Elephant Journal recently featured Barefoot Yoga’s top 10 yoga gifts for the yogi in your life:

1. Silk Eye Pillows – in solid colors or sari designs with matching carry-case
2. Barefoot Yoga Hybrid Eco Mats – a long-lasting, high quality and affordable mat
3. Original Eco Yoga Mats – rated the #1 yoga mat by the New York Times
4. Mysore Practice Rugs – great for Astanga, Bikram or Vinyasa yoga
5. Cotton Velvet Yoga Mat Bags – soft and durable bags that will fit most any mat
6. Silk Sari Meditation Cushions – unique sari patterns in luxurious 100% silk
7. Bamboo Yoga Blocks – light-weight, durable, and eco friendly
8. Beeswax Aromatherapy Candles – 100% pure beeswax and essential oils
9. Nag Champa Incense – all-natural and made in India
10. Yoga Package Super Deal – a mat, bag, and eye pillow for only $39!

Visit www.barefootyoga.com for more great yoga gift ideas. And with our current Free 3-Day shipping offer, we can still get your order out in time for the holidays!

Posted under Barefoot Yoga News, Eco-Friendly Yoga Products, Mysore Practice Rugs, Press, Styles of Yoga, Yoga Gift Ideas, Yoga Supplies

For her pick for Yoga Gift Idea of the Week, Jessica says, “It’s hard to find time to relax during the holidays with social gatherings and obligations.  Find inner clarity and calm amidst the chaos with Yin Yoga the Foundations of a Quiet Practice with Paul Grilley DVD.  A strap, Mexican blanket, and block go really well with a Yin practice as you are fully able to relax into various poses with props.”

Visit www.barefootyoga.com to see our selection of yoga DVDs, yoga props, and other great yoga gift ideas!

Posted under Eco-Friendly Yoga Products, Styles of Yoga, Yoga Gift Ideas, Yoga Supplies

Jessica’s Yoga Gift Idea of the Week is a combination of the Barefoot Yoga’s Silk Sari Eye Pillow and a Yoga Bolster.  She says, “This combination is perfect for a ‘living room’ restorative practice.  Simply lay your back on the bolster with your arms falling to the sides, close your eyes and place the eye pillow on top.  Our eye pillows come scented or unscented, but the lavender is very relaxing and enjoyable.  It is a great gift to give and receive.”

Check out our Round and Rectangular Bolsters, Silk Eye Pillows, and other yoga props and accessories now at www.barefootyoga.com!

Posted under Styles of Yoga, Yoga Gift Ideas, Yoga Supplies

Barefoot Yoga has been in business since 1996, and we supply yoga products to 4000+ yoga studios and stores worldwide. Some of the studios that we connected with in the early days have remained some of our best customers today! We’re Thankful for our wholesale customers, so we’d like to honor some of them in our new blog feature, Wholesale Customer of the Week.

Our first Wholesale Customer of the Week is:

Posted under Styles of Yoga, Yoga Studios

Our Natural Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat is made from Jute and PER (Polymer Environmental Resin). The natural jute fibers in this mat offer the strength of conventional mats, yet are biodegradable. This mat’s unique look and feel are created by meshing jute fibers with patented PER, which is phthalate-free and safer for workers during manufacturing. The result is a mat that looks distinctive and lets you feel better about your ecological footprint — yet doesn’t compromise on the grippy, cushiony texture you count on for your best yoga positions.

Natural Jute and PER Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat

Our customers love them for all types of practice, but especially love to use them as hot yoga mats.

One reviewer says, “I love this yoga mat. You don’t get as much slippage, even in a heated yoga class. I would certainly purchase another of these mats when the time comes. Love the fact that it’s eco-friendly too.”

Another satisfied yogi says, “Excellent choice for a yoga mat. No toxic smells emanating from this mat and provides a secure hold to the floor during my Heated Power Yoga Class. Great price.”

Check our our Natural Jute and PER Eco-Friendly Yoga Mats as well as our wide selection of other yoga mats, at barefootyoga.com!

Posted under Eco-Friendly Yoga Products, Styles of Yoga, Yoga Gift Ideas, Yoga Supplies

Barefoot Yoga Jaisalmer rug (2nd row left) spotted in a Jois Yoga class.

Posted under Mysore Practice Rugs, Styles of Yoga

Article by Diana Castaldini from Whole Body Magazine

Yoga Style Guide

Whether you’re into sweating, chanting, or just lying back and relaxing, use this glossary of 11 common forms of yoga, some ancient, some modern, to find just the right class for you.

ANUSARA: A traditional style rooted in the Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness. After a chant, heart-opening postures emphasize proper alignment to harmonize inner and outer worlds.  See John Friend’s Revolution Mat.

ASHTANGA: Means “eight limbs,” referring to the tenets outlined in Yoga Sutras. Traditional but high-energy and known for fast-paced poses. Recommended mat for Ashtanga Practice: Mysore Practice Rugs.

BAPTISTE: This vigorous form of power yoga swaps chanting for intense movement. Its goal is to renew inner and outer personal strength.

BIKRAM: In this “hot yoga” style, studio temps reach 105 degrees to facilitate deeper stretching, build stamina, and rid the body of toxins.

HATHA: A classical style, popular in the West, that focuses on physicality but may include chanting and meditation. Postures are often basic, slow, and relaxing. Good for beginners.

IYENGAR: Commonly practiced in the West, this school focuses on precise alignment and holding postures often for several minutes at a time. See firm Foam Blocks and Practice Straps.

JIVAMUKTI: This style, which originated in New York City, combines spirituality and an intense aerobic workout. Incorporates chanting, music, breathing practices, and ancient scripture.

KUNDALINI: A practice that stimulates and releases energy believed to sit dormant at the base of the spine. Includes deep, fast, rhythmic breathing and chanting.

POWER: Derived from Ashtanga with a wider variety of postures, this fitness focused style is prevalent in gyms.

RESTORATIVE: A modern form that includes deeply supported poses held for minutes at a time so the practitioner can experience total relaxation.

VINYASA: A continuous flow of breath-synchronized movement that incorporates postures from various styles, though it evolved from Ashtanga.

Posted under Styles of Yoga

“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.”  ~B.K.S. Iyengar

Iyengar is one of many styles of yoga practiced around the world today. It was developed by Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar who was born in Karnataka, India in 1918. Having practiced yoga for most of his life,  Iyengar is certainly one of the most renowned teachers of our time. He has written a handful of books, including “Light on Life“, “Light on Yoga“, and “The Tree of Yoga“. There are also many books about Iyengar’s style of yoga; “Yoga the Iyengar Way” by Silva, Mira & Shyam Mehta is a popular one that’s endorsed by the yogi himself. His daughter, Geeta Iyengar, has also written a book about the style that is specific for women called “Yoga: A Gem for Women“.

The Iyengar style is rooted in the eight limbs of yoga, which are described at length in the “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali“.  It’s a form of Hatha Yoga that puts focus on strength, endurance, balance, and alignment. The style also stresses the benefits of concentration and meditation in body, mind and spirit. A series of asanas and pranayama, Iyengar yoga involves several standing poses and the use of multiple props to assist in achieving correct alignment in postures. Commonly used Iyengar props are hard Foam Blocks, Practice Straps, and Yoga Blankets.

One may experience far more adjustments in Iyengar yoga than in other styles, since Iyengar highly stresses that anatomical correctness is essential to balancing all aspects of our being. Sequencing of the asanas varies from practice to practice, in order to challenge the body. Also, a decent amount of time is spent in each asana to allow time for the fine adjustments and to fully benefit from the posture. Iyengar yoga really delves into the mind and spirit aspect – it is not merely a physical practice.

Though Iyengar himself teaches at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Pune, India, there are hundreds of Iyengar certified instructors in the United States and around the world. The Iyengar Yoga: National Association of the United States is a great resource for Iyengar teachers and studios across the country.

Namaste!

Posted under Styles of Yoga