: when I entered the women’s change room I immediately scanned my surroundings. Yikes! This yoga studio had paper towels to dry your hands. But why when they could have used cloth ones rather than create waste and adding to our overflowing landfills? You might be thinking that running a washer/dryer uses energy and may not be efficient.  So I did a little research and found that electric dryers double in efficiency when compared to companies that make paper towels.  And that’s not all. The process in creating a paper towel which includes cutting down of trees, manufacturing, packaging and transportation make them a huge no-no for a green studio. Yes, the process of making a paper towel also has its environmental costs , but rather than turning into waste after the first use, towels are used over and over again.  So rule #1 No paper towels.

Next, now this is a BIG one for me! Green cleaning products! I was hoping my eyes had played tricks on me, but nope.  Using green cleaning products isn’t just important for yoga studio, but everyone should be using them. Harsh, chemical cleaners are highly effective in killing living organisms like bacteria. Well newsflash everyone, we too are living organisms!!! So imagine the effect they have on us.  The scariest part is that there is little regulation for the chemicals used in cleaning products and there is no rule that requires manufacturing companies to list how hazardous these chemical are to the environment and to us humans. The one down side to these green cleaners is that they are more expensive and sometimes lack in performance results.  New breakthrough’s in technology such as water ozonators are ultimately the best choice for us all.  I recently learned about a company called Lotus Pro Water that has designed a cleaning product that takes plain old tap water and turns it into a sanitizer through ozonation. The end result is a cleaner surface with no waste or by-product. So Rule # 2 – Be green when you clean.   Besides these two big ones, yoga studios can become better friends with Mother Nature by setting back their thermostats at night, ensure that proper insulation and caulking is on their windows and doors, and that they use energy efficient lights in their studio. These tips are great for home-owners and businesses too! You may not realize it but a few simple acts can go a long way in saving the planet! Thanks for reading!