Whether you are packing for a yoga retreat or heading to your favorite yoga class, good yoga gear is important. We’ve taken a moment to compile five of what we believe is the best yoga apparel and gear available today. Take a look at what we love and why we love it!

1. Jade Travel Yoga Mat

This mat is everything you need in one. Not only does it boast a great grip, but it’s light and can be rolled or folded to fit into your luggage. Which means you can take this mat anywhere without it being a big hassle. To top it all off, it’s made by Jade, a company well known for producing high-quality, long-lasting, and durable yoga mats.

2. prAna “Rai Swim Tight”

Summer is around the corner, which means it is the perfect time to prefect your on-the-beach yoga practice. But if we’re being honest, yoga on the beach isn’t always as magical as the pictures make it seem. You’re bound to get sand all over your yoga pants and then you have to find a place to change before you can jump in the water. prAna came up with the solution for that: yoga pants that double as swim bottoms. I mean, really, what more do you need in life. (P.S. We love everything on the prAna website. They have some of the best yoga apparel around).

3. Spiritual Gangster “Love is All We Need” Tank

The world seems to be in a state of turmoil. There’s an unfortunate amount of hate being tossed around. Which is why we love this “Love is All You Need” tank. Where it proud and let the message serve as a constant reminder that with a little more love, everything else will follow. We are big believers in the philosophy that the best yoga apparel isn’t just those that fit well, but those that speak to the bigger picture of what yoga is all about.

4. Travel Zen Inflatable Meditation Cushion

We applaud those yogis that can comfortably sit in full lotus for hours on a hard surface. We also understand that most of us don’t fit this description. Meditation cushions are a great solution for making meditation more comfortable, but they tend to be large and heavy and inconvenient for anyone who ever wants to meditate somewhere that isn’t home. Insert that Travel Zen. This inflatable meditation cushion gives you the opportunity to find zen wherever you go.

5. Anjali “Jai Top”

The 70s style is back and crop-tops are flying off the shelves. We get it—sometimes a sports bra feels too revealing, but it’s just so dang hot. Well now you can look great, stay cool, and help the environment all at once. The Anjali Jai Top isn’t just adorable, it’s also practical and comfortable. To top it all off, it’s made from recycled materials! So you can buy it guilt-free.

Put your yoga gear to the test!

Now that you’ve got the best yoga apparel and gear, it’s time to put it to use! And you know what the best way to break in your yoga gear is, right? No?? Well here’s a hint: yoga gear and soaking up the sun on a white sand beach in Costa Rica tend to go hand in hand. Or at least, we think they do. Check out our calendar to see when and where we are hosting yoga retreats, and sign up for one of these life changing experiences today!

A lot of times you will see dried fruit used in these recipes. While I love dates and prunes, I wanted to create a less sticky option for
those days when you you are multitasking preparing food with the kids and the job. This is also an easy to clean up option for when you want something quick to bring on a summer’s hike.
This is a healthy, delicious, easy to make, no bake, protein packed recipe. These all vegan Coco & Choco Nut Butter Bites will become a favorite in your home and on the trail.

I have been preparing ALL of my food at home over the last few months. In addition to yoga teaching and wellness retreats, I have been in school to be a nutrition and wellness coach! These lectures that I have been attending remind me of the value of preparing the food we make and the massive health benefits of it. Plus, it saves us money & time in the long run AND gives you a sense of accomplishment. When you can prepare your food in the beginning of the week, it frees up so much time for the other joys in life! This is incredibly important to me as a new mother. Not only is it important for me to have healthy options that I can grab on the go, but I believe it’s also important that my daughter gets to witness home cooking so that this can become a healthy habit for her one day! Preparing food brings people together! It’s a beautiful, community building, familial, and sacred event! While I prepare food, I take some to speak my gratitude to the soil, farmers, plants, and hands that went into it being in our presence. I also honor the abundance of resources that we have and our good health. Food and the capacity it has to keep us in good health should never be taken for
grantedLove is the best ingredient in any meal.

I hope that you enjoy these little bites as much as I have. Now, get your hands sweetly messy and enjoy your summer in the sun.

Ingredients

(Makes about 8 balls)

•3/4 cup natural and unsalted nut butter of choice

•1/4 cup (around 65-75grams) Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder

•1/4 cup of maple syrup

•3/4 cup gluten free quick rolled oats

•1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Mix wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl
2. Mix dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl
3. Combine ingredients and either stir or use a blender
4. Hand roll into 8 balls

ॐ

Alana Roach  is a International Yogi currently based out of Annapolis, MD. Formerly adorned by the city lights and the busy streets of America, she was then whisked away by the illustrious path of yoga and took to traveling the world to share it with others. A few years back she started to write about the transformation she undertook by  practicing conscious meditation. Her passions became her career and she now holds RYS Teacher Trainings & International Retreats, Health Coaches, and writes every opportunity she gets. In her spare time she loves cuddling with her daughter,  surfing, being in nature, and living amongst her ever growing and global loving and conscious community. She is on Facebook , Instagram, Twitter, and can be reached by email explorationsofself@gmail.com

A lot of times you will see dried fruit used in these recipes. While I love dates and prunes, I wanted to create a less sticky option for
those days when you you are multitasking preparing food with the kids and the job. This is also an easy to clean up option for when you want something quick to bring on a summer’s hike.
This is a healthy, delicious, easy to make, no bake, protein packed recipe. These all vegan Coco & Choco Nut Butter Bites will become a favorite in your home and on the trail.

I have been preparing ALL of my food at home over the last few months. In addition to yoga teaching and wellness retreats, I have been in school to be a nutrition and wellness coach! These lectures that I have been attending remind me of the value of preparing the food we make and the massive health benefits of it. Plus, it saves us money & time in the long run AND gives you a sense of accomplishment. When you can prepare your food in the beginning of the week, it frees up so much time for the other joys in life! This is incredibly important to me as a new mother. Not only is it important for me to have healthy options that I can grab on the go, but I believe it’s also important that my daughter gets to witness home cooking so that this can become a healthy habit for her one day! Preparing food brings people together! It’s a beautiful, community building, familial, and sacred event! While I prepare food, I take some to speak my gratitude to the soil, farmers, plants, and hands that went into it being in our presence. I also honor the abundance of resources that we have and our good health. Food and the capacity it has to keep us in good health should never be taken for
grantedLove is the best ingredient in any meal.

I hope that you enjoy these little bites as much as I have. Now, get your hands sweetly messy and enjoy your summer in the sun.

Ingredients

(Makes about 8 balls)

•3/4 cup natural and unsalted nut butter of choice

•1/4 cup (around 65-75grams) Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder

•1/4 cup of maple syrup

•3/4 cup gluten free quick rolled oats

•1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Mix wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl
2. Mix dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl
3. Combine ingredients and either stir or use a blender
4. Hand roll into 8 balls

ॐ

Alana Roach  is a International Yogi currently based out of Annapolis, MD. Formerly adorned by the city lights and the busy streets of America, she was then whisked away by the illustrious path of yoga and took to traveling the world to share it with others. A few years back she started to write about the transformation she undertook by  practicing conscious meditation. Her passions became her career and she now holds RYS Teacher Trainings & International Retreats, Health Coaches, and writes every opportunity she gets. In her spare time she loves cuddling with her daughter,  surfing, being in nature, and living amongst her ever growing and global loving and conscious community. She is on Facebook , Instagram, Twitter, and can be reached by email explorationsofself@gmail.com

My days have been too busy.

We have been organizing some art festivals in the village.

Last Saturday, my church (the one TNE has been supporting through different building projects) had a talent show and we could enjoy of the beautiful voices and amazing hand made creations that members and community friends decided to bring.

So I found myself sitting on the table, at the middle of this week and still busy, trying to find some great material to show, a good song to sing, a sublime poem to read or something for my own participation in the community art festival. Something!

Suddenly, I discovered that my two little boys were quiet and looking at me (which is extremely strange considering their full energy)

and I decided to get immersed into my kitchen.

As many mothers usually do, I asked them what they would like to eat and the response was… TAMALES.

Why not just cereal? Eggs? Bread and peanut butter?

They wanted to have tamales for dinner and they had a beautiful smile on their face.

When I call my mom in order to tell her this situation as a joke, she says ” Great! Make an extra big one for me”.

And here I am. Tamales are still on the pot. Boiling…

While cooking the tamales, I think about the possibility to create a special dish for my art presentation and tamales look like a gift, wrapped in a natural way.

Life is a gift. Food is a gift, too.

If we can have the energy to cook, it is great, but if we can have the energy and compassion to cook for others, that is ART.

Costa Rica has too much to offer! Life lessons can be wrapped in banana leaves sometimes and the best gift is what you do with your hands.

Life goes in a slow way when you enjoy the privilege of having a family, having a place to call home and people around to call friends.

Art is what I learned tonight. The best expression of art is just to be here now!!!

Hugs to all the humans from this planet!

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

― Mark Twain

I just gave birth to my first child, a healthy 21 inch 7’14 lb baby on May 4, 2016 at 6:21am. I never knew what it was like to muster everything I had to support another’s well being. Sure, I do service work, and I have stood at the front line with my heart on my sleeve to do what I can for another human being’s well-being. I also try to give my all when I teach yoga and when I teach or practice other avenues of mindfulness and Love. All of that matters, and yet none of it compares to what I walked through in order to birth a new life.

I thought I was prepared, and maybe I was. I started working with and studying under well practiced Doula’s and Prenatal yoga teachers. This happened when I got back from India in 2012 after a psychic in Rishikesh said it was a part of my karma and Dharmic path to do so. I didn’t believe him fully, but a piece of me knew he was right, and upon my return to the States I was swept up in a current of what some may call coincidence that led me to pursue this path along side of my already budding holistic studies. I took Doula certification classes in the Bradley Method and Hypnobirthing that same year. I started teaching Prenatal yoga around the same time, and it seemed that everywhere I went, pregnant women found me. When I posed the question to the Universe while living in Costa Rica Just 2 years ago, “Can you guide me in the direction of where I can be of the most service in my teaching here?” the first group that responded were pregnant women. I don’t ask questions. I trust that this is destiny.

Yet, with all of that knowledge. With all that training in breath and  mindfulness, the stages of pregnancy and birth, I was left on my birthing day with a ton of questions. I did what I could to prepare and visualize this birth but I was told by mothers who had gone before me to hold it all loosely because on that Day, it could all go out of the door. Most of it did. A lot of it was even better than I could have imagined. In fact, the mystery of it was what made it so incredibly unique because after all of it, I was looking around at the people in the room like, “Can you believe I just did that!?” My baby was healthy and on my chest, breathing… I did that. With the help of the Universe, I conceived and birthed what Rumi so powerfully muses, a, “Breath, breathing, human being.” Wow. This is New Life.

I don’t take birth lightly. In my re-birthing breath work training which has taken years of intensive study, we look at the effect prenatal, perinatal, and  birth have on the psyche. Everything, everything, everything, we do while that child is being conceived, in our womb, and how they are held in birth dictates how they will cope with life in the years to come. It’s all written in the stars out there some where, so we do the best we can and leave the rest up to fate, but we do the best we can.

While doing the best that I could, here are 3 things I’ve Learned about New Life.

1. New Life is created with explosions of Energy: “like when the mother met the father, met the mother, kissed the horizon, gave birth to stars.” IMua, Nakho Bear and Medicine for the People. We too, are created with this force of nature. We go through all of it while coming into existence. While birthing my daughter, I experienced moments of deep silence, silly laughter, deep breath, tears, loud expression, ease, and pain. The more I breathed into knowing that this was exactly what was needed for her to be born, the more strength I had to continue on.
2. New Life teaches us to let go of expectations: and drop into the now. New life is well, NEW. In birthing my daughter, I had to let go of everything I thought I knew about birth, and drop into what the experience was actually bringing to me. My expectations would bring me out of the moment. When I was out of the moment, I was dropping into fear, and fear while birthing can bring up resistance.
3. New Life makes us grateful for life. While she was being born there have been friends of mine who have suffered great loss. She is a reminder to us all of the great Earth cycles. She is a reminder for me to thank  God for every morning I get to wake up knowing that I have another day to live this extraordinary life, especially now that I get to live it with her.

Alana Roach  is a International Yogi currently based out of Annapolis, MD. Formerly adorned by the city lights and the busy streets of America, she was then whisked away by the illustrious path of yoga and took to traveling the world to share it with others. A few years back she started to write about the transformation she undertook by  practicing conscious meditation. Her passions became her career and she now holds RYS Teacher Trainings & International Retreats, Health Coaches, and writes every opportunity she gets. In her spare time she loves cuddling with her daughter,  surfing, being in nature, and living amongst her ever growing and global loving and conscious community. She is on Facebook , Instagram, Twitter, and can be reached by email explorationsofself@gmail.com

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

― Mark Twain

I just gave birth to my first child, a healthy 21 inch 7’14 lb baby on May 4, 2016 at 6:21am. I never knew what it was like to muster everything I had to support another’s well being. Sure, I do service work, and I have stood at the front line with my heart on my sleeve to do what I can for another human being’s well-being. I also try to give my all when I teach yoga and when I teach or practice other avenues of mindfulness and Love. All of that matters, and yet none of it compares to what I walked through in order to birth a new life.

I thought I was prepared, and maybe I was. I started working with and studying under well practiced Doula’s and Prenatal yoga teachers. This happened when I got back from India in 2012 after a psychic in Rishikesh said it was a part of my karma and Dharmic path to do so. I didn’t believe him fully, but a piece of me knew he was right, and upon my return to the States I was swept up in a current of what some may call coincidence that led me to pursue this path along side of my already budding holistic studies. I took Doula certification classes in the Bradley Method and Hypnobirthing that same year. I started teaching Prenatal yoga around the same time, and it seemed that everywhere I went, pregnant women found me. When I posed the question to the Universe while living in Costa Rica Just 2 years ago, “Can you guide me in the direction of where I can be of the most service in my teaching here?” the first group that responded were pregnant women. I don’t ask questions. I trust that this is destiny.

Yet, with all of that knowledge. With all that training in breath and  mindfulness, the stages of pregnancy and birth, I was left on my birthing day with a ton of questions. I did what I could to prepare and visualize this birth but I was told by mothers who had gone before me to hold it all loosely because on that Day, it could all go out of the door. Most of it did. A lot of it was even better than I could have imagined. In fact, the mystery of it was what made it so incredibly unique because after all of it, I was looking around at the people in the room like, “Can you believe I just did that!?” My baby was healthy and on my chest, breathing… I did that. With the help of the Universe, I conceived and birthed what Rumi so powerfully muses, a, “Breath, breathing, human being.” Wow. This is New Life.

I don’t take birth lightly. In my re-birthing breath work training which has taken years of intensive study, we look at the effect prenatal, perinatal, and  birth have on the psyche. Everything, everything, everything, we do while that child is being conceived, in our womb, and how they are held in birth dictates how they will cope with life in the years to come. It’s all written in the stars out there some where, so we do the best we can and leave the rest up to fate, but we do the best we can.

While doing the best that I could, here are 3 things I’ve Learned about New Life.

1. New Life is created with explosions of Energy: “like when the mother met the father, met the mother, kissed the horizon, gave birth to stars.” IMua, Nakho Bear and Medicine for the People. We too, are created with this force of nature. We go through all of it while coming into existence. While birthing my daughter, I experienced moments of deep silence, silly laughter, deep breath, tears, loud expression, ease, and pain. The more I breathed into knowing that this was exactly what was needed for her to be born, the more strength I had to continue on.
2. New Life teaches us to let go of expectations: and drop into the now. New life is well, NEW. In birthing my daughter, I had to let go of everything I thought I knew about birth, and drop into what the experience was actually bringing to me. My expectations would bring me out of the moment. When I was out of the moment, I was dropping into fear, and fear while birthing can bring up resistance.
3. New Life makes us grateful for life. While she was being born there have been friends of mine who have suffered great loss. She is a reminder to us all of the great Earth cycles. She is a reminder for me to thank  God for every morning I get to wake up knowing that I have another day to live this extraordinary life, especially now that I get to live it with her.

Alana Roach  is a International Yogi currently based out of Annapolis, MD. Formerly adorned by the city lights and the busy streets of America, she was then whisked away by the illustrious path of yoga and took to traveling the world to share it with others. A few years back she started to write about the transformation she undertook by  practicing conscious meditation. Her passions became her career and she now holds RYS Teacher Trainings & International Retreats, Health Coaches, and writes every opportunity she gets. In her spare time she loves cuddling with her daughter,  surfing, being in nature, and living amongst her ever growing and global loving and conscious community. She is on Facebook , Instagram, Twitter, and can be reached by email explorationsofself@gmail.com

The cold winds are finally dying down and the flowers are starting to show their colors. Spring is here and the change of season seems to be all around us. But what does this mean for you? So the skies are a little bluer and the grass is a little greener… how does that affect your yoga practice? Other than not having to zip your coat up before leaving the studio, does the coming of Spring mean anything for you and your yoga practice?

Seasonal shifts and the body’s natural rhythm

For years yogis have been arguing that seasonal shifts affect the body on a deeper level than whether we’re cold or not. Recently, modern science has started to agree. In fact, a study done last year found that our DNA actually changes alongside the seasons. There’s no denying it any longer: our bodies are extremely responsive to our environment, and the seasons are part of that relationship.

Yogic wisdom along with traditional medicinal practices such as Ayurveda teach that each season has a unique influence on your body. Summer is a time of high energy and growth, autumn a time of cooling down and moving inwards. Winter is all about hibernation, self-reflection, and low-energy. As for spring, spring is a time for shaking off the old, stale leftovers from winter and bringing yourself back to life, building the energy you’ll be burning off in summer. Scheduling a spring wellness retreat is one way to kick-start this process, but it’s not the only way.

How to embrace spring in your yoga practice

So now you know what spring is all about, but what are you supposed to do with that knowledge? Here are some spring yoga tips for how you can change your yoga practice and daily life to reflect the changing seasons:

• Change your eating—Spring is a time to eat less heavy, rich, and oily foods. Instead, focus on filling your diet with fresh foods that are bitter, spicy, and astringent. These types of foods encourage cleansing of your digestive organs, blood, and liver. If you’ve ever wanted to do a juice cleanse, spring is the time to give it a try.
• Wake up with the sun—Try going to bed a little earlier and waking up a little earlier. It may be hard to get out of bed, but our bodies are naturally more energetic and alive early in the morning. Late at night out bodies get lethargic and fall back into the hibernating habits of winter. By waking up early, we can burn that laziness out of us and train our bodies to love the energizing thrill of spring.
• Get outside more—Tis the season for blooming flowers and warm sunshine! Spending time outdoors has been proven to improve mood, brain function, and more. Exercising outside is known to have all sorts of benefits. Your body is tired and heavy from spending so much time indoors during winter. Get outside and that heavy feeling will disappear in no time.
• Sweat more—Sweating detoxes the body and builds heat inside that can burn away the stale energy leftover from winter. Spring is the perfect time to swap a few of your winter restorative yoga classes for a more vigorous practice. Now is the ideal time to try out that new vinyasa class at your studio and get your body moving and sweating.
• Practice the poses you avoid—Spring is a time of growth. Just as budding flowers are starting to blossom, now is the perfect time for you to blossom as well. We all have our nemesis poses and spring is the time to challenge yourself to practice them more. Who knows, by the time summer comes around those old poses you used to avoid may be some of your favorites!

We’ve all heard the term ‘spring cleaning’. There’s a reason this is such a common thing and it doesn’t stop at your closet. These spring yoga tips will help you spring clean inside and out so that you can make the most of this energetic season. Need a little help getting the process started? Why not attend a spring yoga retreat? It’s a guaranteed way to kick your system into gear and detox anything left over from winter.

When Joshua, founder of True Nature Education and my boss, told me he would be in the Sacred Valley at the same time as me, I was shocked. What were the odds?! Of course I immediately accepted his offer to meet up at Sach’A Munay and see one of the sites where True Nature Education would be holding their upcoming Peru yoga retreats.

I arrived full of excitement and I was eager to tour the thriving sacred geometry garden, the peaceful yoga shala, and the immaculate rooms, but first, it was lunchtime. The resident chef filled the table with enough food to serve 20. But I had no problem eating more than my fill. The fresh salad and Peruvian pasta sauce—all made with organic and local ingredients—left me wanting more… and more, and more.

Once we were filled to the brim we decided to work of the calories by taking a hike to the nearby waterfall. Every step of the way I was overwhelmed by the incredible views. Luscious green plant life surrounded the trail and around every corner a stunning view of Peru’s famous Sacred Valley waited to take my breath away.

When we reached the waterfall we were both in awe and decided to spend some time enjoying the incredible setting. Before long we started chatting and I realized I had never actually heard the story of True Nature Education. How did it start? Where was it going? What was at the heart of this company I had loved working for over the past few months?

It only took one small question to get Joshua talking passionately about this amazing company. He told me the story of how he and a bunch of friends left everything to move to Costa Rica and start an eco-community. Before long groups were coming from all over to host events and retreats with True Nature Education and Joshua quickly realized that hosting groups was what True Nature Education was best at and what he loved most.

A few more years of trying on a few different hats led to the True Nature we know today: a holistic travel company dedicated to helping people experience authentic, life changing travel. In other words, helping people find their true travel.

Now facilitating retreats in Costa Rica and Italy, Joshua told me about True Nature’s plans to move to Peru and beyond. He painted me a picture of a world where True Nature Education is the go-to for people looking for authentic, true travel anywhere in the world.

He finished telling me True Nature’s story and in the silence that followed I could hear the powerful waterfall crashing on the rocks behind us. I gazed out at the valley as the waterfall’s mist sprayed my neck. The sun was just starting to set, painting the valley with a golden glow, and for a moment I couldn’t help feeling a bit of the magic that this country is so famous for.

It was no wonder Joshua and True Nature Education had been drawn here; Peru is teeming with life and energy and it was impossible to spend a day here without falling in love with the miraculous nature around every corner. I could imagine anything more spectacular than the Peru yoga retreats that would grace this beautiful land soon.

Still, as we watched the sun set on Peru, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just Peru that was filling me with magic. It was the dream of True Nature Education that Joshua had talked about—the dream of a future where travel means more than just seeing the world—a future where travel means becoming a part of that world.