Amanda Ramcharitar Yoga

 There is nothing like walking into a fresh market first thing on a early morning.  I can happily attest that markets are thriving world wide in amongst the economic crisis.  The independent growers, artisans, innovators are in amongst these fresh produce.  Worldwide there is a grip of fear creeping into mainstream culture due to job security and possibly the idea that there is a way of life slowly disappearing, the one that counts on abundance to always be there.  The truth is though everywhere in the world the majority of most people live extremely simply, if not in the western world eyes of poverty.  Is it poverty though?  When you arrive in a market there is a sense of abundance, the fresh veggies, baked goods, all the wares you may need for your week.   This is no different than arriving in a supermarket, but the difference is there is not a large chain standing between you and your necessity of life, food.

The large chains and big supermarkets have not killed the village market in around the world, but sadly in North America, they are harder to find, and due to the drive in food prices and the need to make an income, most people do not have time to grow a garden.  There is nothing like supporting a neighbors garden though or knowing where your tomatoes come from.  Not only is it environmental it is communal, it is a sense of belonging and trust that things will go on as they always have.  Its not a big profit train driving food prices in the stock market, its a way of life that has existed for eon’s.  The truth is it promotes mental health as its a way human’s have always interacted, we have always traded.  The wave of the future may look scary with environmental catastrophe’s and financial woe’s however to counteract this loss of control, it maybe time to find the artisan, or baker inside and join the village.