Yoga, Macrobiotics…and Shelling?

One day I’d like to experience a yoga retreat where the food served is of the highest macrobiotic quality.  And not just some lovely gourmet dishes and oh, they’re macrobiotic.  The combination I’ll be seeking will offer yoga for health and spiritual enlightenment, macrobiotics for cleansing and healing of my body.

Just dreaming, I started my search tonight, and ended up reading and eHow article on “How to Go on a Macrobiotic Retreat” with a link to Karin Stephan’s Yoga Macrobiotic Vacations .  Started looking around the site, and ended up emailing Karin some philosophy about my take on shelling (the act of hunting for and taking shells off beaches).  Go figure.  I’m sharing here though because a chord of passion was struck for me, and I do hope you all will learn something interesting.

Dear Karin, I’m excited to find your yoga and macrobiotic retreats via Google (search phrase: “macrobiotic retreats”).  It would be lovely to attend one day.
 
There is something I found amiss on your site on this page:  http://www.yogamacro.com/yoga_macro_vac/sanibel/nsanibel.htm you state that “Guests may avail…all the shelling you want!”
 
I must say I am disappointed to find these words written on your site without further explanation or instruction.   As a Gulf of Mexico Florida native (Naples, Florida) and conscious being, the “shelling” that has gone on in Florida for decades now has resulted in a huge decline in unique and rare shells in the region.  As a child I remember the most amazing shells washing up with each storm in abundance – I learned all their common names and there were many…turkey wing, tiger paw, ABC shell, moon shell, olive shell, baby conchs, most of them complete and perfect, with gorgeous deep colors – purples, pinks, coral, browns, greens and blues.  Now, the shells are blandly colored and it is rare to find even one I could compare to the 10 rare beauties I would find on one of my own shelling outings.  Even from that young age, my family explained to me that taking more than necessary tipped the balance and caused shortages in other areas.  We were encouraged to think carefully about the “treasures” that would go home with us.  In this way I learned to cherish the shells I did collect, and to this day they hold a special place on my altar.
 
Over time, ignorant tourists to the region have greedily grabbed and gobbled up shells until there is very little diversity andd rarity to the shells now common on Naples beaches.  Unaware “guests” take sea life that is not even dead, such as sand-dollars and star fish.  I know that the declines are not all due to shelling, a lot can be attributed to dredging and drilling and other environmental side effects. 
 
However, the issue remains that on the shores, most people take much more than they will actually do anything with, other than hoard these shells somewhere in their houses (which are probably already packed with stuff as it is).  I personally feel that yoga and macrobiotics are a way of life – of cleansing ones body, mind and soul of unecessary clutter and the attachement to “things”. 
 
As you can see, I find I must speak out on something that is near and dear to my heart – not only from a conservation standpoint, but also from a spiritual standpoint.  Yes, it’s great that students are practicing yoga and eating one of the best diets on the planet.  Can we complete holding this sacred space with the consciouness to be conscious in our consumption and our footprint – in what we take from the earth/beach as well?  To stop and think first “do I really need this – another thing? Let me consider whether I will actually use it for a good purpose, or whether I will end up just stuffing more into my psyche.” 
 
I believe that in this age of change, evolution and enlightenment, we must look at every one of our actions and the impact is makes upon the greater.   We must learn to look upon the abundant gifts of Mother Nature with appreciation, gratitude, awe, delight, and joy, and rather than clutching and grasping, trying to hold and contain these experiences – every single last one of them mind you, that instead we can learn to enjoy for a bit and then let them pass through us and continue to flow…
 
I hope you will condone humility and open-mindedness.  I personally do my best to be flexible enough in my life as well as my yoga practice – to make adjustments as new insight is presented.  The collective goals of yoga and macrobiotics can truly be reached – that of health, wealth, love (for all living things), and perfect self-expresion for manifesting continuous abundance.  Thanks for your time and keep up the good work!

Any one else with passionate feelings about shelling out there? Let me here them!
Aloha~

Filed under: Diet, Macrobiotics, Yoga on September 4th, 2008