My first class of Wanderlust was lead by the wonderful Amy Ippoliti. The Tahoe air was still Vinyasa-scarf chilly when we started class at 8 a.m., but by 8:30 the heat was building both on and off the mat, and by 10 I realized a) I did not pack enough sunscreen and b) I need to up my water intake.

Amy lead us through a light-hearted Anusara class that had us laughing with her instruction to "pretend you're laying an egg" and that slowly and steadily opened different sections of our body towards Sun Dial, the peak pose. She did it so skillfully that before I knew it, my right foot was in my left hand over my head and I was doing it for the first time ever! #yogabreakthrough

Amy and a row of Sun Dial demos

then things got deep

In the afternoon I took Deep Hip Openers with Stephanie Snyder. The first thing she did was explain that our hips are like junk drawers -- where people store experiences they're not sure what to do with. We worked our hips in all directions, starting with gentle hip circles (where we channeled our inner pole dancer) to Double Pigeon and Hanumanasna (aka the splits). I left this class feeling new space in my hip joints and also completely zen.

the people i met today

Natasha works in the design department at lululemon. She's been doing yoga (mostly Vinyasa Flow) for about 3 years and recently became a certified teacher.

mat neighbours

One thing that I think doesn't happen often enough is getting to know your mat neighbour. After all -- these people are right next to you during the intense and vulnerable moments that inevitably happen in a yoga class, and sometimes they even support you during poses like handstand. You might as well introduce yourself, right?

The lovely woman beside me in the first class is named Michael, and it turns out she's an ambassador at our Carmel Showroom and her daughter also works for lululemon. Michael teaches Vinyasa Flow and is currently taking Anusara teacher training.

Nestor is originally from Costa Rica, but now lives in Folsom. He's an electrical engineer at Intel, has been doing yoga for two years, and came to Wanderlust to share with like-minded people and get back into yoga.

in a line-up together

This is Mike. He was next to me in the line up for the 1 pm class. The only thing I know about him is that he runs an online yoga publication called Flow Yoga Magazine and he's from California.

vancouverites

Amanda's from Vancouver! She works at a local company called Mara Gottler Designs, is in her last semester at SFU, and is a new Power Vinyasa yoga teacher.

I also ran into our ambassador Carolyn Ann, who gave me some pre-Wanderlust tips.

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wanderlust quick facts*

Ratio of women to men = 7:3
Current % population with feathers in hair = 18
Projected feather density % by Sunday night = 62
Number of people with tails = at least 2

*totally unscientific

Tomorrow's yoga menu includes Seane Corn, John Friend, and a meditation class. See you in the morning!

♥ Alana

what is a goal you achieved that you're proud of?

Raising two amazing girls (with Brian’s help of course).

what is something unique or surprising about you?

I am fascinated by airplanes.  I love to watch them fly and the sounds they make…probably why I really enjoy living in Richmond.

what is one of your biggest passions?

Hockey – I am a die hard Canuck fan since I grew up in Vancouver and have a older brother.  I secretly dreamed of becoming the first women NHL coach when I was younger….

what is the scariest thing you've ever done?

Snorkeled for the first time last year and loved it!  I am extremely claustrophobic – I can swim great – but sticking my head underwater while figuring out how to blow in that tube made me a bit crazy at first

what is your favourite way to sweat?

Right now it’s the 30min Hit – but a great game of tennis is an amazing way to spend the afternoon!

Each Monday we introduce people from all over the company to you. Who do you want to meet next?

Last Monday we met Jurgen from recruiting. Today, start off your week by meeting Katie from our accessories design team.

what is something unique or surprising about you?

I have a twin brother. He's massive -- think ‘Shrek’-like proportions. Not sure how we survived a womb together, but that might explain why we were 6 weeks early.

where is your favourite place in the world?

Anywhere there’s a yoga mat--too cliché? How about New York. Hands down. I feel oddly comforted the minute I get into the city and can smell the nut vendors.

what is your favourite way to sweat?

Hot yoga. Preferably a heated vinyasa flow class. Any time, any place, I’m there. Nothing feels better than dripping buckets.

what gets you up in the morning?

My cat, appropriately named ‘Skurvy’. He likes to wake me up at 5 am by licking my eyelids. It was cute the first time.

a goal you've achieved that you're proud of?

‘I am in a committed relationship with a handsome hunk of a man by November 2010." Oh wait, wrong goal.

‘I maintain a consistent blog by December 2010’. I’ll be heading up a weekly designer-based blog entry on our lululemon blog and can also be found blogging on Saturdays at www.vancouveryogareview.com

Interested in possibilities on the design team? Check out our careers page: http://www.lululemon.com/careers, and if you have any design questions be sure to ask away!

Lesia's gonna shake things up, one email at a time!

what is your favourite way to sweat?

Oh, that’s easy, yoga and running. I am really loving hot yoga right now especially. I love the good sweat you get from hot yoga. I always feel so much better after a class, cleansed, relaxed and alive! I used to run a lot as well and I’m working towards running again, I just have to get my iPod updated with some good tunes and hit the pavement.

Lesia yoga-ing at the beach recently

what gets you up in the morning?

My two and a half year old daughter Taylor! I’m convinced that child is part rooster! She’s up early and ready to party! Sometimes we do a little yoga in the morning (tree pose and downward dog are her faves) and sometimes it’s all about cuddles on the couch while we watch Yo Gabba Gabba (and I caffeinate!).

The best alarm clock ever.

what is the best place you've travelled to?

I’ve been really fortunate over the past four years to have lived in London, England and Santa Monica, California. While living in London especially, my husband and I took full advantage of the opportunity to explore Europe while we were there – Barcelona, Spain for the long weekend? Yes, please! I really love London for so many reasons from the architecture and history to the fashion and culture, that city is so alive! But California stole my heart! There is something about those endless summer nights, the laid back vibe and the smell of Banana Boat sun block in the air! I love SoCal and I can’t get over it.

Lesia and her family!

what do you love about lululemon?

What I love about lululemon is hard to put into words. It’s more of a feeling really. I’m sure you’ve felt it. It’s that vibe you get when you walk into a lululemon store, take an in-store yoga class or get in on a conversation on Facebook, it’s the feeling of being a part of a like-minded, inspiring community.

how does your role elevate lululemon?

My role elevates lululemon because it allows me the incredible opportunity to share this amazing brand with the online universe. If you can’t get to one of our stores we can still keep you in the loop (and inspired) via our email newsletters and our website. I see the Email Specialist role as a huge opportunity to deliver this great brand and all things luon straight to your inbox! (If you’re reading this and you don’t get our weekly email newsletter you’re missing out! Sign up here for our online shopping emails and I’ll make sure you’re kept up-to-date on the latest and greatest at lululemon.com!)

Interested in possibilities with lululemon? Check out our careers page here.

In celebration of our first year, here is a list of some of our most read and commented-on blog posts in case you missed them the first time around. Enjoy!

1. how do i wash my lululemon?

In case you're not a laundry-symbol whiz (I personally always have to Google to decode them), this post has tips on how to care for your lululemon.

2. how to know you’ve found your groove (pant)

How to find your perfect fit in our Groove Pants.

3. 5 things to know about the mat

This past spring we welcomed a new mat to our family: the Mat. Our product trainer, Brittany, takes us through what you should know about it.

4. wunder under challenge

Elim wore Wunder Unders every single day in January and blogged about it! Read this series to see how she took her WUs from street to sweat.

5. why we love the gusset

Say no to toe.

6. we heart feedback

When we introduced We Heart Product Reviews to our product detail pages, this blog post introducing the ability to leave product feedback also received a ton of feedback! Thank you to everyone who left a comment and shared their thoughts with us.

7. the gift of yoga in our stores

All lululemon stores have weekly complimentary yoga classes. But you already knew that, right? Read this post anyway and invite a friend to join you next time.

8. put your goals out there… this is why

A guest experience in Ottawa last year became a blog post which turned into one of our most commented-on posts from the last year.

9. love your body

This post inspired me to run around more with my shirt off. A must-read if you're ever feeling doubtful about your radness.

I'd like to give a big shout out to all of you who have contributed in some way over the past year to the lululemon blog community - whether it was through sharing your story, leaving a comment, or "liking" a blog note on Facebook. We are continuing to grow and evolve the blog and it's because of your feedback and contributions. Here's to a great year of blogging and many more to come!

We held an outdoor yoga class outside our office to welcome Muhammad Ali with sun salutations and warrior poses.

In town promoting a new documentary called Facing Ali, the Greatest himself graced us with his powerful presence at 10:30 am this morning. Through a personal connection with our founder Chip, Muhammad and his wife Lonnie were generous enough to join the SSC, Distribution Centre, Guest Education Centre, and store lululemons for an impromptu visit.

Allison, our elite athlete coordinator (and the author of this post!) relaxing at the SSC while we wait for Muhammad to arrive.

Well, on the grand scale, we believe that receiving confirmation Wednesday afternoon is impromptu. In this short period of time, the company pulled together as a team. In 48 hours we created the ceremony space, had a member of each department and each store honored with a photo op, and even had a Game Over hoodie made for Ali that read "The Greatest" on the back. As I sit here three hours later, I struggle to put the experience in words and the tears keep creeping back up.

We are a company that believes in the greatness of our people, and to have such an amazing person come share an hour with us truly elevated us all to a new level of greatness. The only point of sadness was the inability to have every employee with us in person.

Today was a day full of greatness.

Among many memorable moments, a true highlight for us all was when one of our leaders, Jenna Hills, placed her new son Ryder in Ali’s lap for a photo. Muhammad smiled at the future lululemon-leader and there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd.

About a year before I started working at lululemon athletica, I injured my back at my previous job. I saw a chiropractor, three orthopedic specialists, a couple of massage therapists, and at least seven different physical therapists over the course of a year. I'm an athlete, but living with my injury left me feeling sorry for myself and totally resigned. Prior to injuring my back, my favorite activities were running, riding my bicycle, and lifting weights, and I was no longer able to do these things without increasing pain.

Recovering from my injury has given me a completely different definition to the word "fit". I used to think that fitness meant looking hot in a bikini and being able to complete a 5K in the top 30% of my age group. I now know that for me fitness means feeling good in my body, without comparison and without judgment.

It took me a long time to learn the importance of staying active without increasing pain. I decided to slowly build up to a level of fitness that I was comfortable with. I had several physical therapy programs that I was responsible for, so instead of completing them at home, I took them to the gym with me, along with my limitations so that I didn't re-injure myself. Some days I would hop on an elliptical machine, even if only for three minutes, simply because I wanted to get the feeling of running without all of the consequences. At the end of my workout, I would tell myself how proud I was for completing those three minutes on the elliptical. After all, it was three minutes longer than I'd done the previous day!

The main elements that helped me recover:

1) Yoga. Not only will yoga increase your strength and flexibility, but it will also boost your level of confidence and it feels really good. Maybe you won't be able to do all of the poses as well as others in your class, but the beauty of yoga is that it isn’t a competition. Everyone in the class is at a different level and nobody is comparing. Introduce yourself to the instructor and ask for modifications to poses that might be difficult with your particular situation. Soon you will start to recognize ways to modify certain poses on your own.

2) Meeting other people who'd been injured. If I saw somebody on mat at the gym doing the same physical therapy exercises in my program, I would approach them and get into a conversation. At the end of the day, it is simply encouraging to know that you’re not the only one.

3) Volunteering. I couldn't participate in the races and events that I used to do, so I signed up to be a volunteer. This is a very rewarding way to stay involved in the athletic community while you’re recovering, and you still get a free t-shirt.

4) Icing it. This was the most tedious thing to make myself do for my injury, but it's the easiest and most natural way to decrease inflammation. 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off, followed by 10 more minutes on. Do it. Often.

5) Reformer Pilates. My core wasn't quite strong enough to be able to do a group Pilates mat class, but the reformer supports your body throughout the workout to provide resistance, core strengthening, and flexibility.

6) Swimming. I learned how to swim to make up for the cardio I could no longer get from running or spinning. My boyfriend appreciated this because I burn off my bitchiness through cardiovascular exercise.

7) Living powerfully. Be proud of yourself for every step you take toward recovery. Motivational speaker, Brian Tracy, says "You become what you think about most of the time." What will your future will be like if you are constantly complaining and feeling sorry for yourself for this injury? Take back the power!

This is your body, the way it is and the way that it's not. You can spend your energy complaining, or you can choose to like yourself. Which of these choices leaves you feeling resigned and which leaves you feeling empowered? Ultimately, it is up to you.