A couple of months ago I was approached by the nice people at Kharma Khare, an environmentally conscious yoga product company. I went to their site & was instantly intrigued by their philosophy, use of recycled materials & charity work. I have accumulated enough mats to open my own studio over the years! I have donated some old mats & keep some in my home studio & my mobile studio (aka my car).
I received the Kharma Khare Reincarnated yoga mat a couple weeks ago & quickly put it to use. The mat is made of recycled car tires. It’s thick & supportive. I typically layer on a blanket during kneeling or prone work to support my hips & knees. With this mat I didn’t need the added padding. Since I am pregnant I haven’t been taking hot yoga, so I wasn’t able to do the super sweaty slip test on this mat. During my daily asana practice I felt sturdy while in downward facing dog (cheaper quality mats have your hands slipping in this pose). The mat weighs 8 lbs (a bit heavy if you’re a city yogi carrying your mat around). The site claims the mat has a life expectancy of 100 years! This could be my mat to end all mats.
For each Yoga Reincarnated mat that’s purchased Kharma Khare donates 10% of the profits to a charity (list of selected charities is on their site). You can feel extra good about your purchase. They also offer the option to reincarnate your Yoga Reincarnate mat at any time. Say I want to trade in my current Kharma Khare mat, I can do so by sending it back (in the original box) & I’ll receive a half price credit of my new mat or be rewarded with Kharma Khurrency (1/2 the price of the new mat plus 5% to be used on future purchases). Again, good karma!
Overall – I am honestly impressed with this company. They thought outside the box & are also super nice!
Stretch + Flow with this quick 10 minute yoga video. I filmed this video for a private client & decided since to share with you all. Warm up your entire body with this intuitive breath & asana flow.
When you go into a situation without pretense you may be surprised by the outcome. Hold on to prejudgments & expectations & you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Live in what IS, rather than what you wish could be. This will draw you to the present moment, which truly is a gift!
This post was originally posted back in December. What I didn’t share at that time with you was that I was expecting! It was on this trip to the Woodloch Resort & Spa that I told my mother-in-law our exciting news. It was the perfect weekend getaway & would make for a fabulous mind-body babymoon! The spa was able to accommodate me with wonderful prenatal facials & massages during our stay. They also offer a range of yoga, tai chi & meditation classes. The grounds are ideal for taking a walking meditation stroll or to just sit back & chill.
Two weekends ago I was treated to a wonderful weekend away at a destination spa by my mother-in-law. Our husbands had planned a guys’ trip to Florida to see the Eagles play the Bucks in Tampa & my mother-in-law had the great idea to have a girls’ trip!
We went to the Lodge at Woodloch destination spa in the Poconos. My in-laws had been there before & said I would love it (and I did). All meals had gluten-free & vegan options, all the products used at the spa were organic & they had a full lineup of classes each day. My mother-in-law & I relaxed, laughed & bonded all weekend.
The pictures show the crystal bowls in the entryway in-front of the Christmas tree, the indoor pool & hot tubs, a view from the lake pier & me enjoying my carrot, apple, ginger juice with breakfast the last day of our stay.
This past week I was away on our so called “babymoon” in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It was the perfect pause within this whirlwind of change that is pregnancy. Being pregnant with our first child has been a living yoga practice. A practice of trusting the inherent wisdom of my body & letting go.
While on our trip we walked 6-8 miles each day along the 5 miles of secluded beach at the Punta Cana Resort & Club. We enjoyed eating the local fruits & specialties (our favorites were the passion fruits at breakfast, mango, papaya & banana smoothies at lunch & fresh seafood at dinner). At the end of our trip another guest commented on how she kept seeing us walking the beaches together & said how our baby would be fit! Walking is a form of meditation as well as exercise. I did it out of love for myself & our baby. Walking also helped me to connect to my breath, body & nature. The beaches on the resort were absolutely stunning. The air was warm & sweet. Along with walking & enjoying the local cuisine we swam everyday in the pool & Caribbean Sea. The resort had a fabulous spa, Six Senses Spa, where I received organic prenatal facials.
As I wrote in a previous Yoga Mama post, babymoons don’t always need to be to a far off, exotic locale. I soaked in every moment of stillness & serenity while away & I plan on incorporating that same feeling into my day-to-day life more, especially now as I move into the 31st week of pregnancy.
If you’ve gone on a babymoon please share your experiences in the comments below!
