From the category archives:

health

Yoga Journal: My Secret Guilty Pleasure

June 21, 2009

Yoga JournalYoga Journal is my secret guilty pleasure of sorts.  I’m not sure why, maybe it’s the high school locker room dude in me, but I still get uptight about people knowing that I read and enjoy a magazine that 1) is about yoga (which is still weird to a lot of people I hang out with), 2) caters heavily to women, and 3) regularly has a pink or purple cover.  Much less for reason 1 than reasons 2 and 3, I read YJ at home and take Runner’s World to work just to keep up pretenses….

But behind closed doors, YJ and I have been tight for almost eight years now.   Up until last year when I decided to declutter my office, I had every issue since 2001.  Last year, at the prompting of my lovely wife, I went back through every single page of every issue and cut out all the articles I wanted to keep and organized them in a binder.  Definitely a good project, but tearing out pages of an old friend was both disturbing and painful.  I couldn’t say how many editor’s and redesigns we’ve been through, but I can say that I’ve pretty much read every article in the last eight years, and plan on reading every article for the next eight.

Even though YJ and I have basically been together as long as I’ve been married, I’ve never really cheated on her I guess you could say with any other yoga magazines.  Unlike in my actual marriage where there’s a “don’t look, don’t touch” policy, I have on occasion looked and briefly touched other yoga publications on the racks at Barnes and Noble.  I have never, however, walked out of the store with a copy in my hand.  That would surely be cheating.  It’s never really been a temptation until the other day when I was meandering through one of the PX’s (Post Exchange for the non-military oriented) at the base I live at in Iraq (yes, I am now living in hell, or at least it feels that way sometimes:) and was shocked to see copies of both Fit Yoga and Yoga + Joyful Living nestled in between your standard Muscle & Fitness type magazines that you’d expect to find on a military base.  Now, my question is, if I were to cheat, which one should I pick?

Tagged as: product review, yoga, yoga journal

Read more ~

Sticky Yoga Mats Avoid Sticky Recession

May 28, 2009

Although lots of people have cut back on luxury item purchases recently, apparently luxury yoga mat sales have never been stronger.  A Time magazine article reports that Manduka, the undisputed Porsche/Ferrari/Cadillac/[insert your favorite luxury car] of yoga mats, has seen its sales rise 55% in the first quarter of 2009.  A slightly odd trend when apparently moola is in short supply.

So, how do you explain the numbers?  One smart sounding marketing professor explained, “With hedonic consumption, at some point you’re going to feel quite a bit of guilt,” but “[i]f the luxury item has some kind of functional value, you’re not going to feel that guilt.”  I certainly can’t disagree with that assessment, especially when yoga makes you feel so good.  I also think the rise in sales simply has to do with the ever-growing number of people trying out yoga, wearing out their first yoga mat, and then deciding to upgrade.  Honestly, is there ever a bad time to buy a yoga mat?

I definitely love my Black Mat Pro (I mean everyone’s buying one so I had to get one too).  I just wish it wasn’t so heavy or I would have lugged it out to the lovely desert.  Currently I’m searching for anything that resembles a mat, luxury or otherwise.  I certainly wouldn’t mind the Manduka Prolite, but I have to draw the luxury line somewhere, so basically I’m considering using an old pink blanket a previous occupant left in my room as a yoga mat.  You do what you have to do.

And if you really want to splurge, why not just get the package deal?

Tagged as: manduka, product review, yoga, yoga mats, yoga news

Read more ~

Save money, Use less plastic, Buy a Sigg!

February 27, 2009

Apparently advertising works because after months of seeing Sigg water bottle ads in Yoga Journal I found myself a few days ago at the Whole Foods Market in Charlottesville, VA, dropping over $20 for a .6 L Sigg.  It wasn’t exactly an impulse purchase since I was shopping specifically for a water bottle, just not one quite that expensive.  After two days at a legal conference of buying multiple flavored beverages throughout the day, I realized that bringing my own water bottle might save me a little money (and use a lot less plastic).  So, once I came across the Sigg, it didn’t take much rationalization to convince myself that we were MFEO.

Here’s one reason why the Sigg rocks:

Many people think that they are helping the environment by refilling their plastic PET water bottles. But are you helping yourself?

“Disposable PET bottles are designed for one time use,” states Simran Sethi of The Discovery Channel. “Refilling them can release harmful toxins from the packaging – especially when it gets heated. If you’re tasting plastic, you’re ingesting plastic.”

In 2008, many major North American retailers discontinued selling reusable plastic bottles made from polycarbonate #7 (brands such as Nalgene) due to concerns that these bottles were leaching Bisphynol-A. A report by Health Canada called this chemical (BPA) “dangerous.”

And not all metal water bottles are alike. Very recently there have been major recalls of Chinese-made aluminium water bottles for lead in the paint. Tests have shown that Chinese-made aluminium water bottles, like many polycarbonate #7 plastic bottles, also leach the chemical BPA.

A SIGG Bottle is your healthy and safe choice for your body. The baked-on, crack resistant bottle liner makes sure that you drink what you want to drink – and not unwanted chemicals. The SIGG bottle liner is leach-proof and resistant even to energy drinks, fruit acids and carbonation.

SIGG bottles are manufactured in Switzerland with no BPA, no lead, no phthalates – in other word, no risk to you!

So far, I think my favorite part about the Sigg is that water actually tastes like water.  No more plastic taste, no more leftover flavors like in a plastic water bottle.  It’s really nice and I’m very happy with it.  Highly recommended!

Tagged as: health, product review, sigg, water

Read more ~

Video Review: Yoga Foundations with Hillary Rubin

January 31, 2009


If you’re into yoga podcasts, then there’s a very good chance you know Hillary Rubin.  She has a great blog full of yoga wisdom and routines that are perfect when your home practice needs some motivation.   A certified Anusara Yoga teacher, Hillary has a great story that illustrates the power yoga has to improve lives.  Taking her teaching to the next level, Hillary recently released a DVD, Yoga Foundations with Hillary Rubin.

For the last couple weeks, both myself and my four year old daughter, Kennedy, have enjoyed lining up our yoga mats and practicing to the DVD.  It’s not too long and it’s not too short.  Kennedy is a great yoga buddy and it makes me laugh every time she calls downward facing dog “hot dog.”

One of the interesting things about Hillary’s new DVD is that I didn’t really pay attention to the title of the practice, “Yoga Foundations,” until after I was partway through it the first time and started thinking to myself how grounded my body felt as I implemented the various corrections Hillary suggested.  I was surprised at how some of the subtle adjustments Hillary recommended entirely changed the way certain poses felt.  While the main practice is not too complex or physically demanding, it effectively does what it sets out to do:  create and cultivate a strong foundation.  Highly recommended for those looking for an easy-to-follow introducation to yoga.  Kennedy gives it two thumbs up.

Tagged as: product review, yoga, yoga videos

Read more ~