OUR TAKE ON
DESIGNING NATURAL LIFESTYLES
We believe in an interconnected, four-pronged approach when guiding clients in designing their own modern natural lifestyles:
Connecting to Natural Cycles
Maintaining Natural Wellness
Creating Natural Homes & Spaces
Exploring Our Own Personal Natures
Our classes, workshops, trainings, events and collaborators reflect this approach, as well as our values of personal and environmental sustainability, equity & inclusion in community, and celebrating & sharing local natural abundance. Below we share a bit more about our principles, philosophies and perspective. We'd love to hear yours too! info@cyanwoodlifestyles.org
MINDFUL MOVEMENT & CONSUMPTION
We encourage a "progress, not perfection" approach to mindfully adjusting our consumption habits and lifestyle patterns to promote natural and sustainable wellness. From the food and herbs we ingest, to external stimuli we take in from media, friends and family, and our greater environment, we are changed each day on a cellular level. While we can certainly be harmed by the world we live in, we also often (not always) have the power to seek out foods, products and wellness practices that support our bodies, the Earth and our spirits. We can help guide you to those greener, better feeling options!
Below we share some of our guiding principles and "greener" philosophy, as well as our "shopping list" tool we tend to hand out like fairly-traded, locally-sourced candy!
For tips, tricks and ideas about creating your own natural products and locally-sourced recipes, stay tuned for our herbal and natural foods workshops.
LOCAL HERBS AND FOODS
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Eating foods that are in-season, local and organic, is not only better for the environment, but part of our human heritage. Does that make eating local foods healthier than eating foods that were shipped in from other areas? Setting aside the long-term damage to the environment from burning fossil fuels during bulk transport, foods that are picked, packed, shipped, unpacked and shelved, are much older than foods that are picked, packed and shelved at local food co-ops and farmers markets. And the older the food, the fewer nutrients it maintains. Fresher food has more of what your body needs.
And do we know for sure that eating organic food is healthier? We look at "USDA Certified Organic" as a first-step attempt at being healthier for humans and the environment, but certainly not perfect. And since we love to measure "progress, not perfection," we see first-steps as important shifts toward the ideal. Living greener (not greenest) is the goal. And we are committed to "holding the line" in our progress. That is, "organic" is the best we have right now, so we will promote it and practice it until something better comes to our attention. (Have a suggestion? Share it with us!)
WITHIN 100 MILES
We promote choosing foods, herbs, flowers and oils that are either native to our local area, or can be grown here with relatively little effort. To us, local means food that can be grown within 100 miles of our hometown, Harrisonburg, Virginia. We've spent a lot of time investigating what can be grown here, practicing growing it ourselves, scrutinizing our habits, and searching for local sources of items we can't grow ourselves.
MINDFUL MOVEMENT PRACTICES
We love learning about all kinds of mindful movement, including Yoga Asana, Pilates, Kemetic Yoga, Dance, Self-Defense and more! We have opened the Natural Lifestyles Center in Harrisonburg, and are now offering group classes, workshops and trainings. Check out our group classes page and follow us on Instagram for mindful movement tips.
Are you an instructor interested in teaching regular classes, workshops or trainings? Send us an email!