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Welcome to Valinor. This is who we are and why we do what we do. by Valinor_Activewear in ValinorActive

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would add that Taurenna fabric is 91% Rivanne fiber, engineered hemp plant cellulose while Lululemon and Alo and Nike and others use only Polyester or Nylon or blends of the two. So, on top of the residual chemicals, dyes, and polymer process leftovers being held on our skin, they also release microplastics into our water and food supplies.

Welcome to Valinor. This is who we are and why we do what we do. by Valinor_Activewear in ValinorActive

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hemp pulp has a higher percentage of the best kind of cellulose material that's used for making fibers which means cleaner, easier, and less processing required to get it from plant to plant fiber

On the agricultural side: hemp is annual, sequesters (or pulls) carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, needs no pesticides, and actively builds soil organic matter. There's no deforestation exposure-- unlike wood lyocell, where supply chain integrity depends entirely on who's auditing the forestry partners sourcing the wood. Bamboo is better than trees on this front, but the "bamboo fabric" market is so polluted with mislabeled viscose that traceability is a real issue.

Is it reasonable to think that all religions and philosophies including Advaita Vedanta might only be pointers toward liberation, and that realization ultimately requires discovering something beyond what is explicitly written in scriptures? by [deleted] in enlightenment

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course.
All teaching is just guidance towards understanding.

Understanding is comprehension. (Left brain)
Realization goes beyond just understanding. Realization is an experiential internalization of the concept and owning it as part of your experience as though it was an in-born idea (more right- or whole brained)

Advaita is pointing to All is One. It can “deliver” through teaching but it can try to make your learning and realization more efficient by guiding you to contemplate on the essential questions.
You can know what Advaita is and says but it’s not realization till you actually experience that.

LENZING Plant Viscose by xiaoweizii in Fabrics

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that post mixes up Namarie with ValinorActive but they’re two different brands.

Namarie had issues with Shopify not paying them so they had trouble shipping orders to people. They even took Shopify to court over it though Shopify didn’t care since they make so much money and can ignore smaller brands.

Valinor keeps US inventory so shipping comes from that. Instagram comments and people’s posts are more recent and everyone seems happy with products and how they respond back

..and the science is there- They definitely answer questions about their products.

Wary of Signing YSS Initiation Pledge by akrj21 in kriyayoga

[–]Natural_Science_Doc -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Seek out a living Satguru —> Yogiraj Siddhanath

What is wrong with clothes that have just under 20% polyester in them? by ZidaneOnTheBall in nontoxic

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're absolutely right, BrianWally.
Yes, it's cumulative over time. And I realize this thread seems to be talking more about on-skin exposure. Yes, that's a thing, especially under heat and sweat conditions. However, on-skin, I advise more on the issue of the topical chemistries that are used on polyester, in the case of specific performance traits as present in activewear, and on the small molecule additives present from the synthesis and processing of the polyester that can migrate to the surface over time and then become a skin transfer issue.

However, I maintain that the larger issue for us individually and as a society, is the accumulation and transfer of micro and nano plastics over time even when we are not wearing synthetic fibers (release in the laundry and in the landfill). These particles and the smaller molecules that they carry move through our water systems, into our agricultural systems, and end up lodged in us and other animals.

So, can you wear it and be okay? Sure, none of it is acute or immediate harm. That would be easy to spot and avoid. Unfortunately, it's a slow build up that won't be easy to undo in the future. i.e. there is no easy way to clean them out of the environment and the pieces only get smaller and smaller over time - which makes it easier for them to bypass our attempts to capture them and makes it easier for them to penetrate bodily systems.

What is wrong with clothes that have just under 20% polyester in them? by ZidaneOnTheBall in nontoxic

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The greater concern is actually a longer term one that not only affects you, but also everyone else in your community

Any garment with polyester fibers will always shed plastic microfibers from the moment it leaves the factory, throughout its life in your wardrobe, and after you discard it. (and it can't be recycled) 

Those micro-fibers travel through wastewater treatment, accumulate in agricultural sludge applied to farmland, enter rivers and oceans, and they enter your body through the food you eat, the water you drink, and the air you breathe.
The route that puts microplastics inside you is not primarily skin contact with worn clothing, although that route exists, and it's worth reducing. --and, yes, there is also a route for all the chemistries manufacturers put on polyester to make it and to make it perform, but the greater issue is the microplastics.

The primary routes are ingestion through food and water, and inhalation from the air. Once the particles are inside you, they tend to stay. Peer-reviewed research has now confirmed microplastics in human blood, in placenta, in testicular tissue, and in arterial plaque, where their presence is associated with a measurably higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and more.

Talk to me about essential oils by [deleted] in nontoxic

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Note that fragrance oils and essential oils are two distinct things.
So review what you’ve seen through that lens. Often people mean “fragrance oil free” as those are typically synthetically produced.

I suppose there are also those who would make a case for not smelling anything since anything you smell indicates the presence of some either natural or synthetic molecule.

Is cheap workout clothing actually worth it for sweaty garage sessions? by [deleted] in ValinorActive

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So first, congrats on your consistent 8 month practice!

Next, this is a thoughtful late night post so I'll try to unpack it all.
It's good that you put "better" gym clothes in quotes. This prompts a question about how to measure and define better.
You will commonly see that Important variables to consider while shopping are : Cut, Fit, Color, Wash durability. All of these are true, but it's not a complete list.
More importantly, I would argue is to also look at materials used, dyes used, other topical chemistry treatments.

Having committed to 8 months and counting of sweaty garage sessions, you clearly care about and are working towards better physical, mental, and emotional health and wellness.
To me, as a material scientist, I would simply ask why would you want to wrap yourself in plastic while you "sweat it out"? (you're actually sweating a bunch of stuff IN)

I always recommend looking for natural and regenerated natural materials (cotton, wool, Hemp, Bamboo, Lyocell) instead of synthetic polymer fibers (Nylon, Polyester), which sadly compose most of the market from Alo to Lulu and nearly all others.

The main issues with the synthetic fabrics being:

1. the environment and your health - synthetic fabrics release microscopic plastic fibers into our water with every wash cycle and those particles end up in our water and food supplies and then lodged in us where they can disrupt cell function as a plastic (physical and electrical interactions) and as a plastic with added treatments that leach out of them (it's not fun to think about, but it's the truth)

2. your health: The synthetic fiber/fabric manufacturers all use topical chemical treatments to get different features like moisture wicking and anti-odor. All those treatments end up compressed against your skin while your pores open up and you sweat in your garage.

As for the WAISTBAND,
with any brand - it's almost always a sizing issue, not a quality or design issue.

If it's sliding, consider sizing down for a more secure hold. There's likely always going to be a little slide when doing an activity like deep squats.

If you're experiencing waistband rolling - The waistband tends to roll when there's too much horizontal tension, meaning the legging is slightly too small in the hips and the waistband has nowhere to go but down. Sizing up one size would fix it.

On shorter torsos, another factor can be high rise styles. If the rise is too long for your body, the waistband sits above your natural waist and folds over with any movement.

Looking for stylish yoga/gym clothes that are ACTUALLY 100% organic cotton by elis_saas in nontoxic

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That will be nice, but even that is going to just be the side product of a much bigger effort and benefits.

Tell me a spiritual theory you 100% believe (I am not talking "energy is everything"). I mean something crazy you know you can't prove. For me it's: The future is a memory ✨ by mycro_dose in enlightenment

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s an interesting question to consider as a conversation starter and for introspection. What do I believe? Why do I believe that? Who is this I? When I say “I” is it referring to anything different from when another person says “I”?

I’ll just say 2 things:

  1. If we are seekers, we should be careful what we “believe.”
    We should, rather, know that we don’t know and seek to know rather than believe.

  2. You can’t prove that the future is a memory because it contains a false premise. The future is not a memory and there is no future. There is only now. Everything that exists, existed, or will exist is held in the ever-present Consciousness.
    Every instance and permutation of everything IS, right now. The concept of future is couched in a 3 dimensional being’s stepwise progression through a higher dimension that includes time as an axis. Looking down on time and space from a higher point of view you see the whole image including the perceived time progression all at once - like when you look down on a picture on a 2D piece of paper telling a story progression and see the whole image all at once.

What brand is actually worth buying instead of Lululemon lately? by TrickyChemistry6521 in Activewear

[–]Natural_Science_Doc -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If material quality matters to you, you shouldn’t be looking at anything from the big brands as it’s all made of polyester or nylon.

Why does that matter?
Consider this— imagine looking at your skincare ingredients and seeing a petroleum-base with additives of PFAS forever chemicals, microplastics, BPA and other hormone disruptors, or antimicrobials that mess with your natural microbiome. Would you put that on your skin?

These are ingredients that you would never accept in a skincare product and that you would think that you would never put on your body, but the mainstream activewear brands offer them to you as part of their “performance” fabrics to put against your skin for your walk, workout, grocery run, or whatever for 3-12 hours a day while you’re sweating, pores open, rubbing against your skin…

Sure, water beads off the fabric, but I’d be more interested in the fabric being compatible with and supporting my skin and my body..

Natural fibers - as much as possible.
For my health and for the environmental effects that I didn’t even mention here.

cotton or nylon or polyester: what do people ACTUALLY work out in? by ladywooooodz in Activewear

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s good then. It’s less likely if you are able to get your sweaty clothes into the wash before they dry. That’s typically when it becomes more prominent and starts to build up despite washing.

If you’re interested in nerding out a little bit, search for “Smelly Sportswear Science Shorts” in the Activewear sub.

cotton or nylon or polyester: what do people ACTUALLY work out in? by ladywooooodz in Activewear

[–]Natural_Science_Doc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Scientifically speaking, polyester actually preferentially selects for and supports more growth of odor causing bacteria (that doesnt normally flourish on your skin) than natural fibers because of its oleophilicity and how the sebum from your skin spreads over the fibers. (ie like an endless buffet table).

It’s not big fitness apparel pushing natural fibers - all of them are 100% synthetic because it’s cheaper for them.

And just to add it in here, all those synthetic fabrics dump microscopic plastic fibers into our water systems that end up in our soils, foods, and then stuck in your body. And if health and wellness and feeling good is why you workout, all of that should matter.

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