Full disclosure: I took on this challenge because I'm heading to a Level One week-long training with Baron next week and wanted to be fully prepared for the days physically, emotionally & spiritually. Originally my focus was mainly physical -- to practice Baptiste Yoga and prepare for the week. As the 40 Days went on, I got so much more than "preparation." My yoga wasn't perfect, I didn't do the fruit cleanse & I missed one of my small group calls, yet my commitment to working the program never waivered. My experience through the weeks:

week 1: presence

As the program started, I immediately recognized the largest piece of this program would be commiting to DOING the work. To create sustainable change, I needed to be fully in it. Whatever comes up, comes up. The laws, Seek the Truth & Be Willing to Come Apart set me up powerfully to know who I needed to be for myself throughout the process.

week 2: vitality

I went into deep inquiry into revealing vitality in my every day activities. Seeing where I am truly energized in daily life, and being ok to share that with others. I became present seeking the truth about what truly lights me up - not feeling bad because I am happy and loving every moment of my life when those around me may not be was uncomfortable. To say I was stepping Out of My Comfort Zone was an understatement.

week 3: equanimity

I learned a lot in this week. Please see the blog I shared.

week 4: restoration

Ahhh. I learned the beauty of not feeling the need to fill my weekend schedule & simply focus on how I'm feeling when I wake up, and not necessarily having to accomplish a laundry list of things. My weekend was fantastic! It also gave me space to reflect where in my life I have rocks that I have created weighing me down. As Baron writes, "Transformation comes not from adding things on but by removing what didn't belong there in the first place." Getting real & connected to my centre allowed the rocks to fall away. Through the longer meditation, the clutter began disappear.

week 5: centering

Looking me square in the face this week was Patience & Truth. Acknowledging everything I need to know is inside of me if I have the courage to listen and am willing to be truthful with myself & those around me. The truth really will set you free. This was a week of self realizations, lots of conversation and lots of tears through it all. It was perfect.

week 6: triumph

Celebrating with my small group on our final call was incredible. Hearing what everyone had learned & the shifts made was inspiring. Kinndli & Shelley were outstanding leaders who ensure each of us acknowledged ourselves all while recognizing the work does not stop.

in summary

My 40 Day Revolution was an incredible experience. Having my friends & colleagues along for the journey, meeting people from around the world in my small group & the support from the Baptiste team was awesome. I am excited to take myself on everyday as I continue my leadership work through yoga. Next week in Hawaii take me a little further along the path.

We want to hear from you. How was your experience? What did you learn? Would you do it again?

We overheard this little ditty in a yoga class a few weeks back. It gave us something to think about and we thought you might like it too. That’s all!

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.

We’re excited to be opening our store doors in this community and can’t wait to get a piece of their good old fashioned front porch culture.

home sweet home

The front porch has been a good friend of mine since the day I moved to Kansas City.  I enjoyed my first meal as a resident of the Brookeside neighborhood on my front porch meeting neighbors, watching cyclists, runners and dog walkers pass my home while waving hello. I instantly felt connected to my community; it instantly felt like home.

come and knock on our door

It was a no brainer to infuse this front porch culture into our new store design in one of Kansas City's most well known neighborhoods, the Country Club Plaza. The store has a permanent art piece that lives near the front of the store and highlights our four yoga ambassadors standing in Tadasana on one of KC's classic front porches. Our ambassadors, Sharon Prothe, Abbi Miller, Jen Denslow and Eric Kipp each bring a piece of their personality and practice to the artwork.

We are so excited to share this piece with our community at the grand opening of the Country Club Plaza store on Friday, November 16th!

Montreal is a city known for vibrant summers, cold winters and for being (in my opinion!) one of the coolest cities in Canada. This “cool” factor showed up literally for over 27,000 people who ran the Oasis Rock ‘n’ Roll Montreal Marathon this past weekend, with race day temperatures hovering around 11C and brisk winds that forced spectators to keep moving to stay warm.

In true Montreal spirit, the lululemon crew from our four Montreal stores bundled up in Scuba Hoodies and got ready for the day in Old Montreal, just past Kilometre 16. We hustled to fill as many cups with water before the first runners made it up the hill at Place Jacques Cartier and around the corner to us, and we kept on going right until the last runners passed us by.

giving thanks

As we handed out cup after cup of water, I was blown away by the amount of runners that stopped for that split second and took the time to thank us. Us?, I thought. Really? What we were doing was in no way as inspiring or tough as what they were up to that morning. But over and over, they thanked us - some gave us a little cheer, others mouthed a quick “Merci”, and many acknowledged us by taking a deep breath and picking up their pace.

It reminded me that at the end of the day we all need some support to achieve our goals – as much as we may want to just do it all ourselves. And that morning, at Kilometre 16, we were able to support the thousands of runners passing us by with something as simple as a glass of water and a smile.

the biggest cheer of all

As the clean up crews came by and the race drew to a close, we waited to make sure the last of the runners had passed us by. And we made sure we gave them the biggest cheer of all. With arms raised to create a little tunnel, every one of those runners gave us a little smile, stopped walking and then ran on through.

winter running, anyone?

Montreal, thank you for braving the elements and running your hearts out last weekend! If cool weather running is your thing, many of our stores have run clubs that continue all year. Find out more on your local Montreal store's calendar.

Several weeks ago, the yoga community in Washington DC was shaken up by news that our ambassador, Michael Hall had been a victim of an attack as he and his partner were walking near their temporary apartment (their permanent residence was destroyed in a fire earlier in June). Our Logan Circle store manager, Emma, shares more about who Michael is and how the DC yoga community came together for a friend in need.

yoga in DC

I often boast that Washington, D.C. has the “best” yoga community. Our nation’s capital houses great studios made possible by a dedicated and loving yoga community that provides respite from an otherwise Type A culture. Entering a yoga studio in Washington, D.C. is like lifting a very heavy elephant or donkey off your back and setting it aside for an hour of unified bliss. In a city divided, yoga unites.

a community shaken

Last Sunday night I received a phone call from a coworker letting me know that our yogi friend and beloved lululemon ambassador, Michael Hall, was attacked and in the ICU. He and his partner were coming home from dinner when a group of men jumped them. Both men suffered injuries and were taken to the hospital. Michael’s jaw and cheek were broken and required surgery. At the time, Michael didn’t have health insurance and the medical costs would surely be phenomenal.

My heart sunk. I thought of my smiling, clever friend who founded MiDCity yoga on the premise that yoga is a discipline of freedom.  Michael is a breath of fresh air. He is eager give to the yoga community.  In the past he has taught Salutation Nation, organized yoga for cross-fit and leads lululemon’s complimentary yoga class in DuPont. Michael creates community connectedness everywhere.

a community united

I opened my email to organize an effort on Michael’s behalf. What I found was astonishing. My inbox was already flooded with emails from various spokes of the Washington, D.C. yoga community offering to hold individual donation classes and suggesting a huge community class rivaling that of Cherry Blossom Yoga. Someone posted a PayPal link to donate. Someone else made a Facebook group. My store, Logan Circle, put up an event page and each lululemon store in the Washington, D.C. region posted it to their sites. Studios and studio owners started pouring out support – in Baltimore, in Bethesda, in Virginia. Then Atlanta, Montana and New York City. Then Puerto Rico, Canada, India. Email after email. Country after country. My eyes filled with tears.

michael hall – yoga community donation class

Immediately, the yoga community responded. By Monday evening there were dozens of yoga classes at studios around the city, Virginia and Maryland holding donation classes for Michael Hall’s medical expenses. Sunday, August 5 2012, the D.C. yoga community planned to come together to raise the final funds necessary in a very special yoga class: 108 sun salutations, 12 teachers, 25 studios.

Amidst the scrambling to get permits and waivers for our giant practice, we received an email from Michael Hall thanking us kindly for our efforts and asking us to cease donations. Through various initiatives, Michael had raised the money he needed. Sunday’s class, instead, would be a celebration.

yoga is community

Yoga means “to join” and “to unite.” Yoga isn’t about being the best. It isn’t even about finding relief from the hustle and bustle of your daily lives or building beautiful back muscles. Yoga actually is about creating space for a community to come together. On Sunday evening, 300 yogis came out to salute a beautiful teacher and a community unwavering. Midway through the sun salutations, it started to rain. “Only yogis can say they saluted the sun in the rain!” said Michael Hall when he took the mic for the final eight salutations.

It turns out D.C. doesn’t have the best yoga community because there is no best in yoga. Yoga is community.

At last Sunday's San Francisco Marathon, our cheer station was set up at mile 23.5 - literally the last corner before the end of the race. Our San Francisco educator Lark recaps what it was like to be the light at the end of the tunnel for all the athletes that ran.

We sit and we wait, anxiously anticipating for the first runner to make the turn past our cheer station and on to the last leg of the race. Our shipping container headquarters is looking great and as the DJ finishes setting up, the team gets the signs together and we are ready for action.

The first man swings around, tired and sweaty. Even in his exhaustion he takes a second to notice the people dressed in neon, yelling as though they have had too much caffeine, crazed and jumping up and down in lemon suits. Through his exhaustion a small smile appears and we all see the reason we are here. It’s mile 23.5, after a grueling course of concrete and San Francisco hills, they have finally made it to us and even the strongest of runners need a little help for the last stretch. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel, only three miles left.

Music blaring and voices loud, cheers and cowbells can be heard for blocks. It’s almost 8 o’clock and our excitement is only growing. Every happy glance from a passing runner means we’re doing something right. Spectators and volunteers are smiling as more lululemons arrive and join the army of motivational shouting. Today, like any other day, we take part in inspiring our world to go do great things. Runner after runner, smile after smile.

The San Francisco Marathon was an experience of happiness and energy. The runners pushed our cheer levels to 11 and we gave it right back. To watch those people dig so deep was truly inspirational and the least I could do was to yell my heart out and express my admiration in effort to get them to the finish line.

highlights from the sidelines

After an intense weekend of opening ceremonies and cheering on our ambassadors at the men's and women’s cycling road race, I wanted to share a highlight reel of some of the most memorable moments so far.

getting sweaty with the locals
Our mornings have been chock-full of exercise from running across the Thames to practicing a gymnastics-inspired floor exercise routine. One of my favourites so far was a class with lululemon ambassador Matt Miller aka "The Pillar”.

watching the faces of the athletes brighten as they fly past our cheer signs
A few of my favourites include:
1. “It’s okay to finish first”
2. "The Queen is watching"
3. “Great stamina. Wanna date?”

improvising with unpredictable british weather
We managed to stay dry during the sporadic downpours with our makeshift umbrellas (read: cheer signs).

securing an awesome vantage point
Thankfully our morning yoga class helped us to swiftly maneuver our way in front of a very tall Dutchman with an orange wig.

celebrating the wins
After the exciting road race, our posse made their way back to the lululemon house for some well deserved hydration and nutritional support! Bloody Mary anyone?

Now onto the next round of events! We're hoping to get a glimpse of the men's water polo... who doesn't love a bunch of fit gents in speedos?

from athlete to spectator

Competing in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing China, I earned a silver medal with the USA Women’s water polo team. Fast forward a few years and here I am, an instructor of all sorts of things (Pilates, yoga, spin, stand up paddleboarding), a lululemon ambassador and social media gal for myHealthyOC, Kids Play International, and The Travel Yogi.

top 3 things i’ll be sharing with you in london

passport please
lululemon will be rockin’ the socks off the world by giving the gift of yoga. The Passport to Yoga will bring together athletes and yogis alike at a variety of local London yoga studios.  Want to join us? Follow the blog or pick up your own Passport to Yoga at our Chelsea Showroom and meet us on the mat!

not your typical cheerleader
Nothing pumps an athlete up like hearing an energetic “woohoo” or “you can do it” from the stands. We’ll be supporting our elite ambassadors who are competing in every way we can think of.  Yoga session? Check. Vision and goals? Check. Tea and crumpets? Check. Cheer song… “Jump up and down, let’s do a dance. How’s the chafing in those pants?” I’m working on this one.

embrace the culture
London is pulsating with inspiring energy and sometimes our best moments are the unexpected ones, the improvised, the genuine. That’s what I’m looking for and that’s what I’ll be sharing with you. Flash mob yoga with a guard at Buckingham Palace? It’s on.

I'd say just sit back and enjoy the ride but this is no time to laze about on the couch. Throw on your cheer gear, pranayama your way through some celebratory dance moves and follow me across the pond during this summer's athletic adventures!

Check back in with us for Jaime's blog updates and follow @lululemonlive for live tweets from the stands. What events are you most excited to watch?

To celebrate opening our first-ever store in Nebraska, we asked Ruth (an educator, yogi and runner) from our new Village Pointe store in Omaha to tell us how yogis and runners get their sweat on in the heartland of the US.

When I decided to move home from a much larger metropolitan area, a lot of people asked me, “What are you going to do in Nebraska?”

I had no idea what I was going to do in Nebraska - I was just packing up and going - but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this question was actually borne out of the inability to imagine that there is anything to do in Nebraska.

Here in fly-over country, in the absence of impressive geographical landmarks, our identity isn't wrapped up in being "mountain people" or “coast people". Instead, we have an abundance of space to really grow into anything and everything we want. The truth is, you could ask everyone here “What is Omaha crazy about?” and get 1.2 million different answers - we don’t have a “thing”. We have each other. As a yogi and a runner, that’s exactly what I needed. I could do those things anywhere, but it wouldn’t be as fun without the connection and community that Omaha has.

Athletes of all kinds become true “Omahomies” because there is never a lack of awesome opportunities to do what you love and be with friends while you’re at it.

how to sweat in omaha

Here, you can take a class or two at the rowdy-est vinyasa studio west of the Mississippi, perhaps to complement your training for the Omaha Marathon and then refuel at the nation’s most sustainable restaurant.

On your rest days, you’ll meet up with your family at the farmer’s market and before you know it, you’re at an outdoor music festival trying out hooping for the first time! You’ll drive by Warren Buffett’s house on your way to yoga or go for a run in Memorial Park - not to ogle but just because it’s in the same neighborhood.

You can start your day by cheering on the local CrossFit Games (if you’re not on the floor taking names yourself!) and end it by joining 300 members of your family at Turner Park for outdoor yoga with live music.

outdoor yoga on august 4th

Omaha can’t get enough of doing yoga outside because that’s what it’s really all about: doing what we love, with people we love, in a place we love. We are so excited to gather outside for our first lululemon community yoga class on August 4th with all our favorite people - some of whom we haven’t even met yet! Our event, Plant Your Passions, will take intention-setting to a powerful new level: below the ground. We can’t wait to see what comes up.

Maybe from an airplane all it looks like is a red state covered in amber waves of grain, but here on the ground are vibrant communities as varied as wildflowers that together create “The Good Life.” It’s a pretty great life, actually.

Learn more about lululemon Village Pointe here, or visit their Facebook page for details on their outdoor yoga class on August 4th.

It’s summer in Chicago and there is nothing Chicagoans love more than that. While our winter boots collect dust in the closet, we’re busy drinking beers on Sheffield, eating tacos at Big Star, rocking jorts at Lollapalooza and, of course, cheering on the Cubs at one of the worlds most famous parks.

batter's up!

Last Sunday, like all Sundays, I met my friends (not just any friends, my best friends… the kind that are more like family) on the quiet street in the early hours of the morning and headed to yoga. This wasn’t an unusual routine for us but this time it was different. Instead of riding down an escalator into a dimly lit studio, we walked through an empty, echoing stadium where thousands of people had been before us. Wrigley field has been hosting ball games for 96 years but this was the first time it'd open its gates to the yoga community. We were attending the Southport store opening party, a two-hour yoga class on the historic field.

hitting an om run

Walking onto the field was electric. That first connection of my bare feet to the grass gave me chills. I was on sacred ground and I could feel it. Chicagoans live and die by their teams and there I was, mat in tow, on Wrigley Field. Our practice was lead by three rock star ambassadors and was appropriately themed around victory. Not only did the Chicago yoga community show up but I met yogis and baseball fans alike, who had travelled from all over (think: Nevada, Texas, Michigan and Indiana) who made the trip just for this event.

a grand slam

In the middle of 1000 yogis, as I Chaturanga-ed my way into a Vinyasa, I looked to my friend Katy and said, “this is once in a lifetime. You’ll never have your face in Wrigley Field again.” I didn’t want the practice to end. Every now and then a light breeze would swing by and remind me just how alive I felt in that moment, surrounded by my friends, my co-workers and my community. The opportunity to practice yoga on Wrigley Field was such a celebration of our city, such an ode to its beauty. A true victory.

Any baseball fans out there? Give our Southport store a visit! Its design was inspired by the Chicago ball culture (Cracker Jacks not included).

Dance (on a shipping container) or run a marathon like no one's watching.

The answer to: "What are you thinking at Heartbreak Hill (aka Mile 21)"?

Why her mom runs.

Never, never give up. Our Detroit ambassador, Sue (on the left), ran the marathon with her aunt Sue, who finished chemo 4 weeks ago.

Who supports you in a marathon? Family, friends, and strangers.

It was No Stopping Monday.

"The world" and cookies. When life gives you lemons, you know what to do.

Love notes come in all forms.

Canadian Josh Cassidy near the top of the hill, before finishing to break the world record in the men's wheelchair race by two seconds.

Overheard at Heartbreak Hill: Go banana, go!

Neighbours: good for borrowing cups of sugar from, hosing you down in the middle of a marathon, and...

...handing you water when you need it the most.

How to cheer: make signs. Bring music. Scream your heart out.

Don't forget to have fun along the way.

With temperatures hitting the mid-80s (Canadian translation = around 30), the heat was intense, even as a bystander.

Friends don't let friends run up Heartbreak Hill alone. (Bare feet: noted.)

Boston ambassador Wayne Levy has logged more than 93,000 miles of running in his life (to date).

Go Wayne, go!

Molly from our community team with her run mantra...

... and running with her heart the next day.

To everyone who participated in the Boston Marathon this year: you inspire us. Thank you for the goosebumps.

mrs fox's fantastic wallpaper

Since we spend so much face time with our screens (phones and computers and tablets, oh my!) we decided it was about time we outfit our gadgets with something a little more inspiring. Picking a wallpaper design was truly a no-brainer. We love this piece that artist and yoga die-hard, Alyson Fox, designed for our Domain store in Austin, Texas, so we adapted it for our daily devices. Not only does it remind us of what’s most near and dear to our hearts – yoga, run and love, it also looks really sweet.

With the holiday season upon us we’re busy making ‘snowgis’ and popping up shops in Canadian cities that have been craving some lululemon love. Our pop up shops have visions of Scuba Hoodies, Wunder Unders and complimentary yoga classes dancing in their heads.

holiday pop up shops 2011

Lethbridge, AB
Park Place Mall
Unit P07
501 1st Avenue South
website | facebook

Regina, SK
2102-11th Avenue
Unit 102C
website | facebook

Thunder Bay, ON
297 Park Avenue
website | facebook

Waterloo, ON
75 King Street South
Unit 27
website | facebook

St. John’s, NL
177-179 Duckworth Street
website | facebook

…So spring to your car and email your friends, its time in this city will soon come to an end. Don’t stay in Savasana, come on be a mover, these shops will go faster than snow in Vancouver.