Sponsored post: This post is brought to you by Gaiam, a brand whose high quality products I firmly believe in. All opinions are my own.
If you've been reading along for a while, you might remember that I've switched up my workout routine this summer. It's going pretty well, but yoga will always be my favorite because you can truly do it anywhere, and in my opinion, nothing targets the body and mind quite like yoga.
The above sequence is simple yet effective, depending on what you want and how much you want to sweat. Got low energy? Just do the sequence through without repeating any steps or holding any one pose for too long and you'll get a nice little total body stretch.
Feeling like you need a good sweat sesh? Follow the sequence exactly as is, holding the chair poses for 10-15 breaths and repeating the knees to elbows and three legged dogs as many times as you can (shoot for at least 7). If, at the end of the sequence, you still want more, do the sequence over again up to five or ten times - just listen to your body and do what works for you.
Related: A detoxing yoga sequence.
Pin it! Gaiam sol dry grip yoga mat review
Pin it! Giving away a Gaiam sol dy grip yoga mat!
Pin it! Giving away a sol dry grip yoga mat from Gaiam!
Gaiam Sol Dry Grip Yoga Mat Giveaway
And now for the good stuff!
I think the first time I remember hearing about Gaiam was through my mom, who had taken me to Kripalu when I was fifteen. Gaiam is a brand that has been around forever and has established itself, with good reason, to be one of the top in the yoga world. Their products are well made and high quality, so when they asked if I wanted to host a giveaway I thought it'd be a perfect fit.
They sent me a sol dry grip yoga mat to review and photograph, and I have been practicing with it exclusively for weeks. I'm not gonna lie, it's a beautiful mat, and I was psyched to practice on something so pretty. But I was unsure whether its smooth surface would prevent me from slipping.
Well, looks are deceiving. I don't sweat a ton and wasn't using it in a hot yoga class, but my hands generally tend to slide on mats when I get to the middle of a class. Not the case with this mat! The smooth surface wicks away moisture and provides a dry grip throughout my practices.
The other thing I love about the mat is that it's 5mm in thickness so it's got the perfect thickness for people like me with creaky joints. It's got a little bit of give to it, as well, which I find to be just the right amount. (Contrary to popular belief, yoga mats with a lot of cushion makes yoga postures more challenging.)
The mat retails for $70, but lucky for you, we're giving one away!
To enter:
-Leave a comment below telling me what you look for most in a yoga mat. Is it size? Durability? Thickness? Price? Funky color or design? How long do your mats typically last? Any particular brand you've really loved? Let's talk mats!
Rules:
-A winner will be chosen randomly through rafflecopter. You'll need to click "I left a blog comment" but you will also need to leave the comment below. (Sometimes people just click 'I left a comment' without realizing they haven't left their comment.) All entries will be verified.
-The giveaway is open to those in the continental USA.
-A winner will be announced on the blog on Friday, June 20, 2014.
Good luck!!