mrs fox's fantastic wallpaper

Since we spend so much face time with our screens (phones and computers and tablets, oh my!) we decided it was about time we outfit our gadgets with something a little more inspiring. Picking a wallpaper design was truly a no-brainer. We love this piece that artist and yoga die-hard, Alyson Fox, designed for our Domain store in Austin, Texas, so we adapted it for our daily devices. Not only does it remind us of what’s most near and dear to our hearts – yoga, run and love, it also looks really sweet.

The 2011 Boston Marathon is days away. Jayna Henstorf is another ambassador who is packing her bags to take part in the fun. She's excited to go to Boston for a few reasons. It's where she spent her newlywed days and it's the home of one of her favourite brunch spots. (And who doesn't love a good brunch spot after a marathon?) 

the road to boston with jayna henstorf

There is little separation between work and play in Jayna's world. When she's not working her magic in the marketing world, she's volunteering on the board for Girls on the Run and helping people hit their stride as an ambassador at the North Park store in Texas.

Her philosophy for running is so good, we want to make it ours for everyday life. "Do it for yourself. Smile. Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone. Hydrate. Challenge yourself. Listen to your body. Stretch. Take a rest day when needed. Practice yoga regularly. Repeat." Time to lace up our shoes...

Who inspired you to start running?
It’s definitely a collaboration of many people and experiences; however, there are two people in particular who played a key role: my childhood best friend, Robin and her father. They encouraged me to go out for cross-country & track in high school. From there on out, running has become a staple in my life and I continue to be re-inspired each day.

Why Boston?
Boston holds a special place in my heart. Besides the history and prestige, Boston was the first place that my husband and I lived after being married. (We moved from Austin to Boston, just 18 hours after flying back from our honeymoon in Hawaii.) We now live in Dallas so coming back is always memorable! Toeing the start line at Hopkinton always gives me goose bumps. I can’t wait to see the infamous Citgo sign and have brunch at Stephanie’s.

What’s your goal for the race?
I’ve been training hard, so I will put it out there – plan A is 3:10 or faster. Plan B -  forget time and just race with a smile.

What has yoga done for your running regime?
Yoga helps me stay injury free (knock on wood).  It strengthens not only my core but also my mental state. Running is more mental than physical and when you learn to push through the comfort zone, anything is possible!

Where do you run on days when you feel you can conquer anything?
All over. I ignore my watch and go into cruise control mode. It’s a state of mind that has taken years to acquire and I’m still learning how to master it. I have also realized the importance of refocusing during training runs and races. I always tell myself that the first 15 minutes are not going to feel good, just push through it and don’t give up!

What yoga poses keep your training on track?
I’m usually crunched for time so I try to incorporate a few of these poses into my training.

• Butterfly pose (Baddha Konasana) – Sit with soles of the feet together and open knees to the side.
• Thread the Needle pose (Sucirandhrasana) – Laying down, place your right ankle to your left knee. Interlace your fingers behind your left hamstring and gently pull your knee towards your body. Repeat on the opposite side.
• Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani) - Lay down with your sit bones against a wall and your upper body flat on the floor. Extend your legs up the wall. Keep your feet together or open legs into a V position. 
• Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose (Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada Paschimottanasana) - Take a wide stance, fold your body forward and draw your forehead to the floor.

When you’re not training you’re…
Moving. I'm a busy body. I can’t sit still.

I love being active but I especially love coaching “newbie” runners. Although I have been running for 20+ years, there’s something magical about watching someone nail a goal pace, reach a new distance or cross a finish line. It’s like I’m in their shoes and experiencing it all for the first time. To me, that is what it's all about: doing what you love while helping others.

What do you look for in training and race gear?
Functionality and versatility. My training runs are usually around 1.5 hours, so I need gear to fit well and last. The fabric, cut and features are critical, such as pockets and liners. Given that I spend over 20 hours a week in running gear, it definitely has to look good! That way, I don’t mind running errands or meeting friends for coffee.

What’s next for you after Boston?
What's next? New Mexico's 50 Miler Jemez Mountain Trail Run in May, the El Scorcho 50K in Texas this July and the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee this fall. Like I said, I'm a busy body.

visit us in boston

If you’ll be in Boston for the marathon, we hope to see you! We'll be at the John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo and of course, at our Prudential Center store. Our events start this Friday, April 15th to and run until 18th. Get all the details on the store’s Facebook page.

want more?

• Meet our other Boston-bound ambassadors: Kathleen, Gina & Sue Anne. 
• Apply to be an ambassador. Stop by your local store or apply online.
• Get tips for working out with a chaotic schedule. Training for Boston is possible.
• Set goals to be at the race next year. It's never to early to put it on paper. 

"Do it for yourself. Smile. Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone. Hydrate. Challenge yourself. Listen to your body. Stretch. Take a rest day when needed. Practice yoga regularly. Repeat." Good words, Jayna. What words do you live by?

Heading to South by Southwest Music and Media Conference this week? We've mapped out the best places to eat, drink and sweat while in Austin. Borrow our supplementary SXSW itinerary - for this year or next. 

Austin, Texas is one of America's best kept secrets. (Shhh. Don't tell.) It is the birthplace of Whole Foods (with an 80,000-square-foot flagship store to prove it) and home to Black Swan Yoga - a donations-based studio that will leave you feeling, well, much better than you felt after watching the film with the same moniker. (Sorry, Natalie Portman.)  There is no shortage of amazing things to see and do. Let's get started.

There's a whole lotta Whole Foods to enjoy in Austin
image courtesy of Whole Foods

do yoga

All good getaways involve a little time on the mat. We already mentioned Black Swan Yoga. It's a great choice if you want to get in and out quickly (no paperwork, nothing to sign up for and classes starting almost every hour until 10:30pm). Remember, classes are by donation, so give generously. There's something for everyone so check out the schedule in advance. We're dying to do the MP3 Power class.

Yoga Vida  has been partying in Austin since 1999. It's a Baptiste studio, meaning all classes are power vinyasa flow in a heated room. Either location is great but if you hit up the studio at 707 West 7th Street, you may run into Dean, Zoe, or Sanieh (all lululemon ambassadors) or Bekah, the Assistant Manager at our Austin store.

Speaking of the store, we've always got complimentary events lined up at all our locations and Austin is no exception. Stop by our store at 6th & Lamar to find out the schedule for their weekly in-store yoga classe and run club.

eat

After working up a healthy appetite, we plan on heading over to Annie's for breakfast. It's a toss-up between the organic steel cut oats, garden omelet and brioche french toast.  After all the yoga, hiking, and swimming, we may even tip-toe over to one of Austin's famous food trailers. The Mighty Cone and Crepes Mille come highly recommended.  We've been told we can't leave town until trying the Spaghetti Carbonara at La Traviata. Blue Dahlia Bistro has some great options for vegans and carnivores alike and if you want to go all out, check out Driskill Grill. We have our eyes on the three-course "Farm to Table" menu.

go outside

Next it's off to Town Lake Trail for a walk around the lake (3, 4 and 5 mile loops available). Want to walk on water? Do the next best thing: rent a board at Stand Up Paddleboards. If you're feeling more in a hiking mood, head over to the Greenbelt for a wide selection of hiking trails.

drink

The word on the street at our Austin store is that you won't be disappointed if you hit up Daily Juice on your way out. Why? Three reasons. First, they have house specials that look incredible. Second, raw vegan fare is also on the menu.  We plan on walking to dinner and drinks but if your feet hurt, jump into one of the hundreds of Pedicabs zooming around the city. (FYI: All are cash-only and most charge $5-$10/head regardless of destination.) 

Put your feet up in a pedicab
image courtesy of citrixonline

swim

If it happens to be Texas-hot outside, we're hoping to break in a new swimsuit at Barton Springs by taking a dip in Austin's famous swimming hole. It remains a balmy 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, much nicer than the chilly Pacific waters here in Vancouver.

image courtesy of Austin Parks & Recreation

shop

If you like locally owned shops, great views and lots of "weird" Austin stuff like we do, stick around in SoCo. (We automatically like places that call themselves "weird". Bravo, Austin.) If that doesn't do enough damage, head back across the river.  There's lots of great shopping to be done in the 2nd St. District and MOSS on South Lamar has incredible designer consignment and vintage finds. Don't say we didn't warn you. 

party

There will be no shortage of fun to be had during SXSW. There's more than 80 venues for music, many of which are downtown. Browse the music events for this year's celebration. Outside of SXSW, we plan on owning the floor at Barbarella on Red River. (They post their playlists online. That means we can recreate the magic at home.)

want more?

• Get all the latest on SXSW. Sign up for one of their several RSS feeds.
• Plan your workouts in advance. Read Kristina's tips for fitness with a busy life.
• Set some travel goals of your own. We're not stopping at Austin. Neither should you.

If you're SXSW-bound, travel safely and don't forget to leave the convention center for some fresh air and a good stretch. The possibilities are endless, just don't get lost in Whole Foods. Where are you planning on going in Austin?

Every lululemon store has a unique group of athletes called ambassadors from the community. These inspiring people are an extension of our store and embody the lululemon lifestyle and culture. Just like finding a soul mate, we want to make sure our ambassador has genuine intentions. When we find one that the lululemon store and community love, we pop the question and propose, “Will you be our ambassador?”

We love being creative when asking soon-to-be ambassador to join the team. Check out what we did at Fort Worth!

Our first ambassador was Baptiste affiliate studio owner, Brooke Hinkle. We scheduled a photo shoot in the Fort Worth Stockyards for inspiring yogi pictures. When she pulled in the parking lot with what she called her “mom car,” a Chevy Tahoe, we gave her an Orchid and asked her to be our shining star. She said yes.

Our second and third ambassadors were Zoe and Stephanie who teach Pilates at Dancescape. When we got to the studio, we told them that one of their clients was in the bathroom crying. They both ran immediately to the bathroom to aide the poor invisible person only to find a framed manifesto poster asking them to be our ambassadors! They said yes.

My heart was just about to come out of my Power Y for our next proposal because we almost didn’t get to pull off our surprise. Rebecca , an instructor at Indigo Yoga, walked into her Baptiste class and saw our manifesto poster and The Mat with a pretty pink bow around it. She laughed and said yes.

We then headed to Starbucks with our fourth ambassador, Jeff Tucker, owner of a Crossfit and tumbling gym called GSX. We had a Yoga Journal and wrote over our ad asking if he would be ours truly…guess what he said? Yes.

Our sixth and seventh ambassadors are newly weds. About 15 minutes prior to giving them a “sneak peak” of our showroom, I wrote “will you be our ambassador, check yes or no” with chalk on the sidewalk.

Our next proposals are coming soon and I must say that I love the little butterflies I get before asking. Now I feel like I know how my husband felt before asking me to marry him!

Will you be our next ambassador?