Well, Summer seems to be over here in the Arctic, not that we really had one in the first place! The nights are getting darker now, we have said goodbye to the Midnight Sun until next year. I am just over the flu that has knocked me out for around two weeks and to top that off I had serious toothache resulting in my having to have one of my wisdom teeth out on Monday so now I hope that is the end to illness and pain for a while!

I plan to revert back to the plan of posting up some articles and research which I feel are important to the vegan cause so this will be my last personal post for a little while as I dig up some interesting facts about the meat and dairy industry!

Life as a vegan is so wonderful, I cannot express how it makes me feel other than saying it gives me immense strength to speak out, not just for the animals but for anything I believe is injust. I feel empowered and no longer just go along with general opinion just because I am afraid to be different.

I have taken the step to gain further yoga training and am due to take my first weeks intensive course in Brighton in the UK next month. I have reserved a room at a vegetarian hotel called Paskins, the children will come over with me and stay with family and Matthew is staying put with the dogs. This will enable me to further my plans for a yoga studio here in Northern Norway. Our Yoga baby web tv show is also flourishing with plans for the new show running smoothly too.

I have also been in contact with a society for the welfare of animals in Norway who are sending me some leaflets in norwegian that I can distribute here. It does not seem to push the idea of veganism but it is a start and they are heading in the right direction. After seeing a course advertised locally for 'learing how to put up electric fences to stop livestock escaping' I am even more determined to raise awareness of animal suffering here. It's a steep hill but I am feeling fit!

Wishing you all a pleasant day,
Jill x

Yoga and Veganism

My lifestyle has changed over the years as I became more self aware as a person. Turning vegetarian seemed natural and vegan even more so. Living a peaceful lifestyle is very important to me and my family. I have practised yoga since my teenage years and qualified so that I could spread the word. One thing led to another and now Miller and I have a weekly vlog called 'Yoga Baby'. We aim to get mothers and their little rascals doing yoga for a variety of reasons. Mainly to have a great time whilst getting back in shape after childbirth but of course yoga is a lot more than that. Not least it promotes a healthy and non destructive lifestyle. Moving into stillness gives time for reflection and promotes positive thinking. I run yoga classes here and hope I present myself as someone who makes compassionate choices. I have no vegetarians or vegans as students yet try and make it known that I have made that choice and maybe raise some discussion. I believe yoga and a non animal diet co-exist beautifully together and would encourage anyone, new mom or not to give it a try!

If you are interested or if you know a new mom who would like to see the show, you can go to our site www.yogababy.tv or subscribe through blip.tv or itunes (we have a group 'Yoga Baby' on facebook too - the show is a free weekly series, demonstrating new poses and breathing techniques - sometimes it runs smoothly, sometimes Miller has other ideas!

I guess I like to think people can be flexible with their life choices...

10 Things I didn't know before turning vegan!

Hello and thanks for the great response I am getting for the blog. It's really encouraging!

Miller now has his first tooth and is using it well! I'd been feeding him almost pureed food but have recently introduced rice cakes (supervised) and he just loves them. He was chomping on big pieces with no problem (please don't try this until your baby is ready!). So I thought maybe he'd like some more solid types of food so yesterday he had small chunks of banana and a mixture of carrot and broccoli cut into manageable chunks.


He is so different from my first born who would only eat pureed fruit until she was around 9 months. The mess however that Miller makes when eating is unrivaled. I have a child gate between my kitchen and hallway as our 2 Labradors just eat anything and lick the kids at every opportunity no matter where they've been or what they've been doing (dog owners will understand that I think!). So they are sectioned off at times and the dogs just lie looking through the bars like deprived prisoners, watching Miller throwing his food all over the place!



Anyway, back to the point, I thought it would be a good idea to post some solid facts on the blog and to make it interesting to those already vegan who know this stuff I've made them reasons why I made the change, the things that moved me into action. And to those who are still eating animals, maybe they will help you understand what is going on out there.

10 Things I didn't know before turning vegan...


1.Because of improper stunning, many pigs drown or are scalded to death when they are put, still alive, into the scalding-hot water tanks that are intended to soften their skins and remove their hair.

2. Like other animals fish feel pain and experience fear.

3. Eating meat causes global warming. Animal methane is 20 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

4. Veal calves are confined to crates so small they can't even turn around and killed when they are just weeks old.

5. Female calves not raised as dairy cows are slaughtered for the enzyme rennet in their stomachs, used to make cheese.

6. Most chickens suffer from chronic respiratory diseases, weakened immune systems and bronchitis and more than 99 percent of chickens carcasses are contaminated with E.coli bacteria by the time they reach market.(According to a report from the USDA).

7. Research has proved that chickens are smarter than dogs, cats and some primates and pigs are smart too and are often intellectually compared to 3 year old children.

8. No species naturally drinks milk past weaning. A cow's calves are traumatically taken from her after birth so humans can drink the milk designed for them.

9. When taken from ocean depths, fish undergo excruciating decompression which often ruptures their swimbladder, pops out their eyes and pushes their stomachs through their mouths.

10.Animals rely on humans to make a change in their habits to stop their suffering. They cannot tell us to stop but all we need do is look at them to see what we are doing. Meat eating, drinking and eating animal secretions and treating animals as slaves to our desires, whether it be testing on them for cosmetics, wearing them for fashion or sitting on their skins is wrong. No question. It is wrong. And you know it.

Points 1-9 are taken from Peta's Summer 2007 Magasine (see www.peta.org)

It's worth a visit to the Peta site and they will send you a vegetarian starter kit if you want a kick start (full of info and great recipe ideas).

On another note, if you are a new mother, I have just released a tv program on blip.tv called 'Yoga Baby' - just the first episode there now with the second being uploaded later today - it's intended for new mums to practice yoga with their baby to get the relaxation they need whilst strengthening the body and the bond between mother and child.

Have a great weekend, why not see if you can make it better for the animals too.