MONDAY: It’s Green Office Week! Turn off or unplug all computers & appliances for Green Monday. Need a stylish reminder? How about this wall sticker from HU2?

TUESDAY: Focus on a green transportation on Green Office Tuesday with these high performance e-bikes from HeroEco.

WEDNESDAY: Happy Waste Day Wednesday! Our Green Office Week continues with these cool recycling bags by The Holding Company.

THURSDAY: Focus on more eco-friendly ways of purchasing during Green Office Thursday. How about these recycled cartridges that don’t cost the Earth from The Green Office?

FRIDAY: Get innovative and creative in your green office. Re-cycling and up-cycling is the new thing as the Web Urbanist claims in their Top 20 Eye Catching Design List.

For more information and ideas, visit Green Office Week website at www.greenofficeweek.eu

Each of us is familiar with the Yin-Yang black & white symbol, but did you know that its origin lies in the Tao tradition? This ancient philosophy and system of life teaches us how to live in balance with the source of everything that exists, harmonising with the nature by balancing Yin and Yang energy.

The Baoli was honoured to talk about Tao and its application in daily life to one of the top Tao masters that live today, one of the world’s top 100 spiritual leaders, Master Mantak Chia.

How did you start your spiritual journey?
My knowledge was passed on to me by my Master Yi Eng. He spent over 30 years searching for the alchemy in the temple in China. In line with the Tao tradition, he then went to the mountains to keep searching, which also took many years. Finally he came back down from the mountains and went to Hong Kong, where I met him for the first time and stared my spiritual journey under his guidance. The Second World War was just starting…

How can we all apply ancient Tao practices in our daily life?
The Taoist teaching is very relevant in modern life. It is about transforming material matter into the non-material one. For example, the liver stores stress, anger and frustration. On the other hand, it is also a home of generosity and kindness. The liver is material and what happens with it energetically can be transformed. You can’t destroy the energy, but you can transform it.

Does Tao acknowledge science at all?
The Tao system is very practical and is based on science. It is not some kind of belief; it is pure science, with the Einstein’s formula (E = mc2) underpinning it. The science recognises that everything is made up of energy, and so does the Tao Tradition. Then you have the alchemy, the transformation happening.

Why does Tao stress the importance of working with sexual energy?
The transformation of sexual energy is the key Tao practice. Sexual energy is the strongest energy we have at our disposal. It is the commanding Chi for all the cells in our body, and is our best healing energy. You can either throw it away or you can transform it. By learning how to do the latter you also learn how to multiply and activate sexual energy. Then you have an endless source of vital force in your hands.

Do you feel you have achieved all you wanted with the Tao Garden Health Resort and Universal Tao Training Centre in Thailand?
I created Tao Garden Resort as a place where people can come to and get better in all the aspects: physical, emotional, spiritual. All my energy is combined in this place, and I want to help people get rid of anything unnecessary. As for the Tao Training Centre, we have a lot of certified teachers around the world. Next step is to systematise this work globally, help the instructors grow further and help them make their teachings stronger.

What are you manifesting for the future for Universal Taoism?
My dream is that the Inner Smile and the Inner Cosmic practices become accessible to everyone and everyone uses them in their daily life. I would like for every single person to learn how to transform the negative energy and emotions into something positive. We have a lot of negative emotions in the world today, but there are simple ways to change that.

For more details on Tao Garden Health Spa & Resort and Mantak Chia’s work, visit www.tao-garden.com

]]> http://thebaoliblog.com/mantak-chia-tao-for-daily-life/feed/ http://thebaoliblog.com/894/ http://thebaoliblog.com/894/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 23:22:39 +0000 baoli http://thebaoliblog.com/?p=894

The Special Yoga Centre’s 6th Annual Art Auction will be held at the Twentieth Century Theatre in Notting Hill, London on Tuesday May 15, 2012, from 6 until 10pm. The sale, held each year by the Special Yoga Centre, supports the centre’s charity that helps provide yoga therapy for children with special needs. This year auction will among works by David Hockney, Damien Hirst, Gavin Turk and 22 other contemporary artists also feature Stella McCartney’s signed sketch donated to an art auction to benefit the cause.

You can still buy tickets at £60 for this event here but if you can’t make the auction on May 15th, or would like to bid from the comfort of your own home, now you can! For more details go to Special Yoga Centre.

As the ancient wisdom goes, you are what you eat. We all know the importance of healthy eating, yet it’s not always easy to make it our daily habit. Hunting for a high quality, fresh organic produce can be time-consuming. Thankfully, there are companies like Riverford who make access to good food simple and easy.

James MacGregor who manages the Riverford farm in Devon has shared his thoughts about the organic food market and why Riverford should be your “go-to” supplier for fresh produce.

What’s the philosophy of Riverford?
We make naturally tasty food accessible through our home delivery box scheme, without the premium price tag, while giving farmers a fair deal along with being a transparent business, so customers value us and feel fairly treated too.

Do you think the local produce in the UK can become mainstream one day?
I think it will - as fuel prices increase, reducing the availability of produce from further afield.

Is organic always going to be more expensive than what you can buy in a supermarket?
Riverford’s organic produce is cheaper in a lot of instances. Due to the rising cost of fertilisers and chemicals, conventional farming is reducing it dependency on the latter and moving towards a more natural method of production. For this reason I think the price difference between organically and conventionally produced food will begin to close.

What’s the difference between ordering a Riverford box and going to your local farmers market?
Farmers’ markets are great, however we provide a wide selection throughout the year due to working with growers over long periods of time and building relationships and supply systems. We also source from outside the UK, allowing our customers to have a selection through the harder winter times and we know the provenance of where the produce has come from as we’ve visited all of our growers. At farmers’ markets if they don’t grow the produce themselves or purchase it from a neighbouring farmer, there often won’t be the traceability behind the product.

What else are you offering apart from fruit and veg?
We have a new range of meat and veg boxes where a week’s supply of organic veg comes with three cuts of organic meat. We’ve also got a new cheese shop launching soon, as well as a new picnic range which will include pies, flans, and tasty dips. All made using our organic produce, by our farm shop kitchen.

Your personal favourite recipe?
Purple sprouting broccoli with hollandaise sauce.

How do you define wellbeing?
Understanding where your food comes from, and sharing good food with people that are important to you.

If you are looking for the best veg and fruit organic boxes to be delivered to your door, check out Riverford’s website at www.riverford.co.uk

Don’t forget to claim your FREE cook book with The Baoli’s Special Deal and quote ‘BAOLI’ at the checkout.

Here is the first sneak peek at our top favourites so get your wardrobes ready for these new arrivals and don’t forget to claim 15% OFF with The Baoli’s special deal!

With all yogis and those of us who love to dress in stylish yet super comfy clothes in mind, the new pieces will not only make you feel good about what you wear but the fresh new colours will brighten up anyone’s day…

]]> http://thebaoliblog.com/stop-the-press-earth-kind-originals/feed/ http://thebaoliblog.com/wari-ananda-uniting-all-yogis-of-the-world/ http://thebaoliblog.com/wari-ananda-uniting-all-yogis-of-the-world/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:38:00 +0000 baoli http://thebaoliblog.com/?p=869

5 days by the sea. 50 world renowned yoga teachers. Up to 100 workshops. Over 450 participants from all over the world. And this is just the beginning. The first Barcelona Yoga Conference last year was a real success and the organisers are already busy with this year’s programme…

If you’re still unsure where to escape this summer for some fun, laugh and yoga, you should book 5-9 July 2012 in your diary for a long weekend of all things yoga; from Anusara to Kundalini; from Iyengar to Jivamukti, and other wonderful types of practice like Thai Yoga Massage, Reiki, Acroyoga, Body Bhajan, and Kirtan.

The organisers, two brothers and a sister, run a yoga studio and retreat company Om Shanti in Granolles, near Barcelona. But the idea of the conference didn’t come out of the blue as we found out during a quick chat with one of the two brothers, Wari Ananda.

What is the idea behind the Barcelona Yoga Conference?
The idea is to unite and gather all styles of yoga, teachers and practitioners from all over the world, unite different cultures and spend some time together enjoying yoga.

What is the structure of the Conference?
We have pre-conference and post-conference where people can join for an intensive full-day practice with one teacher. Last year it was the founder of Anusara Yoga John Friend for the pre-conference and the post conference had two parallel activities: Jason & Jenny, the founders of Acroyoga, and Jai Uttal, Kirtan experience. Then there is the actual conference with three full on days of various classes that people can choose from.

How did you manage to gather all these teachers in one place?
We know some of them from the retreats we ran together, most of them are friends. Some of the teachers from the US happened to be on a European tour so we invited them.

What is Om Shanti?
It’s a big yoga house outside Barcelona where we run classes and various retreats, from Acroyoga to Thai Yoga massage.

How did you come up with the idea of the conference?
We have been in the organization of some kind of yoga conferences in Spain for some time now and last year decided to take it to the international level.

There are some amazing yoga pictures on the conference website. How did you make that happen?
When we started planning the conference, I felt like I needed to go to Barcelona to take pictures. On the train I started calling my friends and told them I’m coming and we need to take pictures. A lot of friends turned up – yoga practitioners and teachers, and we spent the whole afternoon taking pictures in various spots around the city. Then I realised – the conference is actually happening! The full gallery took around 30 full days of photo shooting in Barcelona, over the period of six months.

What’s coming up in 2012?
This year, the conference will take place on 5-9 July and the plan is to run a similar conference but make it even better. We want to have fewer teachers but give each teacher more time to run more classes. We also want to attract even more participants.

For more information on this year’s Barcelona Yoga Conference, please go to www.barcelonayogaconference.cat

Going home

When looking for a good yoga retreat, I wasn’t after the intensity of the practice or known names on the list of teachers. To me, it’s all about the atmosphere that can help me relax and be who I am, encouraging me to go within.

I discovered Ashiyana (meaning “home” in Hindi), a beautiful yoga retreat centre in North Goa on a laid-back Mandrem beach.

The inner peace doesn’t necessarily have to come in a tiny hut without a hot shower. The places that offer comfortable, stylish interior in beautiful natural surroundings (yet not making you feel like you have to wear heels for dinner) create an encouraging environment for that inner journey. Not only did I not wear heels at Ashiyana - I have abandoned any type of footwear altogether.

The centre offers just enough for you to decide what it is that you need to go back to yourself – to go back home. Feeling like improving your practice? There are classes here twice daily. Need a relaxing massage? Top therapists are at hand. Wanting to open up your heart and lighten up? Join the kirtan session or an Osho meditation. Just need some vitamin D? Beautiful and still low key Mandrem beach is right across the wooden bridge.

The place is big enough, so I could hide in the lush greenery swinging in a hammock listening to the whisper of palm trees for the whole week, only coming out of my sanctuary for yummy meals.

Still my daily schedule ended up being quite a “busy” one; wake up at 8am, go yoga, have delicious granola with fresh fruit and yogurt for breakfast; go to the beach; have yummy lunch of rice and veggies; go check out the local market; hire a motorbike and go for a ride to see some stunning scenery, see the astonishing sunset on the beach sipping on a mocktail; have dinner of mouth-watering veggie pie and salad (and some dessert!) in the company of newly acquired friends. Organise a partner yoga workshop.

And that was my way of going back to myself.

Going total indulgence

I am a big fan of Ayurveda, and was really happy to bump into Ayurvedic Natural Health Centre (ANHC) in Bardez. Whilst its location is not so secluded, the atmosphere inside is really relaxed and calming.

On arrival a lovely lady took me straight into my room which was nice and clean. After a wonderful Ayurvedic veggie lunch in an open-air dining area with wonderful views I met the Centre’s CEO Dr Sunita. I have always been fascinated how calm, balanced and grounded all Ayurvedic practitioners I have ever met are (this alone makes me want to become an Ayurvedic specialist myself). Dr Sunita is no exception. She told me that Ayurvedic Natural Health Centre was first opened to serve locals but soon became popular amongst tourists through word of mouth.

After a lovely chat with Dr Sunita I went to check out the Ayurvedic shop, which looks like an Alchemist’s lab, with lots of different bottles everywhere. Behind the shop is the Herbal garden where you can easily get lost amidst almost 400 species of herbal plants of multiple health benefits.

After the stroll in the herbal garden it was yoga time. I was lucky to be the only one in the class so I had a one-to-one Ashtanga session with an in-house teacher which was a great finish to the day.

The next day was my indulgence day – 3 hours of Ayurvedic treatments with two experienced therapists. My heavenly experience consisted of: Abhyanga (full body massage), Pinda Sweda (massage with warm herbal bags), Shirodhara (constant pouring of oil over the forehead), Shiro Abhyanga (Head massage), and Sweda (a herbal steam bath). Heavenly!

Whilst I tried most of the treatments before, it was my first ever experience of Shirodhara, which turned out to be the most delightful one. I could literally feel my invasive thoughts being wiped off my mind as the therapist kept gently pouring the oil onto my forehead. Can’t think of a better treatment to release mental tension.

Going eco

Those looking for a relaxed beach holiday with a strong eco-factor should head straight down to Bamboo Eco House. A real bamboo heaven with a chic and elegant touch – and delicious food on top.

A set of ten spacious and tastefully decorated bamboo cottages sits between pristine sands of a secluded Mobor beach on one side and the meandering waters of the River Sal on the other. The location offers great landscapes and breathtaking evening sunset strolls on the beach.

Eco-friendly thinking goes a long way here: 100% sustainable building materials; organic carpet of grass and local plants that covers the whole area act as a cooling agent; no artificial fertilizers are in use; eco-friendly composting is in place; solar water heating and sewerage systems are both in sync with Mother Nature.

The lush greenery of 80 different plants hugging the bamboo houses from everywhere makes the place look really pretty and fairy-tale like.

The in-house restaurant adds to the heavenly experience. The food is fresh and delicious, with a great variety of great seafood on offer.

Feeling like a relaxing massage after relaxing on the beach? An Ayurvedic therapist with impressive records is right there offering all sorts of massages for an ultimate de-stress.

Having come back home after the trip, all I can think of is, how do I incorporate this total relaxation into my daily life, and when do I go back to Goa?

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
sea salt
4 small courgettes, 2 diced and 2 grated
3 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
1 bunch fine asparagus spears, woody ends removed, and each cut into 3 pieces
1 small glass of white wine
1-2 tsp rinsed, dried, and chopped capers
zest of 1 lemon
350g penne pasta
handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Parmesan cheese, grated, to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add all the courgettes, and cook for 10 minutes or until they have cooked down and softened. Don’t allow them to brown.

2. Stir in the garlic and asparagus. Add the wine, raise the heat, and allow to boil for 2-3 minutes. Return it to a simmer, cook for 2-3 minutes more, or until the asparagus has softened. Then remove from the heat and stir in the capers and lemon zest.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water for 10 minutes, or until it is cooked but still has a bit of bite to it. Drain, keeping back a tiny amount of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, add the courgette mixture and parsley, and then toss it together. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

Variation - For a richer sauce, add 2-3 tbsp double cream at the same time as you return the pasta to the pan, after draining.

Try more delicious recipes from ‘The Allotment Cookbook’ or search for more inspiration here

Serves 4

1-inch-long piece fresh ginger
8 ounces baby button mushrooms
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
black pepper
5 green onions
6 ounces medium egg noodles
2 heads bok choy

1. Carefully cut the knobbly skin off the ginger with the small sharp knife. Slice the yellow flesh and chop it as finely as you can. Wipe any soil off the button mushrooms with some paper towels. Cut any larger mushrooms in half.

2. Spoon the oil into the pan and turn the stove on low. Add the chopped ginger and the button mushrooms and fry them gently for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time to make sure they don’t stick and burn on the bottom of the pan.

3. Pour the stock into the pan along with the soy sauce. Grind in some black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

4. Prepare the green onions by cutting off the very tip of the root and peeling off the outer layer. Chop the onions finely and add half of them to the soup, putting the rest to one side. Add the noodles to the soup and simmer for 4 minutes (or according to the instructions on the package) until they are tender.

5. Meanwhile, trim the bok choy by slicing off the tough end (where the leaves are all joined together) and the very tips of the green leaves, which may be a little battered. Cut the bok choy into slices about 3/4 inch thick and add them to the soup. Cook for 2 minutes or until the bok choy is tender. Sprinkle the remaining green onions into the soup and serve.

Try more delicious recipes from The River Cottage ‘Family Cookbook’ or search for more inspiration here

Serves 4

2 firm aubergines
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp flatleaf parsley, leaves (picked and finely chopped)
2 tbsp spearmint (Tashkent, Moroccan or Garden mint finely chopped)
1 garlic clove, peeled and very finely sliced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 ciabatta

Slice the aubergines on the diagonal into slices 1 cm thick. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for about 40 minutes. Place the aubergine in a colander and wash well under cold running water, then pat dry using a clean tea towel or kitchen paper.

Heat a griddle pan until hot. Lay the aubergine slices on it side by side and, when they are charred on both sides, put them into a salad bowl. You may need to cook the aubergine in several batches.

While the aubergines are cooking, put the olive oil and the vinegar into a large bowl and mix thoroughly until amalgamated. Add the chopped parsley and mint, then the garlic and 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

When the aubergines are cooked, add then to the bowl and mix them around, then check the seasoning again.

Heat a grill to hot. Cut the ciabatta on the diagonal into slices 2-3 cm thick, then grill lightly on both sides. Once the toasted ciabatta slices have cooled, top them with the mint and aubergine mixture, pressing it down so that the juices seep into the toast. Serve immediately.

Try more delicious recipes from Jekka’s Herb Cookbook or search for more inspiration here