After purchasing traditional classics such as “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” and “The Bhagavad Gita,” Kelowna educator, Dewi Peters, found herself wanting more. With little idea of where/how to start building her yoga library, she reached out to the brightest, wisest and downright coolest yogis she knows to find out what books they hold dear.

If you're the kind of person who can't get enough of your teacher's wise parting words during Savasana; loves setting an intention for each practice and captions your yoga pictures with motivational quotes, this list is for you.

three incredible yoga reads

Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga
Rolf Gates & Katrina Kenison

Interested in the philosophy behind yoga and how it applies to your life but not the heavy reading that sometimes comes with it? You'll love this book. Broken down into 365 short essays that build upon each other, it is written in contemporary language with no shortage of humour, honesty, humility and wisdom. Described by one reader as “a one-a-day vitamin for the yogic soul,” this is a great choice for anyone seeking down-to-earth inspiration in daily life.

The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice
T.K.V Desikachar

As the son of T. Krishnamacharya, often referred to as the “father of modern yoga” who taught both B.K.S Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois, Desikachar was uniquely qualified to write this book. Based on his personal experiences and "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali", the emphasis here is on gradually learning and enjoying each pose instead of hurrying to complete your practice. It focuses on both physical and spiritual elements while helping you tailor each aspect to your specific preferences and lifestyle – pitch-perfect for beginners and advanced yogis alike.

The Inner Tradition of Yoga: A Guide to Yoga Philosophy for the Contemporary Practitioner
Michael Stone

Written for a Western audience, this is a highly-accessible exploration of how yoga theory applies to our practice on the mat. Practical and poetic, it's a deep read that's best accompanied by a cup of tea and followed up with some meditation time. Touching on the ethics of non-violence, patience, honesty and respect, Michael explores the mind-body connection and weaves in some Buddhist philosophy to boot.

What yoga books have a permanent home on your bookshelf? Share your favourites with us! 

Just like summer weddings, summer beach reading can't be rushed into without advice from your friends. When we asked for some great beach reads for the summer, you didn't let us down. Here are the top picks for "something old, something new, something deep and something trashy". Enjoy!



If we've missed your favourites, be sure to let us know. We're always on the lookout for the latest and greatest best-story-ever-told.

want more

• Line up your music for summer.
• Be prepared for adventure with paradise beachwear.

I am an athlete and I live for the endorphin high from a great sweat and workout. I'm also a food and wine ‘over-indulger’ (come on, isn’t that why we work and work out so hard?!). Here are the things I love:

Websites:

http://www.keepitchic.com
http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/
http://www.goop.com
http://www.whowhatwear.com
http://rebeccapacheco.com/omgal/

Workout accessory: Garmin Forerunner 110. This magical watch tells me everything I need to know when working out.

Items to work out in:

- lululemon’s Flow Y Bra
- a Cool Racerback in a bright and fabulous colour
- Wunder Under or Run:Inspire Crop

Way to sweat: A spin class at Flywheel in NYC or Aerobarre at Aerospace in NYC (a workout that combines jumping rope, boxing, weights and some ballet).

Yoga move: Legs up the wall (Viparita Karani). I am constantly on the go and this helps me reset.

Place to run: My all time favourite place to run is along the coastline in Victoria, BC. This is where I really fell in love with running, and the thought of the fresh ocean air brings a smile to my face.

Current obsession: Shoes! I recently purchased the ‘Sissy Suede Sandal’ from Tory Burch and I also dream of the Swedish ‘Hasbeens’ high heel jodhpur: love, love, love!

Magazines: Vanity Fair, Vogue, Dwell, New York Magazine

Place: Fisher’s Loft in Port Rexton, NL, Canada. Breathtaking.

Restaurant: Neptune Oyster Bar in Boston, MA. Best lobster roll of all time.

Way to get motivated: When I look at the vision I have created for my life and think about what I am doing today to get there. I consider this my 'jump out of bed' factor.

Place to unroll yoga mat: On the fresh summer grass at Bryant Park with hundreds of other New Yorkers amongst the skyscrapers and craziness of all that life in New York brings.

A photo from the Barefoot in the Park event at Bryant Park

Way to celebrate: I want to say red wine and dark chocolate, but that means I celebrate most evenings. Aside from my every day celebration, I would say I celebrate by going to dinner at a great restaurant with great friends.

Book: The Art of Racing in the Rain. If you love dogs or have a dog, after reading you will remain in constant wonder about why your dog has come into your life and what lessons they are here to teach you.

Inspired by: Greatness. I love watching athletes cross the finish line of a marathon or ironman because of what is involved in getting to that point.

Magazine: Nylon

Book: Catch 22

lululemon shirt: 5 Year T

Way to sweat: The Grouse Grind!

Website: Ted.com

Tech gadget: BlackBerry / Kindle

Way to spend a Sunday morning: Reading coffee table books from Taschen's at my shack on the Sunshine Coast of BC.

Restaurant: Cin Cin, Vancouver.

New fitness trend: Crossfit

Way to get motivated: Looking at my wife!

Place to unroll your yoga mat: Sunshine Coast, BC

Way to celebrate: Kissing and hugging!

Yoga move: Breath. Focusing on breathing = living in the moment.

Chip and his family last summer at Salutation Nation in San Diego.

Bibliophilia members celebrate the completion of their first read at lululemon's Store Support Centre.

There is so much to gain between the covers of a book. Some teach us about parts of the world we have yet to visit, or give us insights into the human condition, while others draw us into a captivating, fictional world. Reading has always been my solo activity of choice, but I recently discovered that reading with a book club can offer so much more!

I joined my first book club, luluemon’s Bibilophilia, earlier this year and we just closed the cover on Eckhart Tolle’s, A New Earth. I had read this book the summer prior, but the book club’s leisurely pace & lengthy discussions really cemented the concepts I didn’t understand before. Bibliophilia met every few weeks, so that we could explore the book together and discuss any questions or timely themes that came up.

What could be more motivating than the chance to catch up on some reading, while bonding with old friends and new faces? Check out the tips below to get your own book club rolling:

1. Recruit a few avid readers from your workplace, sports team or social circle. Ask each person to invite a friend or two and soon you’ll have a diverse group.

2. Discuss the number of chapters you’ll read between meetings & the frequency of those meetings with your group members. Finding a sustainable pace ensures that reading doesn’t become a chore.

3. Try rotating the hosting responsibilities around your group. Meet at someone’s house for an intimate discussion, or at a quiet restaurant for zero prep work.

4. Have the host facilitate the discussion and supply some probing questions, or have every member prepare a few.

5. Send out the questions via e-mail prior to your meeting, so that group members get a chance to contemplate the questions. Not everyone’s genius comes out when they’re put on the spot!

6. Check out your local library for book club sets. Select titles can be checked out in sets of 10 for an extended loan period of 6 weeks. Just don’t write in the margins!

Sharing your love of reading with others in this way inspires powerful discussions & meaningful actions. What books have resonated with you lately? Are you already a member of a book club in your own community?

Sleep. Read. Sweat. Shower. Work. Meet. Write. Shop. Clean. Fix. Organize. Here. There. Everywhere.

I am a recovering list-a-holic. Seriously, if I could itemize the minute details of my life purely for the satisfaction of crossing tasks off my list, I would. I do.

The to-do list is hardly fresh. Children return to school and receive agendas on their first day at class. As for me, I have been sharpening my planning skills as if training for the Organizational Olympics since the ripe age of seven, and I am as detail-oriented as they come. Come to my apartment, and witness the to-do list that is permanently fixed to my front door. (Neurotic? Guilty.) Recently my paradigms of list-making were shaken up a bit – enter the “stop doing” list.

I just finished working my way through Jim Collin’s book Good to Great, a must-read in my opinion. His research resonated with me - my eager eyes feasted on all the pretty little lists, brimming with empirical data, waiting neatly for me to absorb, page after page. I learned that “good-to-great leaders distinguish themselves by their unyielding discipline to stop doing anything and everything that doesn't fit tightly within their Hedgehog Concept. “ (Hedgehog concept? It has nothing to do with chocolates. You need to read this book and learn more.) The more I chew on this idea, the more I like it – and guess what? Out comes my red journal and POP! a new list descends the page.

1. I stop chatting online; instead I welcome friends into my home for real quality time.
2. I stop doing busy things that thwart my creativity.
3. I stop wasting time lamenting the things I do not have and think I need. I am grateful. Period.
4. I stop making the computer screen the first and last thing I see in a day.
5. I stop criticizing myself & the people in my world. I replace criticism with encouragement and praise or nothing at all.
6. I stop spending time worrying about the future. Every day has enough troubles of its own.

Streamline your life. Take inventory of all the “DO’s” in your life and see if they align with who you are and where you want to go. Make a list of “DON’Ts” and bathe in the clarity that follows. Repeat as necessary.

What’s on your list today?

We put such an importance on love: falling in love, finding the one, someone to complete us and so on. We seek love, importance and satisfaction from everything we do, but do we truly know the essence of what love is?

I thought I knew what it meant when said "you must have love for yourself before you can truly have love from another", but I only recently realized the concept had been lost on me. Have you also been in a relationship and thought "That's not what they are meant to do!", "why are they being like this?" or "they should know better!"? I think we all have. Sometime love can seem so one-sided and we can't seem to comprehend what our partner is thinking. The answer to our problems it seems, was right there in front of us.

A few weeks ago I started reading Eckhart Tolle's 'The Power of NOW' and it talks a lot about living in the present moment, our sense of identity and how our mind can trap us into a false reality. What really spoke to me was the video I found below on youtube.com about love-relationships.

I really would recommend you watch it. It made me see myself in a different light, as well as my partner, and opened up my eyes to a life that could be lived with a true sense of love. Although I may not be in a constant state of presence, I am more aware and closer to attaining it. I hope it moves you also and opens your eyes to a truth hidden within us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3miuaOWsj8