3 Yoga Brands that Embody Yoga (For All You Christmas Shoppers)

Hi, friends!

Anyone else out there doing some holiday shopping this weekend? ;) In case you are, I wanted to share a few gift ideas for the fellow yogis in your life.

As a blogger, I've had the chance to work with quite a few yoga brands and am so grateful for all three of the ones I'm writing about today. Their products, vision and customer service embody the yogic qualities of kindness, gratitude and truthfulness. The interactions I've had with their teams have been top-notch, and their generosity and helpfulness have been memorable over my years of blogging.

For the mindful yogi who loves music, festivals, art and travel: Lotus Tribe Clothing

Dawn and Jimmy, the owners of Lotus Tribe, are some of the sweetest yogis I've had the chance to blog about. Dawn was very patient in working with me to find the style and fit for a bra and leggings outfit, and I'm so grateful for her patience and dedication with following up and helping me share their story.

I love that this brand is a small business, owned by real people. Dawn and Jimmy have manifested their dreams through the company. They live in Thailand, travel, do yoga as much as possible, and are vegetarian, incorporating the yogic lifestyle into all aspects of their experiences, not just asana practice. They enjoy working with yogis, health and fitness minded people, and anyone interested in living mindfully, traveling to exotic locations or learning about new cultures.  

As Dawn says, the business is about more than creating an income; it's about working with local people who they meet along their travels, supporting them, and paying a fair living wage for their works of art.

Environmental responsibility and conservation of nature are of the utmost importance to the Lotus Tribe brand. The clothing is a natural fiber option with 90% cotton or 90% rayon with 10% spandex, for the least amount of man-made materials as possible. 

Lotus Tribe also works with Trash Hero Thailand to provide access to reuseable bottles and Refill Station Locations to travelers in hopes of reducing the plastic pollution in Pai, Thailand. Founded the Pai Green Team to start a community dialog on ways to reduce single use plastic, they help with trash clean up days in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Additionally, the brand has recently partnered with Tree Sisters and now Lotus Tribe plants a tree for every item purchased. Tree Sisters plants over a million trees per year in a reforestation revolution. 

Dawn and Jimmy plan to continue with environmental conservation work in the future. They see repurposing "garbage" as the way of the future and they are constantly looking for individuals turning waste into new items. As they meet people along their travels, they also purchase unique handicrafts. They have cinch sacks made by a deaf couple and coin purses made by a little old lady from the Hill Tribes, both form northern Thailand.

The Lotus Tribe brand promotes a conscious selection of quality items rather than mindless consumption. They hope people will want to speak with their purchase by supporting an ethically and environmentally attentive small business. As Dawn says, "By making our business based on LOVE, our tribe will grow to include yogis all over the world."

How beautiful is that? ;)

Note: in these photos I'm wearing the Amethyst Tie Dye long yoga pants, and the Plum Baru sports bra.

For the yogi friend who is always on the go and could use a spa day: Yogi Surprise

Yogi Surprise is a brand I've been connected with for over two years, since they first launched. Their team is based in Oregon and every time I email or chat with them, I'm pleasantly surprised by how sweet, helpful, and responsive they are.

Each month their subscription box contains products which are designed to nourish and support your well-being, vitality, and growth. Yogi Surprise contains yoga accessories, natural beauty products, organic snacks and superfoods, and jewelry. I also love that they include little asana cards, with a set of poses to practice, and a short piece of writing about the theme of the box. 

The quality of the box speaks for itself; pretty much every product I try amazes me and often I'll hop online and find out more about the brands to see if I can place a follow up order. Last month's box included a bar of ayurvedic dark chocolate with sea salt (YUM) that I'm still thinking about as I write this. I've also been a big fan of some of the candles they've sent, therapeutic massage oils, chapsticks, roll-on fragrance, and beautiful mala beads.

I love that the Yogi Surprise products are 100% vegetarian and cruelty free. They also blog about topics like peacefulness, seva, spreading kindness, and how to meditate. While the boxes are a little pricey, they make the perfect gift for someone on your list you're not exactly sure how to shop for, and who you know could use a little reminder to slow down and take time for self care.

For the badass yogi you know who wants to take their practice to new levels: Dharma Yoga Wheel

I'll just say it as simply as possible: Dharma Yoga Wheels are amazing. This brand set a huge trend by creating the newest and best yoga prop since the block, and the team behind the product truly cares about offering yoga to more people and helping them experience relief from physical pain and the ability to unlock new potential in their yoga practice.

The company and yoga wheel was first founded by Dov Vargaz and Raquel Vamos is August 2014, both of whom are yoga students of Sri Dharma Mittra and both of whom teach incredible yoga trainings and workshops around the world.

As their website reads, "This revolutionary wheel is specifically designed to match the contour of the spine and help aide in back bending for all athletes and house holders."

What I love about my wheel is that I've been able to use it to work on new flexibility in my spine, overcome fear in inversions, and also fit in more yoga into my schedule. Even just spending 10 minutes on my wheel makes me feel like I've shifted my energy and found new mobility and freedom in my body.

The brand also offers Dharma Yoga Wheel teacher trainings, where they empower teachers to help others use the wheel safely and effectively, giving them the opportunity to open their chest and heart space (truly life changing!). They also sell a poster with ideas on how to use the wheel in over 200 different ways. Amazing!

If you're looking for a gift for a yogi in your life, I highly recommend checking out Lotus Tribe clothing, Yogi Surprise and Dharma Yoga Wheel. Cheers to supporting brands who are out their changing the world!

Namaste.