Our bodies are feeling a little battered and bruised lately; trying to make the most of summer and inspired by the exploits of the Tour de France riders to go for long runs and bike rides. Our regular yoga practice goes a long way to strengthen our muscles and ease those aches and pains; Ryan Leech, lululemon Elite Ambassador, certified yoga instructor and mountain biker extraordinaire, is taking it to the next level.

ride and reach

In August, Ryan will be leading a 15-person Ride & Reach retreat in Canmore, Alberta. The retreat will feature:

• Yoga for cyclists workshop at Gaia Studio
• Mountain biking skill progression at the Nordic Centre
• Guided all mountain ride
• Post ride yoga flow at Gaia Studio
• Dinner & social at the Paintbox Lodge

6 important questions

what: Ride & Reach mountain bike and yoga
when: August 6, 2011
where: Gaia Collaborative Medicine, Inc. Canmore, AB, Canada
who: Ryan Leech
how: contact the Gaia Clinic to sign up
why:

• meet amazing people
• be proactive about taking care of your body
• improve your technique on the mountain and in the studio
• to encourage Ryan to run more of these workshops

what's going on locally?

With only 15 spots available, this may seem like a bit of a tease but we thought we'd share the love and hopefully get a little love in return. If you know of other workshops like this one in your area, let us know. If you need help finding yoga (closer to home than Canmore), your local lululemon store can connect you with yoga studios and styles.

What is an elite ambassador you may ask? Well, they are our international rock stars, athletes of an elite level (think Olympians) that choose to train and/or compete in our fantastic product because it is the best in the world. Further to that, they are members of our lululemon family. We don't pay athletes to wear our clothes, as that's just not the way we roll. Instead, we support them with product and anything else (within reason) they request from us - e.g. yoga classes, training accommodation and our personal favourite, the LEAFS (lululemon elite ambassador fan club).

So now you're asking who are the LEAFS? Well, last year we asked one of our favourite elite ambassadors, Olympic gold medalist skier Jenn Heil, what she would like from us, and her answer was humble, grateful, and very Jenn. She said simply that she would love people at the finish of her competitions holding signs, cheering her on, and supporting her. Jackpot - we can totally handle that! Flash forward six months and the LEAFs were born.

Throughout this past winter at all the pre-Olympic World Cup test events, we, as in 20-40 lululemon employees, were out in full force cheering on our elite ambassadors as they competed in the World Cup circuit. We had signs, buttons, beverages, cow bells, and our booming voices.

The pic above says it all. We are grassroots and we love it that way! And yes, that is our fearless CEO and LEAF keener Christine Day on the left standing next to one of our elites, Sara Renner – Olympic silver medalist in cross country skiing.

We currently support over 60 elite ambassadors, and our pool of amazing athletes that love us is constantly growing.

Allison Forsyth
2X Olympian / lululemon Athlete Coordinator