The first time Toronto ambassador Lisa Barkin took her yoga practice outdoors she was amazed at how distracted she became. It took a bit of time getting used to the sun shining in her eyes, the passing flow of traffic and the sounds of her neighbours playing.

10 tips for your outdoor yoga practice

Taking your practice outdoors allows you to step out of your normal studio routine. If you are new to an outdoor practice you may encounter a few challenges along the way. As we gear up for Salutation Nation 2011 here are my top 10 tips that will help prepare you for an awesome outdoor yoga practice:

1. Bring a well cushioned yoga mat: A thicker mat is perfect for an outdoor practice especially if you are on a hard or uneven surface. I love The Mat; it is ultra thick, providing extra cushioning for the hips, knees and spine.

2. Start with your breath: Take some deep breaths before you begin your practice. Feel your breath and hear your breath. Taking in fresh air and not indoor recycled stuffy air brings plenty of oxygen into your body and increases your energy levels.

3. Protect yourself from the sun: It’s important not to forget that you’re going to be outdoors for an extended period of time. Make sure you have sunscreen on or cover up (the Run:Sunblocker Long Sleeve is lightweight, has an excellent UPF rating and provides great sun coverage.) A pair of sunglasses may also be handy especially in poses like Triangle and Extended Side Angle pose.

4. Keep hydrated: It can be hot and humid so listen to your body temperature. It’s easy to overheat and become dehydrated quite quickly. I always have my water bottle close by.

5. Dress for success: Light colours and cool fabrics are the best to keep you dry and comfortable.  The carved back of the Cool Racerback tank allows for a great range of motion. Don’t forget to bring a headband or elastic to keep your hair from blowing in your face. Have something available to cover you up during Savasana so that you don’t get the chills as you cool down. The Om Scarf or the Vinyasa Scarf are great because they're big enough to keep your entire body cozy.

6. Prepare for interested onlookers: There will definitely be curious people watching you practice. Don’t let them become your Drishti. Tune inwards and away from distraction. You may even inspire them to take a class.

7. Have a towel handy: If you only practice indoors you may be surprised at how much heat you build when you Vinyasa under the sun. Outdoor yoga can be hot and sweaty especially during the summer months. A yoga towel will help create a slipless surface on your mat and will be handy to wipe down your mat with so that you don’t take the outdoors back in with you.

8. Practice for you: Let your practice be your own. Whether you are practicing in a studio, at home or outdoors your practice time is for you. You want to step off your mat feeling energized, refreshed and rejuvenated!

9. Listen to your body: Take as many breaks as you need, Child’s pose and Savasana are both completely acceptable at anytime throughout the practice.

10. Be in the moment: In an outdoor practice there are many variables that can cause you to lose your focus:  wind, distracting noise, sun in your eyes and yes even bugs crawling across your mat. The ground can be uneven and it may be easier to lose your balance, so go slower and embrace the outdoor experience. Take time to gaze up at the sky, feel the breeze on your skin and the earth beneath your feet.

Salutation Nation 2011 is happening September 10^th 2011 and these tips will help you get the most out of your practice. Join Lisa as she leads a class in the Toronto community, or find your local community to participate in our neverending om!

want more?

• Get the down low from Salutation Nation 2010
• Check out the photos from last year's event!

A few months ago one person from our lululemon family in Washington D.C. set an intention of holding a complimentary outdoor yoga class to be simultaneously held across North America. The goal was to create a shared space for any and everyone to be a part of. She enrolled the team around her, and Salutation Nation was born, quickly to become a movement of health and togetherness our entire community was eager to share.

Yoga mats ready to be rolled out in the U.S. and Canada.

It was this intention that woke me 20 minutes before my alarm went off at 6am this morning. Normally I can continuously hit snooze for a good hour, but this morning I awoke to an amazing energy that wouldn't be dismissed. We were more than 3 hours away from the kickoff of Salutation Nation on the west coast, but the east coast was awake and breathing our intention and sending it my way.

Saluting the sun in Boston.

Waking in San Diego, I longed for a way to connect with the Salutation Nations happening in near minutes on the opposite coast. I opened my computer to find lots of buzz of the yoga about to take place in Boston at the Esplanade, and the Ellipse at the White House. Although I didn't get to take in an OM with the east coasters, I felt them and was so excited for the west coast hour to begin.

Ready to begin in San Diego.

I wasn't alone in my anticipation and was delighted to see familiar lululemon faces, guests, neighbours and new friends in San Diego bright and early at 7:30. We began to lay our mats and an air of wonder filled us all. We didn't know how many people we'd practice with in the park.

We didn't know how many people we'd practice with up, down, and across the coast. We didn't even know if the sun would come out so that we could salute it properly. But it didn't matter. Our neighbours woke up this morning to practice yoga together, and that in and of itself was enough.

We shared an hour together today of yoga and breathing, an hour of enjoying our lives outside. It is days like today we are so proud of the community we commonly shared today. We took in oms with familiar faces, and shared a savasana with people we hadn't met. That's the wonderful thing about yoga, although your practice is entirely your own, the space is shared and connects us to one another without objection, even miles, cities and countries apart.

Thank you for sharing a space with us today, can't wait to see you next year. Namaste.

Thank you for giving us a space to practice yoga and take in the air with our neighbours across North America.

Namaste from Salutation Nation 2010.

We cannot wait to see many of you our guests, neighbours and friends outside this coming Saturday morning at 9am for Salutation Nation. We want everyone to enjoy this day, so whether you are attending a location in person or not, here are the details you need to know to take your downdog for a walk in the park with us on Saturday.

locations

Here is a final update of all of the participating Salutation Nation locations. Click the Google Map to be able to check out your town. The locations are also listed on our Facebook event page, so RSVP and let us know where you will be!

flow with, tweet and facebook us in person or wherever you practice

If you are not near a participating location, you can still flow with us! Salutation Nation is not owned by lululemon, it's a movement to get outside and practice yoga with your friends, families and neighbours. That being said, if you cannot join us in person, host your own Salutation Nation in your neighbourhood. You can download a free yoga class podcast from our ambassador Eoin Finn, and set up your computer or TV in a park or your backyard. Invite your friends and flow with all of us at 9am!

Eoin will undoubtedly lead you in a beautiful practice as he always does!

Upload a photo of your make-shift Salutation Nation location, you and your friends flowing in Bryant Park, the Ellipse at the White House or wherever you participate to our Facebook page, or "tweet" it our way and we will try to share it with all of our guests! The official Twitter hashtag for Salutation Nation will is #salutation, so be sure and tag your updates with it so we can follow along with you.

follow our online community team in san diego

Our San Diego ambassador, Elka Hauck, will lead us at the NTC South Promenade in Point Loma.

In an attempt to capture the amazing spirit of Salutation Nation, our online community team is packing up and heading south to get their OM on in sunny San Diego! From the NTC South Promenade we will be updating a "live blogpost" with photos and what's happening. We will also be posting to our Facebook and re-tweeting all of the amazing photos that we collect from you wherever you are! Holler at us east coast! It may be 6am in San Diego when your Salutation Nation begins, but we want to hear all about it and share it with our guests online!

Find our team in bright orange and say hi! We may have a special treat for you.

Wherever you are this coming Saturday morning, August 7 at 9am, we are excited to share Salutation Nation with you. Just to recap, here's how you can get involved:

• Attend a Salutation Nation event hosted by a local lululemon store
• Create your own Salutation Nation with your neighbours and download Eoin Finn's free yoga podcast
• Tweet your photos and updates our way using the hashtag #salutation
• Upload your photos to our Facebook page
• Follow our live blog from San Diego, and look for your photos to appear online!

See you outside and online Saturday! Namaste.

Imagine rolling out your yoga mat in a nearby field, beach, or park and beginning to flow through sun salutations led by your community's most inspiring instructors. As you move into your third downward dog of the morning, you suddenly feel the energy of thousands of bodies moving and breathing with you. Your breath deepens, your body lengthens, and your mind calms, feeding off the palpable energy surrounding you. A gentle breeze cools your shoulders and the corners of your mouth turn up as you smile to greet the mid-morning sun.

Whether you have rolled out a yoga mat once or a thousand times, you can relate to the peaceful, grounded, and just plain happy emotions yoga evokes. If you have ever been in a single yoga posture, you understand the intense connection yoga facilitates between mind, body, and breath. If you have been to a yoga class, you have a sense of the kind of connections a yoga practice can foster within and between yoga communities.

On August 7th from 9:00 - 10:00 AM, Salutation Nation will elevate this connection to another level as thousands of people across North America take their asana practice outside for a complimentary class to move, breathe, and connect with other like-minded people in their communities. Across the continent, mats will roll out onto grass, sand, and pavement as part of this incredible outdoor yoga experience grounded in community, elevating connections. We invite people of all different backgrounds, ages, and athletic abilities to spend one hour together with friends, teachers, neighbors, and perfect strangers connecting, being present, and most importantly having fun!

Salutation Nation is not a revolution. We are not out to change the world in one hour. If one person laughs; if two people meet for the first time; if a group of friends starts a Saturday morning bonding on their mats before breakfast, Salutation Nation will be a success. Whether you have a daily practice or have never practiced at all, everybody and every body can do yoga! What better way to celebrate this fact than to take your asana outside on August 7th and do some yoga with a few thousand people across the continent?

Want to get your downdog on with your neighbors? Check out our Salutation Nation Facebook event page fto RSVP and get your asana outside! Namaste.

Here is a list of all the locations and stores participating near you (Please note not all lululemon locations will be hosting a Salutation Nation yoga class, and this list will be updated as we receive more locations):

United States

Alabama:
Birmingham, AL
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonBirmingham

Arizona:
Armory Park, Tucson, AZ
http://lululemon.com/tucson/tucsonshowroom

Biltmore Lawn (in front of store), Phoenix, AZ
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonbiltmore
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonscottsdale

British Columbia:
Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver (Canada)
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonoakridge

California:
The Commons (Grassy area), Calabasas, CA
http://www.lululemon.com/calabasas/thecommons

Fashion Island Mall (on grass outside of store), Newport, CA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonNewportBeach

Hermosa Beach Pier, Hermosa Beach, CA

Irvine Spectrum at the Carousel, Irvine CA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonirvine

Lafayette Reservoir, Walnut Creek, CA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonwalnutcreek

The Marina Green in San Francisco, CA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemoncowhollow

Moonlight Beach, Carlsbad, CA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonCarlsbad

NTC Liberty Station South Promenade lawn, San Diego, CA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonDaygo
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonLaJolla

Palo Alto, CA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonPaloAlto

Park at Montage Resort, Laguna Beach, CA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonLagunaBeach

Willard Park, Berkley, CA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonBerkeley

Connecticut:
Calf Pasture Beach, Norwalk, CT
http://www.facebook.com/lululemongreenwich

East Rock Summit, New Haven, CT
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonNewHaven

Elizabeth Park, West Hartford, CT
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonWestHartford
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonWestport

District of Columbia (Washingtion):
The Ellipse at the White House, Washington, DC
http://www.facebook.com/tysons.lululemon
http://www.facebook.com/lululemongeorgetown
http://facebook.com/lululemonAnnapolis

Florida:
Bay Front, Miami, FL
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonaventura
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonCoralGables

Faith Lutheran Church, Naples, FL
http://lululemon.com/naples/naplesshowroom

Jacksonville Beach, Jacksonville, FL
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonJacksonville

Kelsey Park, Lake Park, FL
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonthegardens

Lake Eola Park, Orlando, FL
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonOrlandoShowroom

Royal Palm Place, Boca Raton, FL
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonbocaraton

Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota, FL
http://lululemon.com/sarasota/sarasotashowroom

Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonJacksonville

Georgia:
Glover Park, Marietta Square, GA
http://www.lululemon.com/marietta/marietta

Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonBuckhead

Idaho:
Capital Park, Boise, ID
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonboise

Indiana:
The lawn in front of the Showroom
http://www.facebook.com/pages/lululemon-in-indianapolis

Maine:
Maine State Pier, Portland, ME
http://www.lululemon.com/portlandme/portlandshowroom

Massachusetts:
The Esplanade, Boston, MA

http://www.facebook.com/lululemonprudentialcenter

http://www.facebook.com/lululemonBurlington
http://www.Facebook.com/lululemonDerbyStreet
http://www.Facebook.com/lululemonHarvardSq
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonLegacyplace
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonnatick
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonNewburyport

Minnesota:
Lake Calhoun, where Xerxes meets lake, Minneapolis
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonTheShopsAtWestEnd

Missouri:
Loose Park just east of the Rose Garden
Hosted by the Kansas City Showroom

Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, MO
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonPlazaFrontenac

Montreal:
Parc Mont-Royal, Pointe-Claire, QC
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonfairviewpointeclaire
http://lululemon.com/montreal/greene

Nevada:
Springs Preserve National Park, Las Vegas, NV
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonlasvegas

New Mexico:
Tiguex Park, Albuquerque, NM
http://lululemon.com/albuquerque/albuquerque

New Jersey:
The Beach at 3rd Avenue, Asbury Park,NJ
http://facebook.com/lululemonShrewsbury

The Green in Palmer Square, Princeton, NJ
http://www.lululemon.com/princeton/princeton

Van Neste Square, Ridgewood, NJ
http://lululemon.com/paramus/gardenstateplaza

New York:
Bryant Park, New York, NY
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonNYC

Cobbs Hill Park, Rochester, NY
http://lululemon.com/rochester/rochester

Eisenhower Park on Pear Field, Garden City, NY
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonRoosevelt

Eisenhower Park, East Meadow, NY
http://www.lululemon.com/manhasset/manhasset

Monroe Woodbury Middle School Field, Woodbury, NY

North Carolina:
Doris Duke Center Lawn at Duke University, Durham, NC
http://lululemon.com/raleigh/Raleighshowroom

Freedom Park, Charlotte, NC
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonCharlotte

Halyburton Park Shelter 2, Wilmington, NC
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonwilmington

Nova Scotia:
Halifax Commons, Nova Scotia, Halifax
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonhalifax

Ohio:
Revolution Fitness Pavilion, Cincinnati, OH
Hosted by the Cincinnati Showroom

"The Oval" at Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
http://lululemon.com/columbus/columbus

Oregon:
Bridgeport Village, Tigard, OR
http://www.facebook.com/lakeoswegostore

Ontario:
Thornhill Green Park, Thornhill, ON, Canada
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonPromenade

Pennsylvania:
The Piazza at Schmidt's, Philadelphia, PA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonWalnutStreet

Tunnel Park at SouthSide Works, Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonPittsburgh

Texas:
AT&T Performing Arts Center - Sammons Park, Dallas, TX
http://www.facebook.com/northparkdallas
http://www.facebook.com/lululemongalleria

Festival Beach, Austin, TX
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonAustin

Houston, TX
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonHouston

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston's South Lawn
http://facebook.com/lululemonHighlandVillage

Olmos Basin Park, San Antonio, TX
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonSanAntonioQuarry

Sundance Square Fort Worth, TX
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonFortWorth

Woodlands, TX
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonathleticathewoodlands

Utah:
City Park, Park City, UT
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonparkcity

Vermont:
North Beach, Burlington, VT
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonburlingtonvt

Washington:
Volunteer Park, Seattle, WA
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonPacificPlace

Wisconsin:
Riverwalk, Milwaukee, WI
http://www.facebook.com/lululemonMilwaukee

This post was written by Joanna Asher, a keyleader from our Roosevelt Field, Garden City store in New York.