I'm on "vacation" this week. My original plans involved a family trip to the Netherlands. A week of visiting tulip fields, windmills, and historic museums. Well, lo and behold, like many things these days, those plans had to change. I still wanted to do something special with my week off though.

Enter my "virtual yoga retreat!"

What's a virtual yoga retreat? Well, it's something I made up! Basically, I'm taking 1-2 online yoga classes a day from some of my favorite yoga studios. (Shoutout to Beloved Yoga and Atma Bodha Yoga)

All these online yoga classes are reminding me of when I launched an online yoga space in 2018. That was such an exciting time and steep learning curve for me! During that time, I made video tutorials for my students. I want to share those videos with you today. Online yoga is becoming popular as a self-care practice while social distancing. I hope you'll find these videos helpful as you explore online yoga for yourself:

1. Beginner's Guide To Yoga
2. How To Make Yoga Props At Home
3. Zoom Tutorial
4. Zoom Extra Features

I made the yoga props video this past weekend. I taught a restorative yoga class online to a group of my fellow physicians. Yoga props are so helpful for restorative poses. So, I created that video as a resource for you to have easy ways to make yoga props at home. I hope you find these videos useful!

Also, you may have noticed that I no longer offer an online weekly schedule of classes. I'm still available to teach private (individual or group) online yoga and meditation. Contact me if you're interested!

One of the first questions people ask when starting out their yoga practice is, “What type of mat should I buy?” With so many types of yoga mats out there, and so many different styles of yoga, it can be hard to know! I found this great guide that breaks it all down for you. The folks who wrote this guide did a lot of research to help you pick the best mat for your needs. I love that all the mats they tested are eco-friendly and non-toxic. Personally, I plan to invest in the Tranquility Essentials cork mat as my next mat purchase. They say it’s a bit heavier than the other choices, but I like its eco-friendly rating and natural cork material. For studio practice, I’ll stick with my personal favorite that I've used for the past 9 years, the Jade Harmony mat. 

Now, this article is cool because it also dives into a bit of the history of yoga mats. The idea of using a yoga mat is a relatively new concept. Ancient yogi’s didn’t use mats at all! They practiced in nature. Over time, people started using cloth rugs to practice on. Yoga practice used to be more about the seated practice, like meditation. Your modern yoga practice involves a lot more movement, poses, and let’s face it, sweat! That’s where these sticky, rubber mats came into play. To help prevent you from slipping and sliding during your practice. The problem is that many of the mats today use toxic chemicals. And, who wants to get all sweaty while doing something good for yourself on a toxic mat? Eek! 

That’s where this guide comes in handy. They sent all the mats to a special lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan to test the materials. I’m interested to hear your thoughts after you read this guide. What’s been your favorite yoga mat? How has the info in this guide made you think differently about yoga mats? Leave a comment below and let me know!