yoga with student perks - it's all about the purple savasana

how do you keep students coming back each class? one word, one flower - lavender. for students, especially beginners, the simple reward of a head massage with a touch of lavender oil is the sweet reward they look forward to all class. the essential oil lavender relaxing the mind & body. it has been said to relieve headaches, body tensions & prepare the soul for relaxation, it can also be rather spendy (read: expensive), so i was pysched to score some on thefairest.com, a beauty discount site that is all about the one-day sale, for only $4.50 - pharmacopia's lavendar body and massage oil which is nicely blended with chamomile for extra soothing.

the yogadeal: sign up for thefairest.com (it's free) & get access to exclusive sales on all thing beauty.

the confession: i actually got a few different oil blends, including rosemary and ginger - i couldn't resist!

be a tree for $20! (for halloween)

while still debating on a costume for halloween this year, i channeled my asana practice for inspiration - et voila - a vrksasana (tree) costume for under $20!















here's what you'll need:

for your trunk: 1 brown terry cloth jogger suit from american apparel (each piece is now on sale for just $5!)

for your leaves: 2 autumn leaf garlands to wrap around your wrists & head for your branches ($4.79 each). you can cut these to your costume to the perfect fit!

any other great yoga-costume inspirations?

learn to laugh-yoga style

recently i've noticed some buzz about laughter yoga in the news about the many healthy benefits of a daily giggle.

laughter yoga international is it's own movement, with over 6,000 laughter clubs in more than 60 countries.

as a yoga instructor, i enjoy incorporating humor into my classroom, now you can learn how to laugh it up & help you students do the same. laughter international has a wide-ranging shop to increase your laughter intelligence:

• laugh for no reason e-book $12.95
• teacher resources (how-to dvds) $29.95 - $165.00
• special offers (read: discounted product bundles) $50.00 - $265.00
• yogadeals fave - fun games for kids of every age $18.00 - $24.95

when was your last great laugh?

the nu shortcut to finding music for your yoga playlist

in search of some fresh tunes to add to your yoga soundtrack or for mellowing to get you into the meditation mood? i just stubbled upon nutone, a great music site. consider it your 'nu' route to finding yoga music & yes, it does link to itunes & amazon so you won't have to add any additional software to your computer, because we all know that yogis aren't always the most tech-savvy.

do you have any must-have songs on your playlist? please share 'em in the comments section!

yoga deal: sample these tunes before committing, buy only the songs that sing to your mind, body & soul (per usual, they are only a buck each)!

teachstreet for aspiring smartypants

who said weekends were for resting? this weekend peruse teachstreet.com, because everyone has something to teach & more than a thing or two to learn.

join the teachstreet community to grow your brain & add something unique to your resume.

it's free for the basic package if you are posting what you teach & always free for students - even if you are just window shopping!

this week in tweet

here are my latest deal worthy tweets.
come follow me on twitter for instant updates!

• @deliveryweek from seamlessweb.com october 19 - 31 - order prix-fixe 3 course meals from 100 great NYC restaurants
• shirts that fight acne?
• @wholefoods breakfast bars are delish! i like that i can buy them one at a time... helps me control myself :)
• free wifi from google only on @virginamerica. plus get fares from $39 on 10/19. // i <3 class="tweet-url username" href="http://twitter.com/virginamerica">virginamerica !!!
• this just in: yoga to the people (yttp) is set to hope in brooklyn this december - as leaked by vitaljuicedaily.com
• free stuff in soho/nyc boho bodega
• rt @yogoer acupuncture happy hour at the breathing project: two-for-one specials, happy hours… needles?
  
• word on the tweet... (get it? tweet ... street.... whatevs) lululemon opening an outlet this november in orlando florida @lululemonORL

rock out with your sox on

yes, i will just state two things right off the bat: (1) i am currently overly interested in protecting my feet - i think what it comes down to is that my usually bare feet are are not weathering well with these colder temps, especially since i live in an nyc apartment that was built in the early 1900's so our toasty radiator heat has not been turned on - yet, & (2) socks in yoga class are usually discouraged to ensure a better grip in poses, however when you are teaching & not usually staying on a clean, cushiony mat, but traveling around the room from student to student, regardless of how clean the room, you still tend to get dirty soles by the end of class.

today i splurged on a pair of half-toe toesox ($15.00)! these sox are 90% organic cotton and 10% spandex and are equipped with grippy bottoms. i opted for black to hide any dirt that might accumulate , but they do have a variety of colors & striped options as well (even red & white holiday sox!).

the yogadeal: buy 3 pairs & get free shipping from toesox.com or purchase via ebay (like i did) & enjoy free shipping on a single pair!

the pampered yogi - on the cheap(er... read: $50)

if you aren't into waiting 5 days for your d.i.y. foot exfoliator to shed those dead layers of skin off your gnarly tootsies, check out the spaweek offerings in a city near you to let someone else do the dirty work.

from october 12th through the 18th, spas, salons & other wellness centers are promoting their signature services at 50 bucks a pop - including massages, facials & mani/pedis. perhaps this week will be the rainy day you've been waiting to delve into your piggybank for...

participating cities include:
arizona
california
colorado
connecticut
dc
florida
georgia
illinois
maryland
massachussetts
michigan
minnesota
nevada
new jersey
new york
north carolina
pennsylvania
tennessee
texas
virginia
washington
canada (not a state, but still worthy of a deal!)

let us know if you take the plunge (into your wallet) for a treatment!

you've got the softest little baby feet

as yogis, between sandals & going barefoot, we put our tootsies through a lot of exposure that much of the rest of the population may not understand. as a result we tend to get dried out &/or callused skin (read: ugly, rough feet).

since i am not huge of pedicures, mainly because of the hidden dangers of the ingredients in many of the prettiest paint shades, my interest was sparked when i came across baby foot. although they are only big in japan right now (seriously, there is only one small japanese grocery store in the states that carries them), i was able to score a pair of these treatment booties on ebay!

here's my vlog journey to give you some visuals:







yogadeal: for a fraction of the price of some spendy exfoliating pedi treatments out there, i got baby soft feet for $22 (free shipping) with minimal effort on my end, safely & naturally in my own home! word to the wise, just make sure you have a good book to read or a movie to watch since it's best to stay still during the 2 hour marination to avoid the slip-n-slide feeling like i did when i tried moving around too much.

we'ar something special & sustainable

when you find yourself in yoga classes monopolized by lululemon, a certain excitement ignites within when you find yoga threads that combine accountability, creativity, practicality & imagination (ok, maybe it's just me...).

escaping her 'yoga bubble,' jyoti morningstar entered the real world & truly found the yoga of her life, uniting her yogic lifestyle & her design skill set to birth we'ar, new zealand's eco-conscious active clothing line. in addition to great designs, jyoti stresses traceability, ensuring a karmic life for each garment from cradle to savasana (read: grave).

the pieces may be a bit spendier than what you may be used to on yogadeals, but when it comes down to it, if you are looking to be a day-n-night yogi (yes, just like barbie only anatomically correct of course), the we'ar line's versatile style really pays off - or rather for itself over time. instead of five cheaply made hoodies (probably from sweat shops & we're not talking bikram class), i think my closet & my laundry bin would really appreciate my investment in the very unisexy ultimate hoodie from we'ar.

however, if your piggybank is still on a recessionary diet, there is still a good deal to be had at we'ar!




yoga deal: 2 for 1 scoop neck tees (2 for $60), they come in a variety of colors, with a comfy, loose fit & hand-rolled edges.

also, a HUMONGO THANK YOU to we'ar for donating to boomerang yoga's fundraiser for bent on learning!

bikram - hot pink & sweaty in nyc

in hopes of heating up my autumn (yes, i'm in denial that summer has officially ended) & to finally check out the whole bikram thang, i attended to my first class.

after doing some homework (read: checking out what was free & close to me using my yoga passbook) i headed to bikram yoga lower east side, a spunky yoga studio on allen street (nyc) for my first 90 (minutes, that is). i plan to continue my trial run for the next 6 days (yes, one week of bikram) to see how it pans out.

previous to my class, here was my take on bikram:

• it's hot - obvi, i know
• people wear next to nothing in class
• the room has a carpeted floor (which i thought was weird & possibly smelly)
• there are 26 poses & there is no dog - no down, no up - no yoga dog in this classroom

& after my first class...

• i was used to building heat internally from my vinyasa flow, which i had control over. in bikram that is not the case, the heat is an external force to be reckoned with; i found it to be much more mind over matter, making their 26 poses more challenging than i would necessarily find them in a vinyasa practice.
• there is definitely more skin showing in these classes, but even in my skimpy phat buddha shorts & my asana beater (aka men's undershirt), i didn't feel self-conscious like a might if i rocked it at a non-hot class. in this case, wearing tiny outfits is not to look like a hottie in class, but required in hopes of keeping your cool - if that's possible.
• the room is carpeted & although it didn't feel weird, there was definitely a funky scent from it - but i quickly forgot about that once the class began.
• i did miss my 'yoga dogs' & my vinyasa flow, but since these are usually warming postures, i can see why they have been omitted. i think next i will try hot vinyasa....

yoga deal: bikram lower eastside offers $20 for one-week unlimited classes for new students & they host 'nite sweats' - the first friday of each month at 10pm - a 90 minute class that's only $10 & benefits the lower east side girls club.