come as you are

Two weeks ago at our New Orleans store grand opening I witnessed the definition of community. It didn't matter how old you were, what yoga studio you identified with, or where you came from (in my case, Vancouver): it just mattered that you showed up and had a good time (case in point - the above photo).

it started with beads

It all started with some Mardi Gras beads and a rented Vancouver art space. Our designer Gill had an idea for store art that would tell the story of the city. Working with Vancouver-area (and New Orleans-obsessed) artist Harvey Chometsky and using the beads as a starting place, the final artwork evolved into three circles of found objects that includes everything from voodoo dolls to musical instruments.

Gill and Harvey art-strategizing in Vancouver

Each item was carefully chosen and painted white to balance the very colourful store interior. Each item also had an untold story. As the art came together, piece by piece, we knew that we wanted to celebrate our new store by bringing the art to life and experiencing New Orleans and its growing yoga community firsthand.

a few photos

The first thing we did when we arrived is check out the store. They had only been open for a few hours but you couldn't tell. It felt like any other lululemon store: welcoming, colourful, and familiar - but also distinctly unique.

The beautiful and colourful manifesto on the store's exterior

A bit of unexpected brass in the men's section!

Gill and Harvey's final artwork on the store wall!

At our ambassador Reyn's studio, a 10 minute walk from our store.

grand opening yoga

The next day was the Masquerade-inspired grand opening event which started with outdoor yoga and ended in a full on dance party.

Our ambassadors painted the town gold for grand opening yoga outside the store

Ambassador Lauren Darnell leading us through a fun and fiery practice.

Our yoga class was lit by flambeaux and ended with a very loud savasana as local brass brand To Be Continued got the party started and lead our group of yogis, family, and friends indoors.

watch the video

Thank you, New Orleans, for redefining what community means and for welcoming everyone, just as they are.

Connect with our New Orleans team in real life or on Facebook.

Happy anniversary to Hari Om, our Langley BC Strategic Sales partner!

We’ve been working with Hari Om for the past year, and this upcoming weekend (April 24th and 25th) they're celebrating their two-year anniversary as a studio, and one year as our partner. There's an even longer history here, as Valeria (one of the owners) and I worked together once before at lululemon Park Royal.

Valeria left a few months after I started to go off and start her yoga studio, and then a year later we reconnected when I came to the Strategic Sales team and found her while searching out potential partners in the Fraser Valley.

Valeria taking care of business at Hari Om

After one visit to this stunning studio I was sold. Langley is famous as the birthplace of BC, as the growing fur trade and the discovery of gold in 1858 brought people streaming this way. Today, Langley is still thought of as a hub for farming and horses – our mini cattle country.You walk into Hari Om, however, and it’s as though you’ve entered a modern oasis. The studio is reminiscent of a New York ballet studio with beautiful exposed brick, hardwood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a small green space.

They also have tons of great yoga classes with everything from hot to yin to Kundalini to power and more. They also tend to have great guest teachers such as lululemon ambassador Chris Chavez popping in periodically to host workshops. During their celebration this weekend they will be offering free classes daily. I’m still deciding between 'Indian Groove’ and ‘So You Think You Can Hot Yoga’, but either way I will definitely be out there taking class and celebrating their two-year birthday party! For more details on the celebration visit hariomyoga.com.

Rest, relax, recover and revel in your accomplishment! You have trained hard for the past four months, so it's time to let your body repair. This is often hard for many runners, as a marathon brings not only peak physical fitness, but a phenomenon called "runner's high," which makes you feel so good after a run that you can’t wait to run again.

Along with all of these wonderful feelings, post-marathon can also bring about feelings of depression. A lululemon run club guest recently came to me a couple of weeks after her first marathon and told me that she was feeling depressed. She asked if it was crazy to feel that way. The answer? Not at all. Post-marathon depression is very real and is often accompanied by a sense of loss. You spend four months training, you structure much of your life around your training, you look forward to race day, and then in a matter of hours, it is done.

Rest is vital. Your body needs a few weeks to repair itself and recover before you begin your next training cycle.

a game plan

For me, I set out a post-marathon game plan. This season, my race is the Philadelphia Marathon. After the marathon, I am taking five weeks off from hard training to allow my body to repair and recover. Besides lululemon run club, I will not be running, but will be replacing my hard runs with yoga classes, core work, and strength training to let my body recover and to lay a foundation for my next training cycle. In terms of beating post-marathon blues, I always host and cook Thanksgiving dinner (this year for 14) to give me something immediate to look forward to and focus on once my fall racing season is over.

after you cross the finish line

Once you cross the finish line, start rehydrating immediately. Before your post-run celebration beer or wine, make sure you have had plenty of water -- after all, that is what your body needs. Replenish yourself with some carbs and protein, stretch, and put on a layer of clothes over what you raced in for your walk back to the hotel to keep you warm.

the morning after

The morning after the race, jog 10-20 minutes to get your legs moving a little bit.

the next month

Following that, the next month should be about easing off of running to let your muscles repair. If you're going to run, take it very, very easy, don’t race, and don’t do speed workouts. I recommend cross training. While I pick-up yoga (and cooking), try a racquet sport or something different that keeps you moving, but not training at full capacity. This will not only be good for your body, but you will start your next season feeling fresh and eager to be running again, and will help you keep your post-race emotions in check.

how you spend your post-marathon time

How you spend your month post-marathon is important. As runners, we are sometimes greedy about our fitness, and we want to stay in peak form all year round. This is impossible to do, and trying will often lead to injuries and feeling of burnout.

Are you just starting to run? Read Elyse's other blog post about The Run Date!

At lululemon SoHo, in times of adversity it seemed like the "lemon" in lululemon was smothered with mold and damp clothes and a pipe bursting on the third floor of our building. But that lemon has resurfaced and is being squeezed of all its yummy juices. After re-opening a few weeks ago I think it is fair to say that with the help of an amazing team, we have made some top-notch lemonade.

It began with rebuilding the store from just a slat-wall skeleton and morphed into a beautiful, rich space: full of bright chi and swelling enthusiasm. Team SoHo, although not fine-tuned in the art of construction, most certainly is in the art of fitness. Our re-opening celebration began with a four-day fitness blitz (16 classes total) where we reconnected with our neighboring studios. We learned how to throw a mean punch in kickboxing, played with our equilibrium in an inversions yoga class, and collectively groaned as we rapidly pumped our fists in the Pilates 100’s. Our overwhelming sense of accomplishment and inner and collective strength beamed out from the top of our heads and smothered any feelings of doubt we had about making it through our fitness marathon!

At the end of the day we dragged ourselves home, and although sweaty and fatigued, we were all so grateful to have had this unifying experience. It takes a strong-willed team and positive energy to turn a challenging experience into a deeply fulfilling one. Our blitz provided us with the platform to go back into our space in SoHo and rally with our superstar helpers to create a kick-ass store. We now have cultivated the environment to provide an unforgettable guest experience, with the best product, hands on knowledge and some very tasty lemonade, I might add.

Ps, a huge thank you to Summer Starling who took the above pictures!