Year-Round Resolution: More Yoga
Yoga feels good, does us good, helps us look good. What’s not to love? So, to start the year off just right, I thought that I should offer some motivation to make yoga even more appealing… by introducing some of my favorite indie suppliers of yoga accessories. Yoga is perhaps the most rewarding and stress-free way to achieve physical – and mental – fitness. And, why not practice yoga in style to feel and look extra fabulous?
I like to encourage the uninitiated to adopt some form of yoga so that they can avoid the scary perspective of having to use a walker when they get older. I usually demonstrate my statement by acting out walking hunched over a pretend walker in very slow steps. That always seems to get the point across. For the rest of us, we know the good that yoga does us. I’m excited to see that so many new people are discovering the benefits of a regular (read at least 3 times a week, ideally daily) yoga practice.
So then, here then are some beautiful, colorful, practical and useful accessories to complement your practice:
DALI MAMA YOGA
Started by Dawn Alane, a yogini who consistently stumbled into yoga class, one too many times with one too many bags. While in the state of Svasana (the “resting pose” that we all look forward to at the end of each practice), something magical happened… a yoga mat with straps and a handle appeared as a vision. And thanks to that vision, we now have the patented Dali Mama ® Hands-Free Yoga Mat. The Dali Mama line also includes other lush yoga accessories such as the ultra suede bolster, the silk & velvet zafu meditation cushion and the lavender and flax filled eye pillows. You can see the whole succulent line on the Dali Mama site HERE.
YOGOCO
Yogoco was launched by Avi Woolman, a software engineer who is now exercising her new career as a full-time mom. Avi discovered Yoga after the birth of her second daughter while looking to get back to pre-pregnancy shape. Carrying a mat, towel, water, clothes, wallet, keys and all that was very impractical. So Avi decided to create a yoga bag to suit her needs and lifestyle. After much prototyping, Avi started selling her bags, of which the first run of 360 sold out after only 8 weeks in operation. These unique and wonderfully designed bags (we can tell that an engineer is behind the design) are made of fully recycled fabric from pre-consumer T-shirt scraps. The mesh sides keep the mat aired and the bag is fully wipeable. See all the Yogoco bags cool fabric choices HERE.
J & P YOGA
Where the “Joy” and “Peace” comes from in J&P yoga. Jennifer Porter, the designer of J & P yoga began taking yoga after her son was born, searching for something other than mundane gym exercises. She walked into her first yoga class over 6 years ago and has never left. Jennifer was also disappointed with the selection of yoga mat bags that were available to her so she decided to make her own even though she had never sewn anything in her life before this. Many late nights were spent sewing to produce enough bags for her to approach her first studio, Cleveland Yoga. They agreed to carry the bags and bought almost all the ones Jennifer had made made. No wonder. The bags are so well thought out and adorable (the white terry cloth Lola bag with the cherry fabric lining!) and include a matching strap, eye pillow, detachable zippered coin purse, key clip and interior zippered pocket. J & P Yoga donates a percentage of all her sales to The Smile Train. See model and print choices HERE.
Y YOGA MOVIE
This yoga movie, by director and avid yogi Arthur Klein, will get you wanting to practice yoga even before the opening credits are over. Featuring many well known yoga teachers as well as practitioners from an incredibly diverse array of backgrounds, I guarantee that you will be in downward dog within the first five minutes. BEST KEPT SECRET: this DVD also includes a 90 minute audio class with teacher Ally Hamilton. Not to be missed. To buy the Y Yoga Movie, go HERE.
Enjoy! Namasté!
A great resolution that I should keep myself. More yoga, less cupcakes. I love going to yoga classes although I haven’t been for some time. I think I”ll dust off my mat and head out to mama nirvana’s!
My New Years resolution is always to exercise more and I must have 20 yoga DVDs. Let’s hope we keep this resolution this year!
Fitness DVD’s of any kind were never of any use to me. I’ve had to attend yoga classes until I felt comfortable enough to know what I was doing and practicing at home by myself, which I can finally do now. Still, David Swenson’s book, Ashtanga Yoga, is essential to my practice. Good luck with you resolution!
I’ve been a regular at Yoga for a year & a half and love it! My son had been trying to get me to try Yoga for ages. Once I did, I became hooked. I dond’t practice it daily, but that would be my long-term goal! I do go to class twice a week, along with a muscle conditioning class 2-3 times a week and a pilates class if I’m able (along with power walking 5-6x/week) When the kids were younger and still working out of the house etc, it was very hard to suqeeze in the time for all the extra classes, but now that I work at home with my online boutique, I can do a lot more of these things. I’m a mid 50′s “Diva” Mom and I’ve never felt better! Happy New Year to all!
Nancy, you go Girl! No walker for you in your golden years!
I am the founder of http://www.lovepeaceyoga.com. I design beautiful and functional yoga sling mat bags and totes. I have been practicing yoga for the past 4 years and it has totally transformed my life.. Throughout my practice I continue to meet the most fabulous and giving people. I needed a new mat bag as mine had become not so pretty anymore and could not find one I liked. Thus a business was born and I designed the “yoga sling” mat bag.. The beauty of this bag is that you slip the mat in one side and put your clothing/flip flops ect in the other side.. put your small items (phone, glasses, keys) in the matching pouch, tie the ends and sling it over your shoulder.. I travel all over with my mat and this is the most comfortable and fashionable way to travel.. My bags can be ordered in any fabric shown on my web site.. Check it out.. In addition my partner and I have created a hub of information regarding yoga, health and wellness on our site.. If you are travelling we can find you a yoga practice. If you want to go on a yoga retreat, we are the people to contact. This web site has been a labor of love.. every day I learn something more fascinating about the world of yoga.. Share in our journey..Live it..Love it.. Down Dog it.! Namaste.. Jill at lovepeaceyoga.com
Hi Jill,
Thanks for letting us know.
Namaste.
Yay for Yoga! I love seeing someone other than myself talk about it. I’m a yoga teacher and I run http://www.MayhemArts.etsy.com where I sell my own Handmade Meditation Malas and yoga inspired Fine Arts.
Yoga is my only “me time” and it’s a bonus that it helps keep my body is pre-mommy shape too!
I have two favorite yogi products – yoga mats, really thick and beautifully desgined (mine is the starscape mat) at http://www.devimats.com . And I also love my fair trade yoga bag (top opening) at http://www.onemangotree.com
Just fun things I thought I’d share
Cheers!
April
I started getting interested in yoga after reading ‘Eat, pray, love’. Before that I thought it was boring.
LOVE your blog!!!
Very useful and attractive!
More yoga? Always a great idea! I don’t know what I’d do without it sometimes. You’re totally right, too – it’s an excellent stress reliever. In times like these, we can all use a little less stress.
I read about an interesting two-year study conducted by a New Zealand university that found that women who regularly practiced relaxing practices like yoga and meditation were able to lose weight and keep it off longer than those who only watched their diet and exercised — http://news.softpedia.com/news/Lose-Weight-by-Relaxing-Not-Dieting-102491.shtml
i practice Yoga purely for the purpose of reducing stress and it really works. Yoga keeps both of my mind and body relax.
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