Lotuspad Eco Yoga Mats

Lotuspad

Completely unbeknown to me these amazing Lotuspad yoga mats have been for sale literally right down the street from me for years. I had a pretty avid yoga practice when I lived in Portland, usually doing a routine 5 days a week and alternating with weekly classes at The Yoga Center. I’ve never felt better in my life and more in shape. But when I moved to Boston in the late summer of 2005 the time I spent on yoga slowly dwindled until it became completely non-existent. My yoga mat sat in the closet collecting dust and I forced myself to try to get on the elliptical or go for a run a few times each week. Unfortunately neither of these exercises has ever made me feel the way that a vigorous yoga practice can.

Then a few weeks ago CK shared a story with me on Google Reader about how Lebron James uses yoga to give him an extra edge in his training. I took this as a not-so-subtle hint that my boyfriend was asking me to go to yoga with him. So we looked around online to find a studio we could check out. Yelp had quite a few recommendations and we finally decided to try out Om City Yoga. While perusing Yelp though we also came across some absolutely stellar reviews for a local company that makes eco-friendly yoga mats.

His and Her Lotuspad Mats
According to the website: Lotuspads are earth-friendly, biodegradable yoga mats with vivid saturated colors, organic dual surface patterns, and an amazing cushion and grip that will help you go deeper into your poses with comfort and style. Personally I’d like to curl up on mine and take a luxurious cat-nap all afternoon, but that would really defeat the purpose.

So far I’ve been very impressed with the mats I purchased. I picked up an “Earth” yoga mat in shades of green and brown for CK and a “Lotus” mat for myself. The Lotus mat is, of course, gorgeously bright pink. Apparently pink is said to encourage compassion. These mats are definitely thicker and much easier for me to use on our hardwood floors in the apartment. Part of the issue that I personally had with trying to start-up my home practice again was the awful wrist pain I would get from trying to hold various poses while using my old cheep mat. The quality of the Lotuspad seems to cut down on the sometimes harsh impact that I feel when I’m out of shape and hopefully this will encourage me to continue to ramp back up into a more frequent practice.

For all the moms out there you should also take note that Lotuspads makes mats for children as well. By the way, if you’re local to the Boston area you can place your order online and then have the option of picking up your mats and accessories in person at their location in Central Square. You can even connect with the founder of the company, Katy, on twitter.

I’m so incredibly excited to try to get back into yoga on a more consistent basis and I definitely owe a portion of this joy to my new Lotuspad mat. Thank you Katy!

Lotuspad Eco Yoga Mats

Pink MacBook

Pink MacBook

Last week I saw an image from Confessions of a Shopaholic of Isla Fisher using a pink MacBook. It was a lovely lovely thing. I originally thought it was done via the ridiculously expensive ColorWare process, but then CK pointed out that it was only a pink case. I just had to have one so I ordered it immediately and it arrived this morning. I didn’t think it was possible to love my MacBook anymore than I already do, but this pink Speck cover is seriously the best thing ever! But if pink isn’t your thing it also comes in blue, red, black, purple, green, and orange.

Luxury Plush Throw in Blush

Luxury Plush Throw in Blush

Remember your favorite teddy bear and how soft and comforting it felt to hold it? How about the silky fur of a Persian kitten sleeping on your lap? Well my favorite teddy got washed and went from being called Fluffy to Scruffy, and long-haired cats make me want to curl up and die from allergies so when I felt this blanket for the first time I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.

CK and I actually came across these blankets back in October during our trip to Seattle. It was raining and we hanging out in a mall until it was time to go to the airport. While browsing around Restoration Hardware we stumbled upon magical decadent brown leather club chairs covered in the absolute softest throws I’d ever felt. I would have gladly stayed there all day snuggled up with those cozy blankets, but instead we flew back to Boston and I bought throws for my mom, grandmother, and sister for Christmas. Then I proceeded to steal my sister’s throw and curl up in it anytime she wasn’t looking. I was so annoyed with myself for not buying one, but CK (aka the best boyfriend ever) secretly ordered one online and it arrived today. In pink of course.

Perhaps the best part is that they’re on sale right now. I’m sure they wont last long and it’s going to be a long cold winter. Why not invest in something comforting that will make you forget that fact for a few moments?

New Bright Berry (aka Pink) Coat

While I wasn’t able to get the Royal Violet Lady Day Coat from J. Crew, I did finally buy a coat this weekend. I ended up with the Bright Berry Lady Day Coat, which I’m proud to report is equally as happy a color as the purple version I originally coveted.

The best part is that I got it on sale! I’m so glad I waited, and I’m equally grateful to J.Crew-aholics for constantly reminding me about special promotions and coupons.

Let the grumpy snowflakes fall as they will, my new pink coat has cheerful superpowers that will melt their slushy misery! Bring on the snow days, I’m ready for you. Now I just need to find the perfect accent scarf. Should it be cream? Black? A contrasting color? Or a lighter shade of pink? Decisions…decisions…