Have you ever thought about how sustainability applies to yoga? Not just the obvious things like loosing the plastic bags, buying the right PVC-free mat, or going to the farmer's market -- but how do your actions and deeds as a yogi affect the environment we all share?

Vidya Chaitanya addressed some of these questions and lots more at a workshop I was lucky enough to attend a couple weeks ago at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Marina Del Rey.

Chaitanya is not only the spiritual director of the Sivananda Center, she's also a practitioner and teacher of Permaculture. Devised during the 1970s in Australia, Permaculture is a design system based on ethics and principles which can be used to establish,manage and improve all efforts made by individuals, households and communities towards a sustainable future.

Next weekend the dialog continues at the Sivananda Center during a conference called Yoga and the Environment. Practice outside, learn about the perils and possibilities of peak oil, attend lectures and workshops about yoga and ecology, and discover how you can redesign your life and your community.