Eco-Friendly Green Design - Nandi Yoga

Recently I've had the pleasure of taking beginning yoga classes at Nandi Yoga in the heart of downtown San Mateo, California - just 30 minutes south of San Francisco. It was a little intimidating at first, but now I am really enjoying it. Of course, I have a lot more poses and terminology to learn, but here are some of my current favorites - Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog), Utthita Trikonasana (extended triangle pose) and Balasana (child's pose). In case you were wondering, this is not me above, yet.

Not only are the classes fantastic at Nandi, but so is the incredible eco-friendly studio space. In fact, the studio, which just opened last year is one of the greenest in the country. Whenever possible, recycled and sustainable materials as well as state-of-the-art fixtures that minimize consumption of natural resources were used in the 4,000 square-foot space renovation. Nandi Yoga was certified by San Mateo County's Green Business Program in March 2009 and they work closely with the Green Yoga Association to promote their efforts to "practice lightly on the Earth."

The open and airy studio comprises of three yoga practice rooms with the tranquil "blue" room being the largest at over 1,200 square feet. My favorite element in the room is the flood of natural light from the skylights - five in all. This is typically where I take my classes and I love the fact that not one light is turned on during the session. Compact fluorescent light (CFL) fixtures are used as needed and minimize consumption. In addition, roof-top solar panels generate the studio’s electricity and hot water.

The building materials are primarily bamboo and cork. The "green" room has a beautiful cork floor shown above.

The bathroom fixtures keep water usage low, the paint both inside and outside is low VOC (volatile organic compound), and their cleaning supplies are toxic-free. The simple cabinetry is bamboo.

Here is a complete list of suppliers and materials used in this green design. Most products and services are from companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area. This conscious strategy was twofold - support the local economy while reducing the company's carbon footprint:

General Contractor: D.A. Pope: www.dapope.com

Lighting Consultant: Hawtoff Associates, San Anselmo, CA 94960; Tel: 415-458-5444

Fixtures: Iris, Litecontrol, Lithonia Lighting and Alkco

Cabinet Maker: Rick Hogan, Designs Unlimited; 50 S Linden Ave Ste 6, So. San Francisco, CA 94080, 650-583-7075

Material: Plyboo: www.plyboo.com

Flooring: Advantage Flooring; 3330 Arden Rd, Hayward, CA 94545, 510- 856-0505

WE Cork: www.wecork.com

Bamboo: Golden State Flooring - www.goldenstateflooring.com

Bathroom Fixtures: Flushometer - www.sloanvalve.com

Motion Sensor Faucets - www.sloanvalve.com

Toilet Partitions: Sierra Series from Bobrick - www.bobrick.com

Paint: Eco Spec by Benjamin Moore

Solar Panels & Solar Hot Water: PDSolar, 7980 Enterprise Drive, Newark, CA 94560; 510-494-9982 - http://www.pdsolar.com/

Here's an image of my witty, composed and very patient instructor, Clive, in the breathtaking Grand Canyon. If you're interested in yoga, be sure to drop by his website or class at Nandi Yoga.

Namaste - "The light within me honors the light within you."

309 8th Avenue, San Mateo, California
Phone: 650-343-YOGA (9642)

*images from Nandi Yoga, Simplified Bee and Old Moon Yoga