Yogi Gift Guide 2013

 This morning we talked about homemade gifts, which are just so wonderful and heartfelt and REALLY the best. But, some of us aren't crafty and also have money to spend on loved ones, which is great too!

You know that one of our great loves is yoga.  Interestingly, the 7,000 year old practice performed outside on the ground in India is SO EFFING EXPENSIVE to do in the US - have you experienced it?  Seriously so expensive.  The thing is, some of the expense is really worth it.  Here's our yogi survival guide - what to spend money on, and some good deals along the way!

• Mats.  We both have Manduka ProLite - Jay just got his for his birthday!  I have the  Manduka 71-Inch PROlite in Midnight, and Jay's is the long version of the PROlite - same length as the Manduka PRO BlackMat 85 Yoga Matif you're feeling rich!  The BlackMat is supposed to be, like, the best thing ever, but I couldn't tell enough difference in that vs. the PROlite series - they have more colors, too!  They're also made with an antibacterial coating so you don't have to clean them unless you feel like it.  I've had mine for a year and there's no sign of any wear or tear.  
• Towels!  We both use mat-sized towels over our mats.  This is a rough one, cost-wise.  There are TONS of brands, and honestly the only one we can use is Yogitoes, which is of course the most expensive.  The rest really aren't as good, and we've tried them.  You can find some good deals, though, so just keep an eye out online.  The thing that makes these great is little plastic nubs on the bottom of the towel that keep it from slipping.  I use one of these all the time, even when I'm not taking a hot class.  I sweat regardless, and the towel makes my whole practice a little more stable.  Here's the standard size, and this is the large size that Jay uses.  
• For clothes, we get a little more personal.  I DON'T think the most expensive brands are always the best, though Lululemon stuff is wonderful.  Jay and I both have some of the Champion stuff sold at Target, and we really like it.  I also find Kyodan brand shirts for me at discount TJ Max-type stores, which is always a great deal and super cute and durable. 
• Socks.  Why?  Just don't.  It baffles me when I see people doing yoga wearing socks.  Sorry. 
• If you're looking for a smaller investment, a block or face towel or some kind of water bottle that doesn't sweat (so annoying in hot rooms) is cool!  Having your own block is nice if you're not into sharing others' sweat, but we don't care about that.  This Gaiam Yoga Block is super affordable, as is this Tervis tumbler(legit the only thing I'll drink out of at yoga), and this Gaiam Small Thirsty Yoga Hand Towel.  

So, there you have it.  An Americanized version of capitalist yoga.  Ha. If I were a better yogi I'd probably demand that we only do yoga outside barefoot wearing ancient rags, but these products enhance our practice so....yay capitalism?  You tell me. 

 

This isn't a sponsored post, but there are some Amazon Affiliate links here.  If you buy, use them!  Thanks for supporting our little site - we love you for it. As a bonus, right now I get a teensy kickback (read: not enough to buy coffee, don't worry) if YOU sign up for an Amazon Prime 30 day free trial.  Free, kids.  I'm a big believer in Prime, just because of the 2-day free shipping.  FAIR ENOUGH, you could just do all your orders slowly or buy things in real stores, but here's the kicker:  buy a mattress.  Or anything big.  HOW MUCH would shipping/delivery usually cost?  You can make up the cost of a Prime membership just by buying one big-ticket item, then use it the rest of the year for little stuff!  This is my actual opinion.  Join Amazon Prime - Watch Over 40,000 Movies