Earthlings

Wondering if the products you use are tested on animals? Was your lipstick, deodorant or soap the result of cruel experiments? For a list of companies that still currently test on animals go to: COMPANIES THAT TEST ON ANIMALS

(thank you PETA)

Tell 3M, Proctor & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, S.C. Johnson, Clorox, GlaxoSmithKline, Arm & Hammer, Colgate- Palmolive Co., L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Avon, Dial and the many others that this unnecessary animal torture Must end!

"The next time you play with a dog or shriek at a mouse or slice into a chicken, keep this in mind: They're your distant cousins, genetically speaking."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/05/08/GENES.TMP#ixzz1aqhBsqU3

Sri  Sharon Gannon & Sri David Life, co-founders of Jivamukti Yoga remind us of these precious teachings:

• Sukhasana: A steady and joyful connection to the world 

In order to achieve enlightenment, Patanjali reminds us that our connection to the planet and all beings must be both steady (sthira) and joyful (sukham). The yogi realizes that one’s actions affect others. The practice of asana allows the yogi a way to discover how diet affects the physical and psychological body. With a meat eating diet, the body stores the karmic impressions of pain, fear and suffering inflicted on the animals. The repercussions are a tight and imbalanced body. But the yogi wants to live in harmony with Mother Nature and achieve enlightenment. Therefore a vegan diet causes the least harm to the animals and the planet, because the inconvenient truth is that the greenhouse gas emissions from raising livestock is greater than all transportation combined (cars, trucks, planes, boats!). Raising animals for food also causes more water pollution than any other industry and uses more than half the water consumed in the United States. The world’s oceans are being emptied of life, and more than 45% of America’s land mass is used to raise cattle, pigs, chickens. Wild forests home to wild animals are disappearing, and more than 80% of crops now full of herbicides and pesticides are used to feed livestock. More than a third of the United States’ fossil fuels are used to raise animals for food.

Ahimsa: Practice what you preach living the Yamas

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali gives five guidelines called yamas. The first is ahimsa which means nonharming. This is the realization of the law of karma and that how you treat others directly affects how much joy or suffering you experience in the future. Whether the affect is manifested quickly in this lifetime (for example, health related issues) or in the next, the karmic seeds of violence will eventually grow. Compassion and the realization of the oneness of being are essential ingredients of ahimsa. Practicing a vegetarian (vegan) diet causes the planet, animals and people the least harm possible. It is an informed, intelligent and conscious choice made three times a day with our forks. It is the way of the jivanmukta, a liberated being not separate but part of the whole.

Satya means truth. In America, the meat and dairy industries spend millions of dollars on false advertising with images of happy cows, pigs and chickens enjoying a nature-filled life on the farm. But this is not the truth. However because these billion dollar industries are the backbone of our economic system, they are capable of perpetuating a culture of denial and deceit. The message is clear, don’t ruin people’s appetites. After all today’s culture is all about seeing is believing, so if you don’t see pictures of animals being tortured in factory farms then how can it be true. The actions of torturing and killing become fragmented. The consumer is lied to about where food comes and in turn the individual begins to lie to themselves. The factory farm and slaughterhouse workers believe that they are not responsible for their actions, because they are simply following orders and doing their jobs. Consumers and meat eaters are lead to believe that what they do doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things anyway. People have been conditioned to do things that they know in their hearts are untruthful and morally wrong. As yogis we want to speak the truth. We want to say what we mean and mean what we say. Realizing the oneness of being and seeking peace on Earth for all beings is a lifelong practice that requires fearless courage and self-reflection.

Asteya means not to steal. Sadly though, we live in a culture that teaches us that it is ok to enslave and eat animals, steal their milk, eggs and young. The English word capital derives from the Latin “capita” which means “head” referring to heads of cattle. While the word livestock was used to define the value of gold and silver, since food animals were synonymous with wealth and status. Contrary to this, the ancient teachings of Yoga honor and respect the laws of nature. The action of taking from others whether people, animals or the planet sets about negative karmic consequences for the future, while vegetarianism is beneficial to all.

Brachmacharya means to respectfully appropriate one’s creative sexual energy without  exploiting, humiliating, abusing or manipulating others. This practice means truly understanding the power of sexual vital energy which is the driving force behind all physical and psychological forces. Misappropriating this energy means disconnecting from the source and moving towards ignorance. What we do to others will ultimately come back to us and be what we do to ourselves. The consumption of dairy and meat products where animals are enslaved, raped, impregnated, their young stolen or used as milk, egg and sperm machines go hand in hand with a culture that glorifies violence and exploits nature and the feminine. Brachmacharya challenges the moral code and in such means a radical social and sexual revolution.

Aparigraha means selflessness, taking less than one needs or “greedlessness.” Taking the middle path based on moderation versus excessiveness is the path of the yogi. Our culture has become one of endless consumerism that can only identify with our possessions and selfish desires. Contrary to this, the yoga practitioner develops a deep understanding of the impact of his or her actions and realizes that they cannot afford the karma of greedy behavior. Studies show that over fifty-two billion animals a year are killed for food. Humans take more than they need and have exploited the Earth and its creatures. We are in a time of crisis, or what Hindu scriptures call the Kali Yuga. The prophecy of an apocalypse or revelation of the truth means the end of time as we know it so that a new age can begin. Mankind must find a better and mutually beneficial way to live in harmony with the Earth and the animals. When we feel infinity, our relationship with time will no longer be made up of random series of events but rather become  a conscious experience liberated from the fear of death.

Shanti, Shanti, Shanti (Peace, Peace, Peace for all Earthlings)