Peace and Really Good Stuff for Your Holidays
November 27, 2008 by Susan Watiker
Filed under Fitness
Hard for me to believe that the holidays are already here. For northeast Ohio, the weather is a bit off. No snow, no snow drifts (at least on the west side of the river), just wet pavement coated with a light sprinkling of rain. I’m sure that’s bound to change very soon. The only thing that can be guaranteed at this point are the grey days that dominate this time of year. But even the grey clouds make a nice backdrop for the holiday lights and candles I see lighting many windows and porches.
Still have lots to do to prepare for the holidays. At Grounded Fitness, my main focus tends to be yoga, meditation, Pilates and a healthier, more peaceful lifestyle.
Because I want to share with all of the people who have commented and shared their ideas since we launched this summer, I’ve done some scouting for all of you, and have come up with some lifestyle-focused goodies that include bargains for you this holiday.
Here’s the list:
I happen to really enjoy and covet the products at Gaiam.com. They are diverse, fun, useful and thoughtful. The folks at Gaiam have graciously offered my readers a discount on merchandise for the holiday season. Here’s how it works:
If you make a purchase of $50 or more, just enter coupon code GEB50 at checkout. In return you’ll get $10 off your purchase! You can also enter to win great prizes by playing their online yoga pose game at:
http://life.gaiam.com/gaiam/ecs/contest/contestGate.html .
Check it out!
Give to the Future this Holiday Season
What better way to change the present, than to do what you can to change it? And what better time than the holidays?
I contacted the team at ChangingThePresent.org, with the theme of helping the environment in mind. Here are organizations/links they suggest and encourage for gifts to your friends who are hoping to make a difference:
Generations United (environmental education)
Natural Resources Defense Council Permanent Land Protection
Check them out, see which one fits, and sign up for a gift in a friend or family member’s name today.
Enter to Win a Comfy New Pair of Yoga Pants!
To add to the fun, I am also raffling off a pair of Agility Pants (pictured above) from bepresent.com. These normally retail for $63.00, so a nice gift for someone you love who loves yoga, or a lovely treat for yourself.
The pants sit on the hips and feature back slits. an adjustable drawstring waist, darted knees and patch pockets. Color and size will be based on availability.
Here’s how to enter:
Check out the yoga wear at www.bepresent.com.
Leave a comment for me at GroundedFitness on how yoga and meditation have changed your life, and how you think the agility pant would help you enjoy your practice more.
Go ahead and offer up a link exchange between your blog and GroundedFitness to increase your chances to win!
More Yoga for the Holidays
Our friends at MyYogaOnline.com are opening their hearts and resources once again to people who want to try yoga.
Beginning December 1, just follow this link, and enter promo code RY097381 to activate your free two-week trial. What a great way to relax through the holidays. Looking for a gift for a close friend or loved one who loves yoga or is interested in getting started? You’ll find their affordable $9.95 month fee would make a great gift all ‘year round!
Now that the free offers are out of the way, thought I’d share a few of the fun, sustainable shopping places I plan to frequent this holiday season.
Kat O’Sullivan has built her business on looking inward and using what is available instead of needlessly consuming. She is the creator of Katwise, behind a business that repurposes previously worn clothing into new and quite cool pieces. Part of a growing number of designers that are bringing new life to recycled materials, her work is fun, unexpected and good.
Founded by Lisa Salzer in NYC, the Lulu Frost label adorns repurposed materials like antique door hinges, old game pieces and hotel room numbers that she has transformed into eclectic new accessories. Really cool. As Salzer says “gratitude is a central theme of my mission.” Check it out at lulufrost.com.
I am in love with Lululemon’s gear, too. Comfy, hot, cute, and so many other adjectives describe the yoga wear you’ll find at Lululemon. Check it out, great gifts abound for your favorite yoga lover.
The colors and products are great, the cause is magnificent. PeaceKeeper is the first cosmetic line to donate all of its after-tax and distributable profits to Women’s Health Advocacy and Human Rights issues. Makes you feel kind of good for indulging in a little nail color and lipstick ;-). Shop to your heart’s content for yourselves, family or friends this holiday season and truly help make the world a more beautiful place.
Well those are some of my holiday wishes and treats, for me and for you! Hope you holidays are bountiful, peaceful and filled with joy.
For Your Favorite Foodies
I love my trips to the West Side Market here in Cleveland. A huge, wonderful ethnic marketplace located on our near west side. But in truth, I do love the Whole Foods. The folks at Whole Foods offer these tips for shopping for your favorite “foodies” over the holidays:
-Looking for a gift for for the food lover in your life? Maybe a stocking stuffer? Whole Foods recommends these gifts for all budgets, including some under $5 and $10. Click here to learn more
-Make quick gift-wrapping a breeze with the Better Bag, only .79 for a small, .99 for the large size
-Like they say, “wrap up your gifts for the holidays without ever leaving the house.” Find gift ideas, recipes and create printable gift tags from your very own kitchen this holiday season on the Whole Foods site, too!
Now that you’ve got a few ideas to work with, don’t forget to take the time to give thanks, and meditate about your life and its greater purpose as you navigate your way through this busy time of year. Here’s hoping the universe blesses all of you with happiness, love and unending joy this holiday season.
Peace.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am VERY new to yoga so I can’t say it’s changed my life (yet) but I will say that it’s one of the coolest things I’ve done for myself in a long time. I love the way it makes me feel and I love that I can see improvement in my flexibility each time I do it. How would the pants help me? Well, I am sorely lacking in the workout gear department so I could definitely use these babies!
I love the way yoga has made me more calm. After a great hour or so I spend ‘in my zone’, it always feels like a waste to start stressing about the little things.
Sadly, my yoga gear is non-existent. I’m still rockin the jogging clothes to class and would love something to get me started :)
Thanks for the yoga-inspired post!!!!! I have recently started taking yoga classes. I LOVE MY GAIAM tree of life mat, it is beautiful. yoga has changed my life because i’ve learned how to breathe and ACCEPT “the edge” where something might be uncomfortable and you want to get out of it, but you STAY WITH IT. also gratitude, feeling like a part of the whole, BREATHING into your heart, the calm that comes with stillness in the midst of a sweaty flow session… all of these things. i don’t have any yoga gear yet except for my mat and a pair of C9 pants from target!!! but i’m drooling over all the clothes from the sites you listed here… !!!
Yoga has helped me to become a much more reflective person. I have learned so much about myself – who I am and who I want to be – through breathing. :D
Ooh, thanks for the links of how to make a difference! I sponsor a World Vision child and it’s a really great program.
LOVE the pants. Yoga/pilates and meditation have changed my life by increasing my awareness of who I am and how I work, which has had the direct result of making me more aware of what’s going on outside of me, too- am so grateful for that. And my mental strength and willpower have also vastly improved. It has helped me loads physically, too, by making me stronger and more flexible.
(Also I have never had yoga pants. The only workout pants I’ve got are a pair of sweatpants with an elastic waistband from grade 7, hehe).
I love yoga because it keeps me flexible and keeps my body in good working condition. I’ve gotten into running recently and yoga complements it so well. After my runs, I love to do yoga to cool down, stretch out, and get myself ready for the day. Also, I think it helps ward off some of the injuries that may come with running since it helps to keep my muscles stretched.
Happy Be-lated Thanksgiving!
Yoga has made me more of a peaceful person in general. I used to be a lot more angry and stressed, but now if I feel myself getting there I make sure to step back and take deep breaths or go do yoga or exercise to calm down. It also helped me gain the confidence and flexibility.
The pants and clothes at be present look amazing for yoga, comfortable and easy to get into any pose for yoga, and it’s awesome that they have earth-friendly materials as well!
Yoga has helped me become more focused and relaxed. My husband says I yell at him less after a yoga session!! The pants look awesome and would make my workouts better because i would spend less time picking my underware out of my crack if I had comfy pants…
Yoga has helped with my flexibility and control my back pain. Most of my back problems stem from sitting so stretching it all out feels really good.
Yoga has helped me with POSTURE and PEACEFULNESS and I looooooooove feeling all loose and stretchy afterwards – even easier when youre in a nice comfy pair of yoga pants!