It’s the holiday season, meaning that many of us are scratching our heads trying to think of personal gifts to buy for friends, families, and partners that will make them happy. Buying gifts can be fun and enjoyable or annoying and boring. If you’re running out of ideas for what to get someone in your life who loves yoga, then let me help you out a bit.
Class Pass / Yoga Studio Gift Card
Pay attention and get a sense of where your loved one enjoys practicing yoga. There is a chance that they have a preferred teacher or studio. It is highly likely that the studio that they prefer visiting sells gift cards and/or class passes. Class passes are electronic or are physical punch cards that give the buyer a discount on drop in prices. Generally the savings is enough to encourage students to buy passes instead of paying per class so that the student saves and the studio has . somewhat of a commitment from students of attending more than one class.
The best thing about buying a class pass or gift card is that not only are you encouraging the continuous healthy habit of going to yoga class, but you are also supporting a small, local business. Bonus! Many yoga studios are women owned!
Pact Apparel
These comfy organic cotton apparel items were recently gifted to me by my twin for our birthday and I instantly fell in love. For the environment and for my wallet, I try to only buy new yoga gear when I ‘need’ it, which isn’t often since I have a closet full already, which is because Fast Fashion is a major problem in our modern world, but there are some companies out there trying their best to practice environmentally friendly business and fair trade. Pact Apparel is one of those companies.
Their products are organic cotton meaning that they are less harmful to the environment because harmful pesticides were not used on their cotton, which is non-GMO, and let me tell you, these babies are soft. I have worn my leggings to do yoga in, as a layer under jeans when it’s really cold out, to work, and to sleep in. They have performed well in all movements, and not so active movements
(the sleeping). This is a company that this environmentalist yoga teacher can get behind.
Hand Poured Soy Candles
Most people who practice yoga begin to learn more about their bodies, how they treat them, and what goes into them. That bodily awareness often extends to where their food comes from and to all aspects of being a consumer; it’s more likely to see a yoga student walk from the studio to the co-op than from the studio to the box store. Awareness of a healthy lifestyle often moves from the yoga mat to the aisles.
In keeping with fair trade and supporting small businesses, a great gift idea for your yoga friend is a hand poured soy candle, made locally if possible. The hand poured aspect supports local artisans and the soy is important because it is a purer than one pulled off of the dollar store shelf.
Candles are a great gift for someone who has a home practice. There’s nothing like a slow flow or long holds with some soothing music in the background and a nicely scented candle glowing in the foreground. Just be sure not to fall asleep in Savasana, or at least to not be the only one in the house if you do.
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