THE GREAT DEBATE UPDATE

Back in August we leaked the news about the Great Debate between the meat-eating Sadie Nardini and the veggie-loving Sharon Gannon. After a delay in plans, our sources now tell us that theses yoginis will take their corners on October 8th at 12 noon (EDT) via The Huffington Post. More details to follow soon…

-Freebean

Back-to-(Yoga) School

This September, Boomerang Yoga, a non-profit organization geared towards raising mullah for children, is hosting a Sun Salute-a-thon, 108 sun salutations over a 3-hour asana, with the concept of sponsored mats for participating yogis. Stephanie Culen, the founder and executive director of the organization is hoping to raise $500 per mat.  All donations made will go to the continuation of Bent on Learning, an ah-mazing non-profit who has been the forerunner in getting yoga classes into NYC’s public school curriculum.

The event will be held on Sunday, September 20th from 3-6pm at NYC’s SoHo Equinox, visit the Boomerang Yoga Events page to learn how you can participate yourself.  (Attendees are also said to get some goodies for showing up too!)

Or if you prefer, freebean is offering to be your surrogate yogini on that mat day – so donate here – a little or lot – all is much appreciated.

THE GREAT DEBATE – Are Yoga and Meat-Eating Mutually Exclusive?

Back in June, Sadie Nardini, the edgy NYC core strength yogini, served up some food for thought on yoga and what’s on your plate in her Huffington Post flesh-eating confessional, in which many shared their ops.  Among the comments, there were some lovers and some haters, and now word on the street has it that Nardini and Gannon (of the animal-loving Jivamukti school) are laying down their mats for a duke ’em out debate  (in that peaceful yoga way, of course) via live video on the Huffington Post this Wednesday, 8/19.   Stay tuned for the official time to watch it live…

–freebean

THE FAB FIVE of Summer Yoga Deals

Recent finds to make your ‘beans’ go further this summer (courtesy of  freebean from yogadeals):

1.  Humpday Yoga in NYC with Laughing Lotus (FREE)

2. The Cure for the Common Asannoyance (only 2.7o beans/Hband)

3. The Sham Wow of Yoga Towels – can your curiosity resist?  (10.95 beans)

4. Cheap Fix For Sticker-Loving Yogis (0.75 beans)

5.  Go Ask Alice.com – Forgo the lines at Duane Reade/CVS/Walgreens & shop at home (free shipping beans)

Yoga Agents? Yoga Goes Hollywood

Yoga is now going beyond just clothes, props and trademarked styles, now there appears to be a new chapter where yoga and business are uniting to bring the often flighty community of free-loving do-gooders who just want to share yoga bliss with their students with a paycheck. Some may think this is a way that yogis are selling out, but if yoga is your career and you are not so business-savvy, it really is in your best interest to find someone who can network and market your talents for you – because hey, let’s be realistic, everyone has to eat and in order to eat you need to make some mullah.

After a recent press release about the Gap’s attempt to gain market share with its new line of pure body layering apparel that targets yogis, we did some investigating to find out a little bit more about YAMA, the PR rep for A-list instructors like Sadie Nardini and Ashley Turner.

Straight from Ava Taylor, one of the founders of YAMA, the Yoga Artist Management Agency, the company is  “a joint venture with Velour Music Group – producers of the groundbreaking Wanderlust Festival.  YAMA is the premier yoga talent agency in the world exclusively representing a diverse portfolio of distinguished instructors.”

YAMA seems to be the forerunner of yogic agencies,  hooking up athletes with legitimate endorsements, sponsorships and advertising gigs.  So be on the lookout for more brand integration of yoga instructors in unconventional placements like corporate events and festivals.  As a firm believer that everyone could use a little yoga in their world, I am interested to see how this new type of agency will pan out.

For more info on YAMA, try emailing yoga.artist.management@gmail.com (no website as of yet, that I know of, which I do encourage them to launch sooner than later if they are looking to gain momentum and keep ahead as other players enter ‘the game.’)

designer yoga props

yoga, meaning ‘union’, is truly emerging as a viable industry offering countless schools of asana & now innovative props to help yogis everywhere make that connection with mind, body, soul – & now design. just as asana has evolved from the two original poses, tadasana (mountain) & svasana (corpse), so too have the props. after attending the yoga journal conference in nyc, i stumbled upon two of the most practical & perhaps most effective new asana helpers, where form & function have joined for their own sort of yoga, including the evolved block (aka egg) created by a ‘recovering’ furniture maker with a bad back & an all-in-one eco-mat which began as an f.i.t. professor’s vision.

for full reviews, visit yogadeals…

yj acknowledges the yoga (internet) connection

elephantbeans, yogadork and yogadeals have all been featured in the glossy august issue of yj (page 85) along with other fellow bloggers!

“start reading the latest gossip from yogadork….. & you’ll soon see a mention of budget-friendly classes from yogadeals… which links to a fun story from elephantbeans… about yogis behaving badly.”

pill-free, yoga headache remedy

posted by freebean

Free on youtube.com compliments of Ravi and Ana who also offer a set of Kundalini DVDs for Yoga Quick Fixes and Yoga House Call…

NYC Yoga Conferences: Splurge vs. Steal

by freebean

Like many ‘yoga’ categories these days, there are now a wide range of conferences (and price tags), luckily there are some a la carte options so that you can enjoy a little taste of everything.

The Splurge: This year is the first Yoga Journal Conference to hit NYC (May 15-May 18).  While some big wigs in the yoga world fill the schedule,  it is still rather spendy for most yogis (it could very well be the whole piggybank), however it is still cheaper than traveling to another city if you are a New York yogi.

Here are some worthy freebean-recommended happenings:

• FREE weekend community classes with Marco Rojas and Ashely Turner. (remember: the early bird gets the worm, based on first-come, first-serve basis)
• Evening options for yogis with day jobs – check out Sadie Nardini’s first YJC appearance on Friday.

The Steal: After a weekend of YJC splurging, your wallet and asana will craving the low-budget yoga fix  NY Yoga & Raw Food Expo (May 29-May 31) promises to offer.  For a mere $20/day ($15 in advance) or just $35 for all 3 days ($30 in advance) you get full access to the expo and more!  Here are some of the highlights:

• Swami Bua, America’s oldest living yogi (he’s supposedly 120 years old) makes a guest appearance (Does he really exist?  Check it out for yourself.)
• FREE unlimited yoga classes and wellness lectures!
• Raw cuisine by Kwatamani, the top Floridian (as in ‘from Florida’) raw food chef.
• 50% off all books at the Expo’s New Age Bookstore.

Please share your findings if you attend – the good, the okay, the uplifting and even the not-so-good!

Hey NYC, Clean Your Plate

You can literally eat your way through the neighborhoods of NYC.  On just the small island of Manhattan alone, we are blessed with a variety of cuisines and price points on every block, but when it comes down to it, New Yorkers are not exactly known for their ‘home cooking.’ Fortunately they don’t have to be. Now, tastiness doesn’t have to come with a guilt-ridden calorie count, and with current obesity (and vanity) levels rising, even New Yorkers, the very ambulatory society, are still looking for healthier options that don’t require a cooking class to attain.

[enter: Clean Plates NYC]

Clean Plates NYC is a new guidebook to healthy eating without sacrificing flavor or neglecting your taste buds for those who do not just dine on bean sprouts and raw veggies. The lovechild of Jared Koch (nutiritionist and wellness counselor) and Alex Van Buren (food critic), Clean Plates NYC showcases the healthiest, tastiest and most sustainable restaurants in Manhattan, with 75 reviews and a list of 200+ places to satiate your palette.

Clean Plates NYC retails for $13.95, which also includes full access to www.cleanplatesnyc.com, and they have offered an extra 10% off to us (use code: bendy)!

The interactive site features restaurant updates of Jared and Alex’s favorite spots, user forums and a database of all featured restaurants – so it is possible to find an approved restaurant even if you don’t have the book handy!  And listen up all you phone-dependent peops, a mobile application of Clean Plates NYC, listing the restaurants in the book is also available for on-the-go. The mobile application can be purchased through www.cleanplatesnyc.com as a stand-alone purchase for $9.95 or for $2 if buy it with the book.  All purchases through www.cleanplatesnyc.com also include free shipping.

So, Consider this your edible answer to healthy-eating, just in time for the upcoming beach body-baring days (Memorial Day is only days away!).  You’re welcome 🙂