Recently there was “Free Day of Yoga.” In dozens of cities across the globe, participating yoga and pilates studios opened up their spaces by offering free classes to the community. Studio owners and teachers offered this gift to students in the spirit of sharing the love and bliss of yoga, not to mention the health benefits of practicing the sport.

lululemon athletica Ala Moana sponsored Hawaii’s Free Day of Yoga. We wanted people to try different styles, instructors and studios (at no cost) in order to stretch their mind, body, and spirit.

Our community came out to enjoy this special event. Almost all of the classes were packed to capacity. One of the local studio owners, Conrad Gacki of Bikram Yoga Nimitz had crammed classes from sun up (5.30 a.m. class) to sundown (7 p.m. class).

Gacki was so inspired by the Free Day of Yoga that he has decided to visit all of the studios that were involved in the community event in order to help strengthen the local yoga community. Educators at lululemon Ala Moana have received nothing but positive feedback for helping to organize this event. We even had a 72-year-old guest mention that she attended five free classes on that day! Nothing could make us smile more. The work we do at lululemon is for the community, it is to share the benefits of yoga and fitness with beginners, elite athletes, and everyone in between.

lululemon athletica stores offer complimentary weekly yoga classes. Visit lululemon.com/stores to find a lululemon store near you.

Built in liners

The liners are moisture wicking and we sew them in backwards so the seams don’t chafe – pull one out and have a closer look!

Flat seaming

Not all running shorts/shirts out there have flat locked seaming, which stumps us because chafing is the #1 complaint from runners. Say it loud and proud: our shorts and tech tops are flat seamed to prevent chafing!

Key pockets

Runners want pockets for gels and keys, and we put them in the right places so they don’t get in the way.

Our fabrics

Runners need high performance, lightweight fabrics that feel amazing against the skin and will take a beating. Swift, Silverescent, or Power Luxtreme, anyone?

Removeable labels

This step is often missed in other running apparel. Our labels tear right out so you can focus on your run instead of tickling tags!

Mesh panels for ventilation

We have added super wicking mesh panels to the most notoriously sweaty spots on your bod for maximum breathability.

These days it seems we all need a break. We all need a laugh, we all need a break from our lives, and we all need to remember what it is like to be a kid. The past two weekends I was able to escape with my friends and family into a worry free and exceptionally crazy and fun world by means of the 56th annual Over the Line World Championships played on Fiesta Island in San Diego, California.

For those of you that have heard of this legendary tournament, or have even been lucky enough to attend, you know how much ridiculous fun I am talking about. If you haven’t, book your flights for next July to San Diego, it is definitely a spectacle everyone should see and even better participate in at least once in their life. Nearly 1,200 teams composed of men’s and women’s teams ranging from age 21-75 compete every year in this double elimination tournament, and most do not survive past the first day of competition.

The tournament itself attracts a lot of beer, a lot of sun, and the occasional topless woman, but nonetheless serves as a reminder to chill out, play a game, and that life should not be taken too seriously. The game of OTL is played on the beach and can almost be thought of as a combination of baseball, golf and cricket. It is an extremely refined and athletic practice that truly takes years to master. There are 3 players to a team, and the simple object of the game is to hit the ball so that it drops in the sand over the line away from the 3 fielders trying to catch it, which is about 55 feet away from the hitter. If the ball does not travel past the line, it’s an out. The field itself is about 55 feet wide, and as far as you can hit it. Three hits is a run, and any ball that goes past the very last fielder without being touched is a homerun. Seemingly simple, but extremely difficult once you make it past team Hooters or Little Darling’s Showgirls and start playing with the top 10 teams in the world. Literally some people travel all year long to play this game, and I envy them just a little bit.

My team, the “Blonde Beezies” (an amazingly mild OTL team name) has played together for close to 5 years and have set the goal of winning the entire tournament by 2011. Our team collectively has 2 NCAA softball titles, 3 seasons of professional softball, and has only finished in the top 5 of OTL a humbling and sobering one time. We can definitely cover more beach defensively than any team out there, but have been wickedly schooled in the art of OTL hitting. Next year we have vowed to actually practice before the tournament and attempt to refine our hitting.

Despite our shortcomings every year, it is nonetheless my favorite two weekends of the entire summer. My husband and I literally postponed our real honeymoon to play this year. The “Blonde Beezies” placed in the top 10 this year, and most definitely won best dressed thanks to our Electric Orange slipless headbands, Cool Racerbacks, and Coal speed shorts. We were feeling smokin’ haute and were definitely baffling the competition with our outfits alone. The moisture wicking, and coolness of our outfits were absolutely essential on the extremely hot sand, and proved to be much more functional than the bikinis that seems to give other teams sand wedgies and full exposure when diving plays would occur.

Once again disappointed in our finish, the “Blonde Beezies” will nonetheless continue to charge the sands of OTL for years to come and will eventually win this thing. Yet win or lose, we always enjoy the weekend of sun, friends, playtime, beer, occasional Jell-O shots, male followers that heckle our opponents, and truly remembering to take a break from reality and simply enjoy life. Whether you go to this phenomenal tournament to party or compete, everyone at OTL has one thing in common, a smile on their face, most likely a beer in their hand and a cell phone covered in sand and ignoring the outside world. I can’t wait to get back to the sandbox and OTL playground again next year! Maybe the amazingly talented lululemon designers will release a special OTL outfit. A girl can dream right?

Thinking about trying a Triathlon? Don't know where to start? Pop into your local lululemon and ask the team!

Hooray, I finished my first triathlon this past weekend! No crashes, leg cramps or tears – success! The ocean was calm, the course was beautiful and there were 5 other lululemon teammates racing. In fact, it was really fun – at least once I was finished.

Thoughts That Go Through Your Head

You have a lot of time to think over the course of a race. Here were the thoughts going through my head:
• I can't believe I'm doing this – amazing, we rock!
• I'm never doing this again, once is enough, people will understand
• Wow, I just passed a 26-year-old, I rock!
• What do you mean we have to do another loop on the bike?
• Mmm, love the color of my new tank top and look, no chafing
• Crap, how are those old guys running by me? They left 2 heats after me
• I need a mani/pedi
• Finish line, thank goodness!
• Whoa, that was cool, maybe I should do another one?

Highs and Lows

The high point of my race was finding out I got 3rd in my age group in the swim. All those master swim sessions paid off. The low was loop two of the run. I felt dizzy because I don't have the skills to drink water and bike at the same time. My friend and stud Tri Babe, Rachel Ross made me feel lots better by saying "if you aren't hurting by mile 2 of the run at a sprint triathlon, you aren't trying." Thanks Rach!

Try a Tri

Thinking about a triathlon? Do it, sign up! Grab some friends and get it done. It's an amazing feeling to cross a finish line. People will help you. You can have a swim buddy. You can be part of a relay. You are done by 10am and can eat all the pancakes you want! Don't know where to start? Go into your local lululemon and ask the team. If they aren’t doing one already, chances are you'll inspire them to do it with you!

View run clothing:

• Run: Swiftly Racerback
• Run: Speed Short
• Challenge Crop

Never thought about being a rock climber? Try it! Do one thing a day that scares you!

Here are the basics:

• Find a local rock climbing gym. Every rock climbing gym I've ever been to has an introductory class that will teach you the basics and how to stay safe. REI also has beginner outdoors trips to local crags such as Joshua Tree in CA, Patagonia in South America, Rumney Rocks in New Hampshire, and Crescent Rocks in Virginia.
• Grab a friend or a group of friends to go to the gym with. It's best to have even numbers of people so that no one has to sit around and watch while everyone else is climbing or belaying.
• A comfy harness. This is what will connect you to the rope (i.e. your lifeline), so make sure it's a good one. I say comfy because if you are a newbie, chances are you are going to fall and be hanging by said rope quite a bit, so you want something that isn't going to dig into your legs. In the beginning, you can rent a harness from the gym, but don't count on it being comfortable.
• A chalk bag and chalk. Chalk is ESSENTIAL. It dries out the sweat on your hands and helps you grip the holds better. You need the chalk bag to (obviously) hold the chalk.
• Climbing shoes. Do not go out and buy the most expensive shoe you can find. As a beginner, you do not need the $155 high-performance shoe. You can rent a pair of shoes from the climbing gym, but you can usually find a good deal at an outdoors store like REI, EMS, or MEC (if you’re in Canada!). Climbing shoes should be slightly tight since they usually stretch out a bit, but not so tight you can’t walk in them. As you get more experienced at climbing, you learn that tighter = better, but for now, stick with what feels good on your feet.

Not a necessity, but a really good idea is to get a pair of crops for climbing. Women head to the climbing gym in shorts and usually regret that choice once the harness starts to ride up in an uncomfortable place. I like to work out in crops, but pants would be the next best thing.

I wore my Groove Crops for the first time last weekend when we went climbing at Red Rock State Park near Las Vegas, Nevada, and they were amazing. I always wanted to wear them since they’re so great for everything else, but I was afraid to because they’re black. Sure enough, I got chalk all over them, but I was pleasantly surprised to be able to completely dust them off before going to dinner.

Above: Your must haves for a great climb, including our Groove Crops!