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Yesterday I arrived home from a very much needed week in the sunshine. Yes, it was my first holiday in three years but I say need quite literally as I recently discovered I am vitamin D3 deficient, me and about a billion other people on the planet apparently. Strangely I was asked by at least three friends if I had diagnosed myself!? No, I went through the usual protocol of doctor’s appointments and blood tests (ok so I may have Googled my symptoms first). Must admit a week sunning myself in the Majorcan sunshine cooled down by a constant supply of sangria was a more exciting remedy than a packet of high dosage supplements. On the plus side, I have been able to blame my constant yawning and brain fog on this lacking of vital nutrients, I reckon I must have had it for several years!
So I am reluctantly back, I think I could live in a hotel, I know I could live somewhere warmer and instead of feeling robbed that the British summertime in all its glory has stolen my window of opportunity for flaunting a fairly impressive suntan (which could get blown away or washed off at this rate) I cranked up the heating to help dry the mountain of wet holiday clothes and was quite excited to cosy up in one of our latest Yoga Leggs creations. It’s a super soft slouchy fleecy slogan sweatshirt emblazoned with the words Love Everyone. Why am I so excited? Because it’s a thrill to see a random thought and a doodle on a piece of scrap paper come to life and become a product. It’s also nice to spread some heartfelt positivity and encourage optimism and hope.
As our name, Yoga Leggs suggests it was leggings that got our creative juices flowing in the first place, but our mutual love of spiritual and mental well-being and as the craze for slogan sweatshirts and tees went into overdrive it was impossible to stop at yoga pants. Many of our customers reported a lift in their spirit whilst wearing our happy sweatshirt, how can you not feel empowered whilst declaring I love life, and who doesn’t need a little reminder to inhale-exhale repeat from time to time. Unfortunately, we cannot take any responsibility for acts of abandonment and reckless behaviour whilst wearing one of our wild thing hoodies!
Love Everyone it’s a bold statement I know, is it an impossibility, farfetched wishful thinking? It’s enough of a battle-loving the people that we actually love! A mum friend on the school run said how she loved our latest slogan and felt it to be so appropriate in these awful times. When the idea popped into my head it was born from a feeling of sadness and amazement that as a species that continually evolves and innovates we humans really are rather stupid.
I get that our biggest challenges in life revolve around maintaining healthy relationships. What if the age old question of why are we here, what’s it all about and the true meaning of life is really very simple and straight forward. What if we are just meant to practice being human? To play nice. Like a global game of rock paper scissors can love squash fear? Tolerance flatten judgment and benevolence wipe out greed? Hope so. Forgiveness, consideration, kindness, understanding do they have the power. The more negative the feeling the more force it seems to have.
My encouragement to Love Everyone (I didn’t say like, we are not all saints) is a tall order and some might say ridiculous, but it’s a wish that one day, hopefully before we destroy each other; that more of us finally realise that regardless of the appearance of our outer shells, we all cry, smile and bleed in the same language. Our hearts beat to the same rhythm, we are made of the same stuff. Yes really!
Buddha says as humans it’s a universal wish to be happy and free from suffering. Have we not learned over the centuries to stop butchering each other? (Sorry I’m engrossed by Vikings at the moment, they were brutal!) To try to live peacefully on this beautiful planet we call home. At least we’ve stopped burning witches at the stake (thankfully for me and Becki) as a responsible parent I encourage my children to not judge people for their race, religion or sexual preferences. Thankfully their friendship groups reflect their open hearts and open minds. Growing up in 70s Walthamstow was a very different story, fuelled by ignorance. Oh how times have changed, Amen to that.
I believe that it’s fear of the unknown that holds us in our negative patterns. We live in a very diverse world now, and it’s a beautiful thing to experience different traditions and cultures, can’t we learn from each other? There are no excuses surely in this day and age nobody should ever feel superior to another, regardless of gender, race, religion, profession or accumulated wealth. We enter and leave this world as equals; there is just a story in between. Let’s pray for more compassion and sense in these troubled crazy times. Let us dream of a better world.
I’m off to moisturise my tan, much love Amanda x
