These two amazing baptiste inspired yogi’s traveled half way across the world to Chilimarca, Bolivia to help inspire sexual abuse victims. They raised money through their organization of the Bright Light Yoga Project to bring the people of the community yoga clothes, teach them yoga and create a sustainable yoga program promoting health and well-being! How amazing is that????????
Not only that, but they had to deal with a major language barrier and translate every pose and teach every class in Spanish.
What they did to illuminate this community in Bolivia is so powerful and transformational to those who experienced it first hand and those watching their journey from afar. And it is just the beginning for The Bright Light Yoga Project.
Bright Light Yoga Project (BLYP) partners with community organizations to empower individuals, teach aspects of healthy living, and promote positive self- image through yoga. “Our aim is to ignite communities to use yoga as their vehicle to create positive lasting change.”
LASTING Change…..The values of BLYP could not match up better with our brand, and since we, too, were so inspired by these ladies Change Clothes donated T-shirts for Gillian and Tara to bring to community leaders at the CUBE as a symbol to unify us all taking important steps to positive, lasting life changes!
We also printed stickers to give out to the children that said Change in English and Cambiar in Spanish. Gillian said the kids loved them and were sticking them on their heads and mats and all over the place!
(the sticker)
In one of their blog posts they described part of their experience, “Just like at home, the work we are doing here is more than calling the poses. It is creating a bigger sense of community with everyone coming together to try something new that is good for your body and soul.”
CUBE (A Breeze of Hope Foundation) is a non-governmental non-profit organization whose mission is to respond to the needs of children and adolescent victims of sexual abuse on psycho-emotional health issues, protecting them from further damages, and facilitating restructuring of their life plan to achieve overall health.
How precious is this little boy on his yoga mat? It’s safe to say, despite the language barrier Gillian and Tara were able to develop deep connections with their students proving that the language of love and happiness are universal.
In yoga we are taught that it is not about being fearless, its OK to feel fear but the objective is to overcome your fears. It’s about facing your fears, staring it in the eye and overcoming them, whatever it may be….
Now I (Ashley) have read many spiritual books over the years, one of the most moving being Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh in which he discusses love and fear and how everything we do is influenced by one of those two emotions. We as people in EVERY single situation react to others and do things with the emotion of love or fear behind us. A question I have been asking myself is – can we manufacture our first production run out of love but also feel fear?
The funny thing is that they are intertwining forces. In order to feel passionately about something, fear and love must coexist.
You have to dig deep. I asked myself – why do I feel fear?? Because it is SCARY! It is nerve wracking to follow your dreams, spend all your savings and take that leap of faith and make just under 1,000 pieces of clothing. Will people like it? Will people judge us? Will people wear them, will people buy them? Will people understand the message we are bringing with our clothing line and will they accept it? WIll they support us, not just because they know us and love us but because they love CHANGE Clothes, think the fabric is amazing and they actually want to, “Be the Change.” There are a million questions that rush through my mind as we pull the trigger on the first run.
As I weed through all my made up concerns and quiet my mind, truth and my inner voice resurface and lets me know that we are on the right track. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone,” one of my favorite quotes from Neale Donald Walsh.
Sadie and I have come so far and grown so much; this production run is just the next logical step in our journey. People often ask us exactly how we got to where we are and how we even created a clothing line…..”How does one do that?” is a frequent question. The answer is always the same. You know those big huge trucks that have the word GOYA on the side of them, like GOYA beans? Sure it stands for beans, but to us it stands for an important decision that we made from the begining and its called, G-ET O-FF Y-OUR A-SS. Everyday take a step, one at a time towards your goal and eventually you will get there. You must take action, stop hoping, start doing. That is what separates people who HAVE a dream and people who LIVE their dream.
I wanted to write this blog about our first production as a reminder not to let fear stand in the way with anything that you want to achieve in your lifetime. Don’t let YOUR fear stop YOU from starting something that you have always wanted to do before you even start. Stand up to yourself and overcome what terrifies you the most, for you create your own prison and you also hold the key to let yourself out.
To always remember these things takes a great deal of dedication and effort. Find the people in your life who lift you up and make you reach new heights for yourself.
Here we are, Sadie and I standing at the threshold of this next big step. As scary as it is, we have built an incredible foundation and momentum and put out so much good creative energy towards what we want to accomplish that is just has to work out. Although we can’t see the whole stair case we have faith that as we put our feet on this step that the next step will then appear.
We are also thrilled to announce that we will begin production in the United States! We will have 3 essential garments that will all be must-haves, including reversible crops, a reversible sports bra and a flowy tank in 7 color-ways….. here is a teaser of our color chart.
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Aren’t they pretty?
It all starts with an idea and when you put thought, emotion and action behind it you will create a vision that you can actually touch and experience. It was one of the best, most rewarding feelings in the world after all the time Sadie and I would sit up late nights and brainstorm our idea to create CHANGE, to reach the day when the samples of our fabric arrived and we just knew the one when we felt it. Sketching our designs lead to getting our patterns and samples made and having them embroidered and screen printed. Every step led us to the next. It has been an amazing and rewarding journey and here we are again, taking the biggest step yet. “Your wings already exist, all you have to do is fly.”- Unknown
If you haven’t already heard of Bragg’s Organic ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar), then you should reconsider how much your friends and family truly care about you for not telling you about it! If you need a shoulder to cry on, we are here for you! This is the exact position we were in a few months ago when we first started using it, only to find some of our friends and loved ones were already in the know.
Once the initial shock that we hadn’t known about this magical substance (whose initial endorsement dates back to days of Hippocrates -The Father of Modern Medicine) we took charge and have since become fanatics! We’ve been using it a couple different ways and did quite a bit of research, but it wasn’t until people began questioning the noticeable results we’ve achieved that we realized we needed to share so that YOU can benefit, too! So, allow us to enlighten you about Braggs ACV – one of our favorite brands! It’s important for you to know not just HOW, but WHY it works.
We started taking Bragg’s orally – taking a tablespoon in the morning on an empty stomach or mixing drinks we used as “pick-me-ups,” sometimes replacing that sacred mid-day caffeine fix. But before we go sharing our recipes let’s discuss how incorporating ACV into your diet straight up or through other amazing Braggs products, such as their beverages and salad dressing for example, can help improve immunity, metabolism, and vitality within your temple.
ACV is inherently rich in potassium, which our bodies need to carry oxygen to our brains. Maybe this can explain why we experienced something similar to a caffeinated kick in the ass when digesting it. By allowing more oxygen to the brain one may experience improved concentration, alertness, and reflexes. The combined richness in minerals and acetic acid (as well as other amino acids) make it an ideal cleansing agent for the internal organs – acting as a “sponge” drawing toxins out of the liver and intestines. It also improves acidity in the stomach, aiding digestion. Due to these properties people have claimed to notice improvements with GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), in other words “heartburn” to those of us who aren’t into the fancy-pants medical terminology.
We are well aware that to some people the smell of vinegar may pass for a tub of water used to wash a pair of dirty feet in a blind odor/taste test. On the other hand, others actually like and may even crave it. But if you are one of the former you need to face the fact that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!
You guessed it – ACV even help with metabolism and weight loss! Hallelujah! The enzymes found in this fermented potion block those used to transform carbs into sugar, helping to keep insulin level and preventing those spikes that cause excessive hunger later. Being that there is a considerable amount of fiber, specifically pectin, it helps to prevent weight gain because this type of fiber improves glucose metabolism and helps prevent spikes in blood sugar that can cause increased fat storage. Finally, its acetic acid component has been attributed to activating fat-burning cell, making it an ideal pre or post-workout regimen. From our own experience, we’ve experienced decreases in appetite leading to no longer desiring large portions of food in one sitting. And if you don’t know, now you know – portion control is KEY to controlling your metabolism. Diet all you want, but that’s the skinny…
Before you go bathing in this stuff, also having its benefits, please note that vinegar that is pasteurized kills many of the healthful nutrients discussed thus far. Just another reason to love good ol’ Bragg’s for keeping their products organic and unfiltered, allowing the “Mother” of enzymes to remain in her natural habitat. We stress using only organic and unfiltered vinegar, and of course consulting a doctor prior to usage as the information we share is based upon our usage and research. Unfortunately we are not MDs (but fortunately we don’t have med school tabs – always trying to look on the bright side!)
Getting back to the topic at hand, if you do want to bath in this once in awhile we won’t stop you! Not only can ACV help to improve the appearance and feel if your skin by clearing up acne, it works wonders for restoring your pH balance and making your hair silky smooth, and who wouldn’t want that?! (ehemm, WE DO) Hair and organic/unpasteurized ACV naturally have acidic pH balances, whereas soaps are typically alkaline (other end of the spectrum). The natural pH balance of our hair is preventative against the growth of bacteria and/or fungus on the skin around the hair cuticle. Using products and soaps that have complete opposite pH levels shifts the balance of our hair, you guessed it, making it easier for bacteria and other buildup to remain on the scalp. Because ACV is closer to hair’s natural acidity, it also allows the the cuticles of hair on the scalp to be seal the hair and lock in moisture as opposed to being open and dried out. This is why you notice breakage and hair loss when hair is dry and brittle. It is also due to its acidity and antibacterial properties that it helps with dandruff and psoriasis.
Whew! So now you understand why we want to shout about this from the rooftops! Bragg’s ACV truly is a magical cure-anything multi-purpose potion. Or you can credit science. Either way we hope you walk away from reading this feeling a little (or A LOT) more educated and will give this product a try if you haven’t already. Below you will find some recipes and guidelines for these different uses. Also be sure to visit their website and take a peek at their other great products at www.bragg.com/
For astringent:
1 part ACV
1 part DISTILLED water
*keep chilled for best results, helps to close and tighten pore especially when cold
For hair:
⅓ cup ACV
1 quart (4 cups) DISTILLED water
*add a couple drops of essential oils such as tea tree (helps clear dandruff), lavender, rose, sage, rosemary
For digestion:
Take 1 tbsp before each meal
*start taking one in the morning, and work up to taking two or three
*do not brush teeth immediately after because it can strip teeth of their enamel, or try taking through a straw
Since everyone’s tastebuds are different and not everyone can handle a straight tablespoon, we suggest mixing it with distilled water and/or: liquid stevia, honey, agave nectar, juice NOT from concentrate, lemon, organic maple syrup, and more! If you have your own unique recipe then let us know! We appreciate your comments and feedback!
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