By Joleen

“With great power comes great responsibility.” ~ Benjamin Franklin Parker Social media is pervasive. In the past 10 years, it has come to dominate nearly every aspect of both public and private discourse. The power of its influence is impossible to quantify, or to deny. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen all too often in arenas ranging from middle school bullying all the way up to Presidential tweeting, not all of that power is used wisely or for good. With the list below, we’re hoping to provide some strategies to help you cope with our daily social media onslaught. Perhaps not all...

This week’s Design Highlight is a first for us, in that it’s our first overtly religious design (though some might consider our earlier Buddha design religious as well). As for myself, I was raised in the mild Minnesota Lutheran tradition but have found that I’m spiritual and believe that something is out there, but I’m not yet sure what. We welcome all religious points of view here at Big Raven, and we’ve found ideas of value in every major religion we’ve come across. Regardless of what you may personally believe, for example, I think we can all agree that the...

Well, folks, we’re running a little behind. We’re trying to get this week’s Design Highlight out the door tonight because we’re highlighting our Libra yoga mat, and the Libra sign dominates the Zodiac calendar from September 23–October 22, a period which ends today. No real excuses, except to say that we’ve been busy! (We’d do the next Zodiac sign, Scorpio, but yesterday’s blog post was the Top 10 Poses for Libras, which is part of our nascent Top 10 Lists series, and we want to keep running with that, so we’ll save Scorpio for next month. Whew!) No fear, though,...

Juuuust under the wire… Libra (September 23 – October 22) is symbolized in the Zodiac by balanced scales. The world is a better place for having lots and lots of Libras. Libras are kind and gentle, they love beauty, symmetry, harmony, and peace. Libras are tactful, fair, just, charming, diplomatic, romantic, and balanced. They love taking care of the people they love. Being loved by a Libra is the greatest love you can find because they are fiercely loyal, passionate, and giving. Libras are amazing conversationalists and are passionate about life-long learning. Libras excel in the social graces department. They are...

The Yogi Top 10 is a new weekly feature here at Big Raven Yoga. Every week you can expect to see yoga, healthy living, and conversation starters. This week we’re discussing good yoga manners. If you’re new to yoga you might not know these yoga class norms and expectations — if you've been practicing yoga for a while you might assume everyone knows this stuff. So here’s our take on yogi manners. Happy customer Riley Gerlinger arriving early! 1. Arrive to class early. Rushing affects the vibe — and you’ve got to stuff to do. You need to store your shoes and find a place for...