Teeki Pants Review

Teeki pants - northern lights

NOTE: This is not a sponsored post.  

For the longest time, my yoga uniform was basic black leggings with a tank. Then, I started venturing into the world of brights and was really into this pink pair. Most recently, I decided to go all in and order these printed Teeki leggings and I love 'em. They're thirty bucks less than Lululemon's wunder unders and have similar features: lightweight, smooth, four way stretch, diamond gusset at the crotch. Created from material derived from plastic water bottles, these are eco-friendly as well. I found them really comfortable and I love the waistband. It's wide, doesn't cut into your waist, and can be easily folded down. So far the pants have endured a couple (sweaty) yoga practices and a few washes (by hand) and still look great, so I'd highly recommend them. I got an XS, and found them to run true to size - (a Teeki XS is similar to a Lululemon 4, if that helps).

What leggings are you liking right now? I also have my eye on these muscle leggings.

Surprised? Lululemon Recalls Pants

We don't have any Lululemon stores here in Germany, but that didn't shield me from being bombarded with the news that the athletic wear company has recalled their signature black yoga pants following claims that they're sheer. 

I have a number of friends who have said that Lululemon's product quality has declined in recent years, and surely they won't be surprised by the latest quality control issue. While I personally haven't seen any decline in quality in my own Lulu clothing, I've seen nearly every single pair of my husband's Lululemon boxers rip in the thigh, as well as three t-shirts. Boxers and tees might not seem like a big deal but when you're shelling out $24.00 and $54.00 respectively and you can say with near certainly they'll rip, then yeah, it is kind of a big deal. To their credit, however, Lululemon has responded to our complaints on twitter and have replaced the shirts.​

Initially I didn't think the recall was too big a deal for the company, but a report from The Wall Street Journal ​says that in retail, marketing shows that when customers find a quality pair of pants they like they'll buy two tops to go with them. Who knew?! This was never the case with me, as I have yet to find a Lulu top that fits me properly, but this is a potentially huge loss for Lululemon. 

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Do you care? Are you surprised? Will it impact whether you shop at Lululemon? What brands do you like for yoga wear instead? ​

Dressing for Yoga

Dressing for Yoga

​I'm often asked where I buy my yoga clothing so I thought I'd put together a post about my favorite yoga clothing. For practicing, I prefer breathable yet formfitting clothing because I feel that the loose fabric in baggy tshirts or bell bottoms get in the way- but that's just personal preference. My favorite yoga tops are the cheap tanks from Forever21. They're less than $3, are long enough not to ride up, retain their shape and surprisingly, last for a while. For sports bras, I really like this one by Gap. It fits well, offers support, and can withstand wash after wash after wash. My favorite pants and shorts are from Lululemon but the ones above come a close second. Leg warmers are a must during cold weather months, as is a lightweight long sleeve shirt. 

In my opinion, what you choose to wear to class doesn't matter as long as you're comfortable. I thought most yoga teachers felt the same way, but yesterday my mom told me how she was recently admonished for wearing a simple tank top to class because "yoga is reverent and showing your shoulders isn't respectful". Whaaaaat? Feel free to walk out of any studio that a) humiliates you in front of the class and b) is concerned about what you wear. Life is too short for that shiz.

PS- A 4 minute afternoon sun salute, ​a bunch of vegetarian recipes, and how I basically got rid of my arthritis pain.

Movement: On Feet & Spreading the Toes

If you're new to yoga, you might be surprised that yoga is practiced barefoot and often involves focusing on your feet. After all, since we were babies our feet have been shoved into socks and shoes, and now you're in a yoga class grabbing your toes with your hands, interlacing your fingers between your toes, and getting acquainted with your feet. Why?  

There are a number of reasons. In yoga, we work from the foundation up. This means that if you're doing a standing pose, you start not by jumping right into it, but by looking at your feet and building a stable foundation. You ground down through all four corners of both feet, you spread the toes. For all standing yoga poses, start with the feet. You'll be surprised at how it can transform your postures.

As for spreading your toes- just as you have muscles in your hands to help your fingers to spread, you have muscles in your feet to help spread your toes. When our feet are shoved into tight shoes, our toes get crunched and we lose the muscles that help our toes to spread. A number of bad things can occur when our feet are squished from shoes- plantar fasciitis, poor circulation, fallen arches, Morton's neuroma, etc.

The good news is that it's never too late to retrain those muscles. You can start by standing tall, lifting the toes, spreading them as wide as you can, and setting them down. You can always interlace your fingers between the toes.

(Source)

Another option is wearing vibram five fivers shoes (pic above, link to the left). My cousin swears these have cured his fallen arches (and subsequent back problems). My husband wears these during weight lifting, saying that he feels more balanced and stabilized when doing squats, etc. A good friend wears them when he runs (he's a marathon runner!) and says he has less injury as a result. I have a pair and have worn them for running and weight lifting. You don't need to wear them all the time, but a few hours a week will help retrain those muscles.

As previously documented here, I love these Gaiam toe socks as well. They also work to spread the toes, and have these little non-slip nodes on the bottom. All you'd have to do is put these babies on and walk around the house going about your business.

Ultimately what I'm trying to say here is that our feet are important, and they can be the root of a number of health problems, so it's time they come out of the tight shoes and sweaty socks and get some attention! :)

How to Choose a Yoga Mat

I get a lot of questions on twitter about yoga mats so I thought I'd put together a few things to consider when choosing the perfect yoga mat for you. 

Material. Many yoga mats are made from PVC or latex. Latex is an obvious concern for someone with a latex allergy, and PVC exposure has been linked to cancer and other illness. They also tend to fall apart pretty quickly. (For me, I've had them last maybe 2 weeks before starting to peel.) The upside to these mats is that they're inexpensive, starting at around $9.99. There are eco-friendly options like the Jade brand (see below) that are higher quality and made from natural rubber and contain no PVC. These are significantly more expensive, starting around $50.00.

Weight. Consider how you're getting to class. If you're biking or walking, consider a lightweight mat. Manduka (see below) makes a great eco-friendly lightweight mat. These fold up like a towel and can be thrown in a backpack. Of course, a lightweight mat means you'll sacrifice thickness, so you have to determine what's most important to you.

Thickness. How are your joints? A thicker mat (see below) has more cushion for the knees and wrists, and makes for a more comfortable place to sit during meditation. The downside is that a thicker mat is heavy (5-7 pounds heavy!) to cart around, but it's probably worth it to be comfortable during class. 

Length. The standard length for a yoga mat is 68''. Longer options are available. There are a couple advantages to having a longer mat- you don't have to continually reposition yourself during class to stay on the mat, and you can lay down with your head and feet on the mat which might be important to you if you're practicing outside or in a public studio. With a longer mat, you can also fold the ends when you're on your knees or have a lot of weight on your wrists for more cushion. The downside is that a longer mat is heavier and more expensive. Below is an 84'' mat.

Lifetime warranty. The black mat pro by Manduka is known throughout the yoga world as the holy grail of yoga mats. It's got everything- eco-friendly material with a non-slip, fabric-like finish, thick and firm, and comes with a lifetime guarantee. So it's really the first and last mat you'll ever have to buy. The downside is that it is very heavy, and quite expensive. 

Hope that helps! Feel free to ask any other questions in the comments below or on twitter or facebook. Happy practicing, friends!