First Impression -Manduka Eko Lite Mat

Disclaimer; this mat was purchased with my own money, the views & opinions I'm about to discus are my own.

 

I've been needing/wanting to purchase a new yoga mat as mine is starting to break down and I've been having bits and pieces of the mat break off while I've been practicing. SOOO that lead me to start researching different companies and mats I mean ALOT!! All day - evrDAY for the past month! 

My yoga studio sells 'Manduka' so I began there, right away this company seem to have the best mat out there {for me}, that being said the criteria for a good mat can be a bit subjective. Some people like a yoga mat that provides a lot of cushioning and support, whereas others prefer less cushion and may more traction. Manduka says its mat is • eco- responsible •light weight & compact • durable design •slip resistant •longevity. These were all things on my list! So jackpot, right?!?  Well I didn't want to stop there so continued to research to be far and Manduka just seemed to be the one. So I bit the bullet and I bought one. I purchased 'Eko lite 68" mat in purple. Its a beauty. it even has a cute tree bark like pattern on the top of the mat. I'm not going to get into to much detail about it as I want this to be about my first impression of the mat & in a few months time I will write a full review of it.

Now for the  review;

Last night I took my new mat to practise hot yoga,

• Firstly when I removed it from the packaging the smell of rubber filled my entire condo it was quite awful but I knew with it being made from tree rubber it was going to smell I just didn't realize how bad, so the fact that I than had to run out the door to get to class with my smelly mat wasn't good I was praying my walk there would air it out. {anyone looking to purchase a Eko lite or any other rubber made mat air it out a few days or week prior to use}.
• I laid my towel down on top of my mat as I usually do for hot yoga but I wanted to give a true first impression review so shortly after we began I took the towel off and started to slip right away both on my hands and feet.
• I do have bad knees so I did notice the lack of padding with this mat when knelling. I felt some discomfort but that happened with past mats as well I just doubled my towel and its was fine.
• The mat is lightweight to carry and rolled up tightly.

Overall, the mat was comfortable to practise on. This is just my first impression and thoughts of the mat, I will have a follow up post in a few months once I break the mat in.

 

Monday Meditation

Watch the beautiful Rachel Brathen practice this shipwreck sequence on the shore of Malmok, Aruba.

 

 

 

namaste.

 

 

 

 

Ima be a Yoga bear

So as promised in my 5 on Friday post a few weeks ago I said I was going to write a post about my personal experience with hot yoga well here it goes, 

My Friend and I decided we'd try the intro package at Yoga Tree http://www.yogatree.ca/  

 

 

 

down the street from us {we live in the same hood} it was 30 days unlimited yoga for $40, not bad right? Well turns out we really love it, I mean ALOT!!! I've never been so committed to something before I literally went almost everyday {except when I was sick for an entire week! Blah}. I was feeling so empowered and inspired I'm even considering becoming a teacher {one day}. so long story short - I'm hooked!

 We decided the location is convenient and the schedule is so flexible with ours we committed ourselves to another four month contract.

The Details!!
 

Hot Yoga - Our classes are conducted in a heated room of 38 degrees Celsius for 75 minutes long. by practicing yoga in a heated room it assists in a process of natural detoxification also allowing a deeper stretch in your muscles.

Core Yoga - This class is done in a none heated room but is 75 minutes as well. Core yoga increases your core strength, coordination and stability. {I mean who doesn't want a six pack?}

Basically this is exactly what we do haha! :)

sooo We've now been doing {Hot yoga  & Core Yoga} for two months and of course I'm still loving it. I can finally start to see the changes happening in my body. My entire body is leaning out and I just feel better and healthy especially immediately following a hot yoga class when I'm drenched in sweat. I love the feeling of being cleansed and detoxified.

Below are some progress pictures, I'm still far from where I want to be but it takes time. In both of these pics I weigh the exact same... Guess that's power of yoga :)

so if your looking to live more balanced and healthy I recommend checking out your local hot yoga studio & sweat it out. 

Benefits of  Yoga - Body, Mind & Soul

Strengthen and tone every muscle in your body. - noticed this just after doing a few classes

Improve your cardiovascular health and conditioning

Potentially reduce the risk of many diseases & conditions -Anxiety is a huge problem for me and still is but  yoga has defiantly helped curve the attacks for me.

De-stress your life -Amen to that! 

Strength, Balance & Flexibility - My husbands not complaining, If you know what I mean. ;D

Happy practicing!