All the News That's Fit to Print

Photo via my new favorite blog find: Fashion Toast!

It is most definitely Monday. Buzzing around the office (on tea, not coffee!) catching up on weekends, the big game, and trying to sort through my Google Reader.

Lots of yoga news in the mix today! If you haven't already, check out the story on Tara Stiles via the New York Times. Interesting stuff. I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

I had to agree with YogaDork's review in saying that "It's yoga. Yoga is as yoga does." I'm all for creating community around yoga that's open, welcoming, and true to the heart (not the ego). Let's all avoid the snobbery and do our backbends, OK? :)

Photo via Google.

I'd also encourage you guys to check out OMB Yoga's open letter to a new Bikram student. There are some great reflections on why the teacher speaks loudly, why we require silence and stillness in between postures, and why wearing short shorts is the way to go (and here's a hint: none of it has to do with your ego!).

Photo of Coby Grant via PrAna's blog.

 PrAna also has some great posts on the upcoming Wanderlust trifecta as well as a lovely review from Coby Grant (a favorite up-and-coming artist of mine!) on the wonderful PrAna line of yoga gear.


Yoga blogger Julia Yee has some wonderful advice on sticking with your yoga routine. Don't miss this post!

Photo of Joslyn Chandler of Miss Fit Bliss by Mechelle Lavelle of Bryant/Lavelle Photography.

Finally, one of my favorite hot yoga bloggers, Joslyn over at Miss Fit Bliss, featured awesome advice on the top 14 things she's learned from Bikram (plus photos of her rockin' the yoga at an advanced class and in competition). Amazing stuff, Jos!


What are you guys up to this week? What are you reading?


I hope all is well and I'm wishing you the best.

Photo of Joslyn Chandler and yogi competitors by Mechelle Lavelle of Bryant/Lavelle Photography.

Ready for the Impossible?

 

Photo via Pennyweight.

I have a feeling 2011 is going to be an incredible year. Are you ready for it?

I'm ready for quiet moments, full skies and elaborate dreams. I plan to do plenty of yoga, healthy cooking, and reading for fun.

And I want healthy relationships -- with my Hubs, my friends, and myself -- to be at the top of the list.

Photo via Andrew + Carissa.

Photo via Atlantic Tree Fox.

Now is one of those times of year I feel pretty reflective. I find myself reminiscing about my favorite memories -- which means reliving the Big Day over and over. Anyone else wish they could enjoy their wedding day all over again just because it was so wonderful?

Before we left California, I was also helping my mom pack up a few boxes and get rid of some of my old stuff. I spent a few hours going through old papers -- birthday cards, love notes from my lunchboxes as a kid, letters from penpals, journal entries, high school essays. I found myself feeling strangely sentimental, and sad to leave my family. The cards from both of my late grandmothers almost brought a tear, and more so they have inspired new poetry.

Photo via A Desert Fete. 

Photo via Oh Happy Day!

Getting back to our wonderful little apartment has also inspired me. Hubs and I endured a particularly long and ridiculous journey home (delays at the airport, delays for our bags, delays for the cab) so we were pretty happy once we made it to our bed last night.

We spent the whole day today cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of old stuff. The perfect New Year's purge!

It felt great to free up some space and tidy up. We still have a bit to do -- and I have big plans for my own new planning schemes to keep things easy to find! 

Photo via David and Sarah.

Photo via Stephen Beadles Photography.

At the start of January, it's easy to look forward and think how lovely and open the new year is. It's just as easy to look back at the year behind us and get overwhelmed by how much we had to do to survive it.

Are you busy looking forward, or looking back?

At this very moment, I am equally at peace with my goals for the new year and my accomplishments from the past year. I feel prepared to do better, to grow, to let go. I'm as ready for the impossible as I can be.

Photo by Jose Villa.

A final quick note: I'll be featuring a new series here on Alive in the Fire very soon! It's called:

Beyond Childhood (How to Love Your Kiddos Better) 

Get excited; you're going to be seeing a lot of adorable baby pictures, parenting advice, thoughts for expectant moms-to-be, reviews of green products, and ways to make family your top priority in 2011! I hope you'll follow along and consider contributing your comments and ideas.

If you know of a mom who might want to share her story, please have her email me here: aliveinthefire at gmail dot com.

I'd also love to hear from you with ideas about:

• Family-focused companies
• Eco-friendly and green products for babies
• How to put family first
• Raising kids with love, hope and spirit
• Eating well for you and your family

Thanks and namaste!

Thursday Giveaway: Yoga Leggings & A Zany Print

These Steven Brahms prints in his "Evasion" series are crazy awesome and quite manly.

To continue our week of all things masculine, for today's giveaway Alive in the Fire brings you some awesome White Iguana sport leggings and a clever "Clive Does Yoga" photo print from BAClori on Etsy. 

These White Iguana Apparel leggings are great for yoga, running, biking and more.

To win both, see below for more info! Both guys and girls are encouraged to enter (ladies, these would be a wonderful holiday gift for your man!).

Three "Clive Does Yoga" 5x7 prints from BAClori on Etsy.

Allie Yoko, the owner of White Iguana Apparel, started the sport clothing line based on her passion for living an eco-friendly lifestyle. As said in one of the company's press releases, "What started out as a class project turned into a real-life career calling for graphic design student-turned athletic apparel entrepreneur, Allie Yoko. The 24-year old Chicago resident has taken her eye for design and her passion for an eco-friendly lifestyle and turned it into one of the country’s first bamboo-made line of athletic clothing.

'I loved the idea of bamboo clothing,' says Allie, 'but hated the thought of having it manufactured overseas, so I was determined to find domestic manufacturer.'

Mission accomplished, White Iguana Apparel is not only eco-friendly but it is 100% made in the U.S.A.

Armed with a passion for fashion and a desire to help others find easy ways to make their lives more eco-friendly, Allie was determined to make her dream a reality."

In the company's stylish logo, you can see Allie's creative eye for design.

More from Allie on her products:

Our leggings are designed to keep you comfortable while living your life. They are lightweight and will keep you warm while resisting odor and wicking away moisture. The leggings are full-length and fit closely to your body to keep you feeling warm and dry without itching or chafing. You hardly notice that you have them on but will feel incredibly fresh all day and night since our organic microfiber bamboo leggings are also naturally antimicrobial. They provide excellent breathability and you wont get an ugly red rash that inexpensive competitors' leggings give you. They are the perfect base layer for biking, hiking, snow sports, running, dancing, working out, yoga and wearing under a dress for a night on the town. Our leggings are made from 94% viscose from organic bamboo and 6% spandex, which makes them amazingly soft. This moisture management fabric keeps you dry and comfortable.

On the company's environmentally-friendly approach and holiday plans:

Basically, we are a company that cares about the environment, about being healthy and being active and we wanted to create a product that would help others in doing the same!

For the holidays, we just want our product to be shared with as many people as possible. We have great products and we want everyone to get to experience them. We plan on having sales (going on right now) to make things even more affordable for people holiday shopping!

In the coming year, we hope to get our products in more stores and out to as many customers as possible. We are looking forward to continue growing our brand and sharing it with the world.

Enjoy connecting with Allie and the White Iguana brand by visiting their store for some shopping, connecting on Facebook or Twitter, or reading their stellar blog.

Also, be sure to check out the store's great sale items!

Next in the giveaway is a group of photographs by artsy Etsy seller BAClori featuring Clive the yoga model in a set of three 5x7 photos.

Her description of the fun and wacky pictures:

"Clive Does Yoga" is a group of photographs using a relatively posable art model doll that I have dubbed "Clive" as he works his way through a series of basic yoga poses.  I find the series to be quite calming and soothing, mostly because when you look at Clive, you don't assign an instant judgement to a figure who has no expression making it easier to enjoy the poses (even if they are a bit rigid!).  

Lori's description of the shop:

Basement Art Creations is original photography by Lori O'Connor shaped by imagination, inspiration, exhilaration, procrastination, distraction and a pretty good sized slice of insomnia!

A few other prints from the shop.

Lori on what inspires her photography:

I enjoy having to scoot right up to an object and take a closer look.  I admire detail.  I like finding something brilliant from the simple and uncluttered.  I feel I have found my niche taking photos of things that you might not normally look at twice, but when photographed, you may want them hanging on your wall just so you can smile at them!  

On her yoga practice:

Like Clive, I am also quite stiff at times as I stretch to learn new poses... but I enjoy the calm and meditative state you can find when you quiet your mind and body!

I love Lori's unique and witty style and her willingness to turn the mundane into something playful. Pair these photos up with the pair of athletic leggings and you'll be super inspired to practice yoga through the new year!

To enter the giveaway contest, please:

• Check out White Iguana Apparel and BAClori's shops.
• Consider buying a workout shirt for your friend and sending it with a holiday snowman card, or other great sale and holiday items.
• Double your chances of winning by connecting with White Iguana and visiting Lori's other main shop.

Also, please tell your guy friends to enter and be sure to check out our Real Men Do Yoga series and consider submitting your story. Many thanks to Whit Conway, my desk neighbor at work, for putting me in touch with Allie. Namaste!

Congrats to Catherine for winning the lovely duende74 party top and the Lindsay Satchell scorpion print. Will be emailing you shortly to put you in touch with the vendors!

Middle of the Week Laughter

My December in a nutshell, pretty much! Comic fromIndexed.

Ever heard of Indexed? It's a wonderfully silly blog with the best Venn diagrams around. This one was perfect for this December.


Thanks, Puerto Rico, for your biobays. And thanks, Evanston, for all your twinkly lights!


Oh, I love the holidays!


Here are a few other recent faves from the comic. They are really quite clever, and some super poignant, too!

Isn't this amazingly true? Comic from Indexed.

This is why I enjoy those photos that show the everyday. Comic from Indexed.

True in the Hot Room, true in life. Comic from Indexed.

Do you read any funnies? (I'm also a huge fan of XKCD and Texts from Last Night. If you need a laugh, stop over at either!)

 Comics from Texts from Last Night.

Oh, and just because I hope it will make you smile... a cupcake from last night. :) Thanks Linds, for our awesome gluten-free bakery date at Rose's! Yum. Happy Wednesday, all!

Alive in the Fire Awarded!

Yogis, Alive in the Fire just won an award! Many thanks to Guide to Healthcare Schools for featuring us as one of the top 25 Bikram yoga blogs out there. Woohoo!

Guide toHealthcare Schools

Top 25 Bikram Yoga Blogs

Reminder: Giveaways!

I love you, Hubs! Photo by my talented cousin Joelle.


What a beautiful weekend we had!

Lovely conversation, knitting, hot cider, bunny cuddle time, a Christmas tree adventure, family gathered around the table to feast, a snowy photo shoot with the cousins, and more. It was all kinds of amazing.

I'll be posting again soon (a review of Bikram Yoga Minneapolis, photos galore, and an introduction to our bunny, Norah!)... but in the meantime, just wanted to remind you that these two giveaways will be ending soon.

Check out this post to win a water bobble, and this one for an incredible hot yoga towel.

Remember if you follow the blog or get a friend to do so, you'll double your chances of winning.

Win! Win! Win!

Let the Extravaganza Begin!

Win free stuff!

Alright yogis, here we go. Today you can win a Water Bobble water purifier from Healthy Green Goods in Evanston. You can also utilize a 20% off coupon at BellaPoshPillows.

Water Bobbles offer an on-the-go filtering system for your water before, during, and after yoga class. Simply attach a filter to the bottle you own, or check out the company's 13.5 oz, 18 oz, or 34 oz bottle. They also have adorable baby bottles available. 

Drink clean, fresh water. Spend less. Be BPA free!

You can also learn more by reading these reviews from Esquire and The New York Times about Water Bobble.

To win, please enter a comment below about how much water you tend to drink before, during & after class; confirm that you are a local Evanston or Chicago resident; and note in your posting that you've added Water Bobble on Twitter and Facebook.

As well, BellaPoshPillows on Etsy is featuring a special coupon for all readers to save 20% off on any item. Check out their shop or their main website for great selection on neck pillows, eye pillows, and more. If 10 readers make a purchase, I will also feature another giveaway from their site!


To save 20%, please enter the coupon code NAMASTE at checkout for either the etsy site or main site. Update as of 12/16/10: please note that BellaPoshPillows is going to be on vacation for a few weeks at the holidays, so you'll want to wait til January to use the coupon. Thanks!

Reduce sinus pressure, puffiness, swelling or migraine pain with these easy-to-use eye and neck pillows. Simply heat them in the microwave or chill them in the refrigerator for relief and relaxation. A great stocking stuffer and must-have item for Mom at the holidays!

Finally, for all you Evanston locals, I encourage you to swing in to Healthy Green Goods on Main Street for some eco-friendly holiday shopping. The owner, Dr. Marny Turvill, is a wonderful source of wisdom when it comes to products that leave a green (or no) footprint on our planet. She's located at 702 Main and can be reached at 847.864.9098.

Healthy Green Goods is one of my favorite bag-free stores. Read another post about it here.

We Adventure and Encounter Ourselves

These photos and their beautiful picnic ideas brought to you from this lovely blog.

Put some Tresspassers on the stereo. Breathe deep. 

Wrap up in a cardigan, your hands in your pockets. Dig your toes into the sand. Bring friends, table settings, twinkly lights.

We'll set up a beach picnic beneath the Golden Gate.

Or a rooftop celebration in the afternoon, before the sun hides away and the cold comes creeping out.


We're ready for some adventure.

A Winter Extravaganza

A new header for the winter season. Exciting times here at Alive in the Fire!

Is it snowing yet where you live?

Chicago has yet to see our first big winter storm, but Minnesota got a couple feet recently. The Hubs and I head north to snowy territory on Wednesday afternoon, and I'm excited.

Another reason I'm giddy with joy: it's the season of giving!

Not only in our families and with our friends, but also here at Alive in the Fire. Time to celebrate the year together, drink warm drinks by the fire, and exchange some great gifts. Coming up we've got: a Black Friday hot yoga giveaway you won't want to miss, some manly products for you guy yogis, and other fun surprises. :)

Whether you're braving cold weather or enjoying a California 'winter' and regardless of whether you're a new Bikram student or a recently-graduated #BKTT 2010 teacher, Alive in the Fire's got something under the tree for you.

Stay tuned to win!

Ready for the season of giving? Me too. Photo via acd111's Flickr Photostream.

Oak Park's 105-Yoga Opening Monday!

Chicago yogis: a new Bikram studio is opening on Monday, November 1st in Oak Park!

105 Yoga

105 N Oak Park Ave

Oak Park, IL 60301
Phone: 708-613-6055
info@105-yoga.com

with Nancy Kalinowski, studio director & yogi extraordinaire

Check it out: 105 Yoga in Oak Park is offering an amazing intro special where you can get your first month for only $29 (regularly $150). Sign up now! Offer ends November 30th. 


Tell your friends!


One of my favorite Bikram teachers ever is achieving her dream this week. Nancy, I couldn't be more thrilled for you! It's going to be incredible. Hoping I can stop by for some classes soon and, like Bikram says, continue on my way to "a new body, and a new life!"


May the first few weeks at 105 Yoga, even if they are chaotic, be yet another yogic lesson in your journey about the way no one can steal your peace. If you let someone steal your peace, you lose!


Students, new and veteran: check out the class schedule, add 105 Yoga on Facebook and Twitter (@hotyogaoakpark), and get out your mat! Namaste.

See you soon in Oak Park, Chicago, for some awesome Bikram at 105 Yoga!