Holiday Gift Guide 2015 | Yogi Essentials

I pestered my favorite yogi, Kasey, to put together a gift guide for the yogi in your life - her favorites, must-haves and yoga essentials. Some runners are also avid yoga enthusiasts and while that's certainly not my area of expertise, there's some great things in here! Enjoy!

Holiday Gift Ideas for the Yogi in Your Life

Hi everyone! I am so excited to be sharing with you my list of holiday gift ideas for the yogi in your life. As a dedicated yoga practitioner and teacher, I’ve found a number of the items below to have been fun additions to my practice. This is by all means not an extensive list, nor a list meant for everyone, but keep in mind that at the holidays it truly is the thought that counts. So, here goes…

1.       Jade Travel Yoga Mat - $59.95

Every dedicated yogi has their favorite yoga mat, and my favorite brand is Jade Yoga. Jade Yoga is committed to making eco-friendly yoga products and their mats are made sustainably with natural rubber tapped from rubber trees, a renewable resource, and unlike other mats contains no PVC, EVA or other synthetic rubber. The thing I love most about their mats is the incredible grip they have. As a sweaty-betty I found with most mats, the most minimal amount of sweat caused my mat to become a slip and slide. I wouldn’t call Jade mats “sticky” per se, like other mats out there, but they really do work well. They come in a few different lengths and colors, and the best part is the variety of thicknesses. I personally have a Jade Fusion Mat, which is their thickest, for my every day practice. However, what I’ve always wanted was one of Jade’s Travel Mats – their thinnest and lightest yoga mat – great for someone who travels a lot. PLUS, each mat purchase = a charitable donation too!

2.       Yogitoes Skidless Mat Towel - $68.00

I will again mention my sweating habits… I SWEAT A LOT. Literally, get me into a class and within 10 min I am dripping. While my Jade Yoga mat does a pretty great job at keeping me from slipping all over, I discovered mat towels. Most mat towels are made of a sort of absorbent microfiber fabric and some are what you could term “skidless”, and they have rubber nubs on the bottom that help you get an even better grip on your mat. The skidless towels have definitely become a favorite of mine, and the best ones I’ve found are Yogitoas Skidless Towels from Manduka. These towels are awesome and a lot of them have a super fun design (LOTS of tie-dye going on). The other great thing about these towels is each one is made from no fewer than eight discarded plastic bottles that are woven into 50% poly yarn.

3.       doTERRA Essential Oils – price varies

Yoga used to be synonymous with incense, but now you’re finding more and more practitioners are incorporating essential oils into their practices. There are a number of ways to use essential oils – during class (especially during savasana), infusing them with sprays, etc. They’re seriously the best. One of my most favorite things during a class is when a teacher comes around during pigeon pose or savasana. In addition to yoga, essential oils are being incorporated more and more into holistic health management. I used to probably be the first to denounce oils as just another wacky hippie thing, but now, I’m totally one of the first people to think about taking a peppermint oil bead to clear a stuffy nose before turning to some Nyquil. One thing to note about oils is everyone reacts differently to them – lavender for one person could be totally calming, but for the next it could be super agitating.  My favorite oils are doTERRA essential oils. doTERRA sells individual therapeutic grade oils and also has some awesome proprietary blends. Maybe start the yogi in your life off with a little sampler pack of oils or a giftcard so they can pick the scents that work best for them.

4.       Music Service Membership (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) – typically $9.99 monthly

Music is a big deal in yoga today, whether you’re teaching a class or practicing at home on your own. While traditional yoga like Astanga is practiced sans-beats, mainstream vinyasa is usually accompanied by all types of music – not just the stereotypical zen-inducing tunes. I know teachers whose playlists incorporate hip hop and R&B, EDM, and even some country. What better way for the yogi in your life to deepen their practice by exploring music that makes them feel alive and want to go with the flow? Up until about a month ago, I used a service called rdio, but it was just purchased by Pandora. I now use Spotify, which seems to be pretty standard for us yoga-folk. The best thing is being able to follow fellow yogis and teachers to see what they’re playing during class and being able to collaborate on playlists with friends.

5.       Lululemon Vinyasa Scarf - $58.00

If you know me, you know my #1 addiction – Lululemon. Yes, it’s pricy. Yes, it’s pretty basic. But dude, it lasts for-freaking-ever. If you’re like me and already have a full Lulu wardrobe, you don’t necessarily need another pair of wunder-unders or another cool racerback tank. Instead, why not treat your yogi to a Lulu Vinyasa Scarf? These things are super cool. On either end, there are snaps so in an instant you can take your scarf from Infinity to flat! And because of this, you can wear it done up, undone, wrapped, unwrapped… really however you want. PLUS, these things come in tons of patterns and colors. HOW FUN.

6.       Spiritual Gangster Pullover – $72.00-$88.00

Since its winter and all, and most of us love a cozy pullover, my favorites come from Spiritual Gangster – a yoga-inspired clothing line. All their clothes are made from super soft fabric and the pullovers are super comfy. They have designs to fit anyone’s likes, and pretty much if you show up in one of these puppies, everyone will be super jelly. Spiritual Gangster also is another socially conscious company that donates a meal to a person in need for every item sold.

7.       WerkShop Leggings – $88.00-$98.00 

So as much as I admit that I am addicted to Lululemon, another fun trend in yoga fashion is printed leggings. One of the coolest companies I’ve found is Eagle Rock WERKSHOP®, based out of Eagle Rock, CA. This company started as a kickstarter nearly 2 years ago, and now they’re killing it. All their leggings are made from Olympic-Quality compression fabric and feature incredibly vivid photo-real digital printing and limited edition and/or exclusive art. And they are perfect for any sport. I love these things and they are SO fun to practice in. Check out their Instagram for some SUPER awesome photography! 

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Thanks Kasey! I hope y'all found this way helpful and now know how to spoil your yoga-loving bestie. 

Make sure you follow Kasey on Insta for her badass yoga poses in all kinds of places and her shenanigans around Phoenix.