Features
Seva the Planet
Conversations —
Interview by Kasey Luber
It’s difficult to believe Seane Corn went through most of her teacher training terrified to lead her class, considering now, nearly two decades later, she’s one of the most passionate and well-spoken leaders in the yoga world. With several DVDs under her belt, worldwide teaching appearances and a near cult-like
(continue reading...) Maverick 101
By E.B. Boyd
For every real-life maverick out there, there are a thousand dreamers, people with great ideas about how to make the world a better place but unsure of whether they should try to make them real. If only there were a handbook to show them the way. Now there is. Would-be
(continue reading...) Becoming Mr. Right
By Andy Isaacson
A naked mannequin, draped in a feather boa, stands in one corner of the living room; a stripper pole runs floor to ceiling in another. I am gathered with a group of other single men in the North Beach district of San Francisco, in a duplex apartment that serves as
(continue reading...) Power To The Gym Rats
On Our Radar —
If you’re gonna workout to burn calories, why not power up the grid while you’re at it? That’s the premise behind Portland’s Green Microgym, a new power-from-the-people eco-facility created by fitness trainer Adam Boesel. This 3,000-square-foot gym is tricked out with energy-efficient treadmills, non-motorized elliptical machines and spin bikes that
(continue reading...) Dot your i’s and Cross Your Knees
On Our Radar —
Stretching before tests? Breathing exercises after recess? For happy evidence of yoga’s increasing mainstream influence, consider that yogic techniques are beginning to pop up in after-school programs, gym classes and K-12 classrooms around the country.
(continue reading...) Solar For the People
On Our Radar —
Homeowners contemplating going solar usually run into one of two obstacles: the expense of a solar power system or the sheer confusion involved in figuring out what rebates apply and what system to use. A new organization, 1BOG (“One Block off the Grid”), is trying to take some of the
(continue reading...) The Company We Keep
On Our Radar —
Very few of us have a personal attachment to the company with which we bank. Maybe you signed up with U.S. Bank because it was giving out free t-shirts on your first day of college, or Bank of America because it had the closest ATM to your apartment, or switched
(continue reading...) Get Active
On Our Radar —
Few people can argue that the world took a turn for the worse eight years ago when nearly half of Americans said, “Aw, shucks! He just seems like the kinda guy I’d like to have a beer with!” Well, there are people we want to meet for happy hour and
(continue reading...) Chicago’s Action Plan to Fight Climate Change
From the Commish —
Under Mayor Daley’s leadership, the City of Chicago has been aggressive in its charge to be the greenest city on the nation. We have led by example and shown that green technology benefits our environment while making sound economic sense as well. The science is quite clear that climate change
(continue reading...) Urban Essentials
Urban Essentials —
By Andrea Manitsas
For this month’s Urban Essentials, we decided the de rigueur of cool T-shirt wearage should be fun for the whole family. Whether it makes a statement, grabs attention or simply makes us laugh, these 100 percent organic tees are our picks for fitting out families all around town.
(continue reading...) Defining yoga, one style at a time
Healthy Living :: Yogapedia —
By Julia Steinberger
Origins Kundalini is a holistic philosophy focused on healing and developing a pure, strong body and mind in order to receive the universal spirit and work for good in the world. Its roots are somewhat revolutionary — believed to have strong power that inspires self-realization and elevated thinking, the practice
(continue reading...) Racing Against the Clock
Healthy Living :: Body Talk —
Running helps keep you young, suggests recent research from the
Archives of Internal Medicine. In a study that followed 961 older adults for more than two decades, scientists found runners had fewer disabilities and were half as likely to die early deaths, as compared to non-runners.
(continue reading...) Back to the Chalkoard
Conscious Dining —
By Tanya Fritz Catalano
Dining at Chalkboard in Lincoln Square feels like going to a friend’s house for a cozy dinner party. The restaurant is decorated with sophisticated charm — part urban-chic, part shabby-chic — and offers daily menu items which are mostly made from local ingredients. The husband and wife team that own
(continue reading...) Beauty and the Bite
Healthy Living :: Savor the Season —
By Terra Brockman
October is full of opposites. It is the month of the Harvest Moon, the time of maximum bounty and also the time of the killing frosts. It ushers in the gray days of winter while enlivening the palate, and the palette of your plate, with the bright oranges of
(continue reading...) Me and You and Everyone
Tune In —
By Amelia Glynn
Few concepts are as slippery as “oneness.” Sure, the idea that all things are interconnected might appeal in the abstract. But trying to wrap your brain around what oneness actually means is a lot like trying to understand infinity or a bazillion dollars or the distance between here and the
(continue reading...) Transition Town
Prophet Motive —
By Daniel Pinchbeck
Toward the end of his life, Thomas Jefferson realized the American Revolution had failed to provide institutional mechanisms to keep the creative spirit of insurrection alive in the populace. He wanted to institute a township system, giving more self-determination to local communities, or “elementary republics.” For Jefferson, the goal of
(continue reading...) Reviews
Art & Soul — While government officials were jockeying for “Brownie” points, residents of New Orleans watched floodwaters rise and recede down their homestretch of the 9th Ward.
(continue reading...)
Regulars
Four Leaf Clover Not Required
From the Publisher —
I am truly the luckiest person I know. Or, maybe I am the most blessed person I know. I guess there is a fine, or thick line between the two, depending on one’s spiritual viewpoint. To be lucky, according to Webster’s, is to have a positive result by chance. Whereas,
(continue reading...) Spot on
To The Editor —
I write as a big fan of your publication. You have really nailed down what works for a consciousness-oriented monthly, which is a hard thing to do. Thanks for doing it right! The design is amazing, the angle is spot on and you all do a great job of blending
(continue reading...) Naomi Davis
People In Your Neighborhood —
Interview & Photo by Christine Mangan
Naomi Davis is an attorney and the founder and president of the organization
BIG: Blacks in Green, a community education and trade association that strives to engage African-Americans in the new green economy. This fall, Davis will be teaching a class on “The Eight Principles of Green-Village-Building” through the
(continue reading...) Virtual Enlightenment
Life, the Universe and Everything —
By Juliet Eastland
A few months ago, I decided to join a listserv for media professionals. From what I could tell, the online conversation tended toward politics, history and arts-related topics, although with its explicit dedication to first-amendment and free speech issues, the group promised that no subject was off-limits. I was excited
(continue reading...)
