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Ski and Yoga Retreat

Tara Nolans's
Ski - Yoga - Eat Retreat
March 10, 2012

Book your tickets now for Tara Nolan's ski and yoga retreat in the beautiful locale of Beaver Creek, Colorado.

""I love the way that Tara brings her wisdom to a group in a meaningful and caring way, but also with her own unique spirit and weaves in out and back again to her common goal of enlightenment. I have Tara to add to my personal "grateful" list." - Kathleen, Autumn Yoga Retreat 2010 Attendee

Retreat Spotlight

Carrie J Meyer's
There's No Place Like Kyoto, Japan Retreat
May 21st, 2012

Don't miss out on this amazing retreat in Kyoto, Japan! This small-group tour, created and led by former Kyoto resident Carrie Meyer, integrates an optional once-daily yoga practice with excursions to several world-class sights and remarkably ambient places in Kyoto. Carrie is a well-seasoned, registered yoga instructor who distills and integrates her original training influences in 1999 of Classical Ashtanga and Iyengar-style yoga with Vinyasa flow.

"Both for seasoned travelers and for novice adventurers alike, Carrie’s tour of Kyoto is not to be missed. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively, and this was one of the best vacations of my life." – Bernadette Halbrook

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Prices are extremely affordable with multiple options available.

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Yoga Mats, Books, and More!

Get the best deals on top-quality yoga travel gear. We've found the best prices on highly recommended products such as yoga mats, yoga towels, and books. Each product we endorse is reviewed and rated on criteria such as price, quality, portability, and eco-friendliness. Find a great gift for yourself or for a loved one.

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Yoga Travel Towel Review

June 03, 2010

Yoga travel towels changed my life. Seriously. A yoga towel is a mat-sized sheet of cloth or microfiber that is used to drape over your yoga mat.

As soon as I started using a yoga towel, my yoga practice had improved. I no longer had to worry about slipping in postures, and I could then focus on the important stuff: alignment, breath, and focus. They helped improve my practice so much that I now refuse to do yoga without one. Yoga travel towels are considered to be a must-have prop as they will significantly change the way you practice yoga.

Prevent Slippage

The yoga travel towel benefits me the most by helping with slippage. My hands and feet tend to sweat, especially during a vigorous yoga class. I would enter a downward-facing dog and would immediately need to struggle with drawing my hands back so that they don’t slip forward and fly out in front of me. Ouch, faceplant. This action is counter-intuitive for the posture. In downdog, we’re supposed to be pushing into the ground to elongate the spine.

Once I purchased a yoga travel towel, that all changed. The grip of a good towel (like the Yogitoes skidless, see below) allowed me to focus on alignment. I finally realized what everyone was talking about when they said that downdog is a resting pose.

Cushion

Yoga travel towels provide an extra layer of cushion on top of your mat. If you’re knees get sensitive in lunges then a yoga towel will certainly help. I find that the extra cushion adds a level of comfort to any of the Hatha yoga poses, whether it be to protect your cranium in a headstand, or just to feel nice underneath your feet in mountain pose.

Hygienic

A good yoga travel towel also functions as a sanitary absorbent towel for sweaty sessions of hot or Bikram yoga. Yoga mats are made of materials that tend to deteriorate from contact with sweat. Your yoga towel will serve as a protection for your mat. The best part is that they’re machine washable, unlike your mat, so they can be easily cleaned.

Convenience

Yoga travel towels are a travel-friendly alternative to a yoga mat. You can fold it up nicely and fit them in just about any piece of luggage. I travel a lot and a yoga mat is simply too inconvenient to bring with me. A yoga towel folds up to the size of a tshirt and I don’t even notice the weight.

My Favorite Yoga Travel Towel

I’ve tested a few different yoga towels and the “Yogitoes premium skidless towel” is definitely my favorite. Its made of a polyester nylon blend fiber that grips well and has great absorption. It sticks any surface (mat or floor) due to its hundreds of silicon nubs. Machine washable as well. I highly recommend this amazing product. If you don’t already have a yoga travel towel, get one now, you won’t be sorry!

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Technorati Tags: Hatha Yoga Poses, yoga articles, yoga blogs, yoga mat, yoga mats, yoga towel, Yoga Travel

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Yoga Mat Review

May 18, 2010

If you practice yoga, you understand the importance of a quality yoga mat that meets your needs and expectations. Your yoga mat is a sacred space where you devote your practice of Yoga. It is important that you feel comfortable with your mat for a variety of factors: price, durability, eco-friendliness, grip, and cushion. Given the wide variety of yoga mats available on the market, selecting a yoga mat isn’t an easy task.

First and foremost, your yoga mat must fit your budget. Mats can range in price from as low as $10 to as high as $100 dollars for a premium mat. As expected, you get what you pay for. You may save some money going with a budget mat, but you’ll have to live with a chemical smell that may not ever go away.

‘Green’ mats are not only environmentally friendly, they are better for your health. Cheap plastic mats contain chemicals called phtalates that are toxic and harmful. Phytalates have been linked to health issues such as endocrine disruption, obesity, diabetes, and allergies. When you’re practicing yoga for an hour or more, breathing deeply, you want to ensure that you have a clean material mat.

Premium mats are often made of high quality eco-friendly materials, however certain fibers can have issues with durability and fall apart after a month. Cork or jute (a long vegetable fiber) mats are the ‘greenest’ mats as far as environmentally friendliness goes. The materials are also highly porous. As you practice, sweat absorbs into the mat and starts to break down the material over time. For this reason, these mats tend to have the shortest lifespans.

A great option for price, durability, and green factors is to go with a natural rubber mat. Natural rubber mats are produced using environmentally safe processes. The production process creates minimal by-products and the mats are easily recyclable. Often, rubber mats contain latex. If you have a latex allergy, many latex-free options are available.

If you’re like me and tend to sweat when you practice, you value a mat with a good grip. When you’re trying to focus on alignment and the breath, the last thing you want to deal with is sliding hands in a downward-facing dog. Certain materials tend to grip better. Typically, the thicker the mat, the better the grip.

Finally, cushioning becomes an important factor. Strong cushioning will protect the knees in kneeling postures or provide a more relaxing foundation for savasana.

Below you’ll find a list of my favorite yoga mats ranked on a 5-star scale for various factors.