We were inspired to found Pranamaya, Inc. based on the deep, resonant wisdom we found in the traditions and teachings of yoga. As most of you might know, those traditions include the yamas and the niyamas—guidelines for conscious practice and life. We apply these principles in our business and our everyday lives as much as we possibly can. We believe this has allowed us to create some really invaluable work, and satisfy a need in ourselves and in the larger yoga community.

Each one of our actions has an impact that is felt directly in our immediate surroundings, and indirectly as the influence of those actions propagates outwards through the web of connections in which we exist. This 'footprint' of our impact can be small or large, cooperative or invasive—and the yamas and niyamas speak directly to the effects of the actions we choose. While they have somewhat varying interpretations, the basic message is very clear: non-harming, greedlessness, non-attachment, simplicity and moderation, non-stealing, etc. We feel that these guidelines apply in our personal relationships, our business practices, and ultimately in how we interrelate with the entire world. It's very clear that we have a responsibility to look after ourselves, and choose actions that limit our negative impact on others.

One of the simplest, most basic, yet most powerful ways we can do this it to look at the amount of waste we produce. In particular, our carbon 'footprint' has a significant impact on the health of our atmosphere—literally the air we breath and in which we practice yoga. You could say that we have a professional interest in keeping it clean and breathable! While we do our best on a daily basis to reduce our waste and recycle all that we can, we don't feel this goes far enough.

So, we've partnered with Carbonfund.org to offset the annual carbon emissions that we produce as a company. Everything from getting to and from work, running our lights and computers, traveling to shows, and of course manufacturing and shipping our products produces some amount of carbon that enters the atmosphere and adds to the impact of global warming. Carbonfund.org works with individuals, businesses and organizations to assess their carbon footprint, and to offset that by investing in alternative energy sources, planting forests, and supporting public outreach on the effects and impact of climate change.

We are proud of the work that we do, and feel that it's particularly important, and part of our mission, to make sure that that work lives up to the principles that we personally hold in such high regard. By partnering with Carbonfund.org, you can rest assured that not only are we continuing to produce the best yoga DVDs around, but doing it in a way that will hopefully allow your grandchildren and their grandchildren to enjoy the same if not better quality of life that we have today.

Namaste,


Ian & Mark

Our Mission: toward a Zero Carbon world

Carbonfund.org is a nonprofit organization that educates the public about the dangers of climate change and makes it easy and affordable for individuals, businesses and organizations to reduce their climate impact. We are reducing the threat of climate change by promoting low-cost carbon reductions and supporting renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects that reduce and offset carbon dioxide emissions.

Our Goals:

• A cleaner, safer and more prosperous world for our generation and future generations

• To promote easy, cost effective solutions to climate change, encouraging people to “reduce what you can, offset what you can not.”

• To help make carbon offsets, green power and Zero Carbon a normal way of life for every individual and business

For more information or to join, please visit www.Carbonfund.org.