Day 129: Grand Opening

On Day 129, I attended a grand opening party, which just so happened to be Lululemon, a store I have now talked about three times in this blog--once about goal setting and another time about performing a yoga demo for their actual store opening on Black Friday. I should really be getting paid for this.

Anyhoo--my friend Kaylee works at the store and asked me to come, so I obliged. The party was called the Sneakers and Stillettos Soiree and was the "yoga it kid" scene for the night, and I'd like to think I'm making my way to that title. The opening was packed with about 250 people when I walked in an hour and a half late. Major. Turnoug. For the rest of the time I was there, I witnesses cool yoga demos, walked a fancy red carpet, jammed with a DJ, posed in a photobooth, hung out with really fit people and enjoyed free booze.

I felt so super grown up going to a store opening party, feeling cool enough to even know about it. And although it made Mark want to jump off of a bridge, a majority-ladies shindig with yoga demos doesn't exactly beg for men, I had a damn good time.

Day 74: How Lululemon Pants Changed My Whole Outlook on Life

Today, my girlfriend Kaylee asked me to demonstrate yoga at the retail clothing store she works at, Lululemon. There were a variety of yoga demos throughout the day that were part of a new store opening as well as a treat for the Black Friday rush. I agreed to be a part of it because I'd likely be doing yoga anyway, so why not demo it at a store? I could get discovered, after all.

One of the stipulations, naturally, was that I needed to wear some of the store's gear. While their stuff is some of the cutest I've seen, it's also the priciest, making cheap ol' me nervous. I've never even tried on a single piece of their clothing, despite the fact that I know it has the best reputation, because I didn't want to get hooked. Further, I've talked about lulu's clothes in this blog before, saying something to the effect of "It won't help me get into a handstand any more gracefully than my Target clothes."

Today was the day of reckoning--to see if these clothes, as cute as they are, would really affect my practice.

I came in at the appropriate time and was sent to the pants section with one of the sales associates, who helped me select a pair of athletic leggings. I went to the dressing room to put them on, and I can say without a doubt,

They.

Changed.

My.

Life.

The pants were fitted to perfection, every inch from my hips down to my ankles, but were so soft that they didn't feel like they were on my legs at all. The fabric was sturdy but not bulky and the seaming made me made my legs look fabulous while I was performing my demo. While they may not help me get into a handstand any better than my Target pants, they are unbeatable for comfort, quality and style. I'll never get the feel of them out of my head.

Did they affect my practice? Yes, in a huge way.

While performing my demo, I had this whole revelation that if these pants made me feel so much better about myself and my yoga practice, that maybe I need to invest in better quality things throughout my whole life. What a difference a little quality might make!

The demo was a lot of fun and I got a lot of great feedback from people about my practice, making me a little more sure that I want to learn how to teach yoga one day in the future. So yes, now I want to invest in more quality and change my career path, thanks to Lululemon pants.

If you are a runner, dancer, yogi, or fitness junkie, you should definitely try them out. ASAP. Oh, and read their mantras, too. They're totally inspiring.

Who am I? And why do I like this new girl so much??

Goal-ie

I'm a frequent visitor to the Lululemon blog. For those of you uninitiated, Lululemon is a yoga/running/dance/athletic clothing store whose impact goes beyond clothing. They make a point to serve the communities where their stores are located and have very positive, inspirational corporate values. While I can't afford a stitch of their clothing (and don't believe that their $98 racer back top will get me into a handstand any more gracefully than my Target top), I really do think that many of their mantras have a lot of value (examples: "Dance, Sing Floss and Travel!", "Mediocre is as close to the bottom as it is to the top, and will give you a lousy life.").

On one particular blog recently I read about a lady writing down and achieving her dreams in New York. It just so happens that I have been meaning to do this for a long time. I wrote down my 1, 5 and 10 year goals. I came up with about six for each category and hope that these will inspire me to achieve these and add more.

One Year 

1.       Travel Internationally
2.       Join a volunteer organization (and stick with it)
3.       Run a half marathon
4.       Do a yoga handstand
5.       Do something new every day and blog about it
6.       Practice writing in an effort towards writing the book I will publish within 10 years

Five Years

1.       Move away from Atlanta
2.       Do a road trip through the American West
3.       Run a marathon
4.       Become a certified yoga teacher
5.       Find my career passion
6.       Make over $70,000 a year

Ten Years

1.       Spend a year abroad
2.       Be proficient in French
3.       Write a book and have it published
4.       Be actively involved in yoga or another physical activity
5.       Climb a mountain
6.       Start a family