Wanderlust Tahoe 2010 - photo via the Wanderlust Facebook

yoga teachers not to miss

Chloe: John Friend, Sianna Sherman, Amy Ippoliti. I'm curious and excited to try Rod Stryker and Jonny Kest for the first time. And for music, don't miss Michael Franti!

Carolyn: I’m excited to hear John Friend speak, and to learn from powerful women who have kept the movement in Vinyasa yoga alive from east coast to west - such as Janet Stone, Nikki Vilella, Schuyler Grant and Shiva Rea.

Clara: I'm always thrilled to practice with my teacher Shiva Rea. I'm also stoked to be assisting my friend Twee Merrigan both Friday and Saturday mornings. I've heard great things about Rod Stryker, so I'm checking out his Shakti Vinyasa. I love Schuyler's class so I'm taking her Kula Flow.

what they're packing

Eoin: Hammocks!

Chloe: My Joy-a-Toes, toe spreaders to wake up and activate your feet. Protein powder and my Magic Bullet to make shakes after practice. Two yoga outfits for each day (prepare to sweat with daytime highs of 25-30 degrees).

Clara: Sunscreen, mini meditation cushion, yoga towel (outdoor yoga + sun = more sweat than usual), lots of spare clothing (same sweaty theory).

Carolyn: The key item in my bag will be my bikini after Vancouver’s non-summer thus far. The lululemon Travel Mat will be by my side - the lightest, stickiest mat in my short history with yoga. Traumeel and my favourite Chinese herbal ointment for sore muscles.

advice for a first-timer

Clara: A friend who went before recommended taking a light coloured mat. She took a black mat last year and said at times she had to practice in flip flops because the mat was too hot! Also, conserve your energy. Be moderate in your practice or by Saturday your energy will be nil.

weekend intentions

Chloe: To soak it all up and savour every moment. To come home relaxed and refreshed for my children. To bring home inspiration and insight for my students.

Clara: To be a student. To take in all that is being offered.

Carolyn: To indulge in my personal practice and be surrounded by inspiring women. I plan to spend equal parts sweating through asana and slowing down alongside lakes and big trees.

As for my intentions for Wanderlust: to be present, have an open mind, and share what I learn on and off the mat. I'll be posting daily Wanderlust recaps here on the lululemon blog, so if you have a tip, question or want to say hi in person, leave a comment here or reach me through the lululemon Twitter account: @lululemon.

If you’re at Tahoe for Wanderlust, the lululemon team will be out attending classes every day and we'd love to meet you - come say hi! We're also holding a goal-setting workshop on Friday and Saturday at 5 pm called Creating a Future You Love.

See you soon, Tahoe!

♥ Alana

wanderlust teachers mentioned above

John Friend
Sianna Sherman
Amy Ippoliti
Rod Stryker
Jonny Kest
Janet Stone
Nikki Vilella
Schuyler Grant
Shiva Rea
Twee Merrigan
Eoin Finn

Here in Vancouver, we're in the middle of the annual long-weekend drought. We decided to see it as an opportunity to create our own mini-vacations, whether close to home or abroad. The same spirit that brought you "Happy Place Friday" is bringing you "(Re)treat Yourself," a bevy of yoga retreats. Consider booking some vacation time soon.

The long road from New Year's to Easter is relatively holiday-free. Of course, depending on where you're reading this from, you may be blessed with a long weekend or two, but overall it's pretty sparse. The weeks run long. The weather is less appealing (unless you're south of the equator) and you are probably dreaming of that elusive getaway. We are.

Getting away doesn't necessarily mean searching for your passport and hoping your carry-on shampoo bottle will make it through customs. You can escape from the day-to-day with an amazing yoga class, a trip to a new studio, a night with friends and new recipes - heck, even an inverted pose will clear your head. No, you don't have to travel to get away from it all...but who doesn't want to travel? Certainly not us.

the retreat appeal

Our Community Relations Manager Tracy is gearing up for her first yoga getaway: Baron Baptiste, Hawaii, sunshine, surf and healthy food. (Can you say jealous?) Remembering that jealousy works the opposite way one wants it to, we decided to look on the bright side and discover some other great retreats on the horizon.

There is a yoga retreat for everyone. Hit your mat then hit the surf, hit the slopes or hit the bottle - pinot grigio, that is.  Prices and accommodations will vary and you'll want to check whether airfare is included. (Most of the time it is not.) Many trips offer detailed itineraries so do some research before you commit. Here we go. Let's hit the yoga retreat buffet.

yoga in general

Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat
Head to this Conde Nast award-winning centre in Australia and you'll likely meet Gold Coast Showroom ambassador Emma Burridge.
Retreats dates vary

Yoga Holidays in Greece
Vancouver alumni ambassador Gloria Latham plays host to regular getaways in Greece. The sun-soaked pictures are intoxicating, especially with the rainy weather outside.
Kythira, Greece - June 26-July 2, 2011 or July 24-30, 2011

Yoga in Paradise
If you're looking for an exclusive retreat, leave the traffic behind and join alumni ambassador Krista Cahill in Bora Bora.
Bora Bora, French Polynesia - June 11-18, 2011

Fiji Yoga Retreat with Mark O'Brien
Mark is one of Sydney's hottest yoga teachers and he's taking his expertise to the South Pacific for a week of relaxation and restoration.
Savusavu, Fiji - May 14-21, 2011

Forecast in Tuscany: bliss
Image courtesy of Casanuova

Ashtanga Yoga in Tuscany with Tim Miller
Visit Casanuova, a 350-year-old estate in the Tuscan countryside, and unroll your mat beside Carlsbad ambassador Tim Miller.
Tuscany, Italy - Oct 1-8, 2011

yoga + food

Yoga for Foodies Retreat with David Romanelli & Angela Gargano
Featured in this month's Food & Wine magazine, this retreat is seriously making us drool.
Napa Valley, CA - May 26-29, 2011

Eat.Pray.Move
This cozy retreat had us at Tuscany (and pumpkin risotto, pasta al forno, slow roasted fennel with red onions, salads with wild rocket, pecorino and fresh figs).
On the border of Tuscany & Umbria, Italy - July 3 - 9, 2011

Can't get to Eat.Pray.Move.? Feast your eyes on this visual retreat.
Image courtesy of Eat.Pray.Move.

yoga + wine + cycling

Yoga, Bike & Wine Retreat
Experience Loire's historic countryside with Plaza El Segundo ambassador Julie Rader.
Loire Valley, France - September 11 - 16

yoga + service

Yoga Ventures Yoga & Service Retreats
Lisa Reuff, an ambassador out of Marin, CA, is hosting four trips for yogis looking to challenge their practice and serve their hosting communities. Head to Peru, Haiti, India or Bali.
Retreat dates vary

Ted McDonald likes the snow and the surf

yoga + snow

Tony, Dean & Ted's Yoga Ski/Ride Excellent Adventure
Santa Monica ambassador Ted McDonald teams up with Dean Decas and Tony Horton (P90X!) to host a one-of-a-kind retreat on the slopes of Chamonix.
Chamonix, France - March 20 - 26, 2011

yoga + surf

Tidal Dreamings Yoga & Surf Retreats
Hey ladies - Tidal Dreamings offers regular ladies-only yoga/surf retreats on Australia's east coast. Get packing.
Various dates and locations

image courtesy of Tidal Dreamings

while you're away

If you're vacationing anywhere near one of our locations, you can make your own mini yoga retreat by taking part in our complimentary in-store classes. Get class schedules on each store's site.

Help! We can't decide where to go. Where are you planning on retreating?

how my role elevates lululemon?

I help attract and retain amazing people to lululemon every day. From exposing lululemon's freshest faces on Fridays to having an inspirational phone conversation about our newest would-be colleague, I contribute to magnetizing our future leaders and innovators every day.

something unique or surprising about me?

I collect anthologies, collections and dictionaries etc., of quotations. I have been collecting quotations since I was 16 and struggle to find the space for them in my Gastown apartment. I gather inspiration, advice, wisdom, and of course humour from our greatest recorded thinkers.

what gets me up in the morning ?

This guy, with tail wagging and tongue out!

the most beautiful place I’ve ever been?

When my best friend Maura up and moved to Bermuda I was originally a bit put out. But two fabulous trips to visit her later I have never been more convinced of paradise. Bermuda is home to some of the most beautiful and diverse beaches in the world & has a cultural history to match. Although I will be happy to have Maura back in Vancouver, I’m hoping to squeeze one more visit in before she comes home.

a goal I’ve achieved that I’m proud of?

My goal of the year was most definitely scoring my role as the lululemon athletica Attraction Ninja. Combining my creative abilities with my lust for a good joke, I wowed my interviewers with a circa late 80s marketing spoof. My only failure was my inability to execute more than 50% of the campaign before uncontrollable laughter set in - I blame my current manager who lost her composure at least two slides before I did.

why I love working at lululemon?

At lululemon I have the opportunity to celebrate my strengths, follow my goals, and most fantastically, exist as I am. Unlike many friends I know who lead a TGIF lifestyle I enjoy the privilege of anticipating my Mondays. At lululemon you don’t sludge through a 40-hour work week to make your living - you exist, create and develop for the intrinsic joy you feel as a result of your contributions to the whole as well as your own growth and development.

my biggest passion?

Whenever I see a flat green field or an open expanding trail I think of riding. I have experienced nothing more elevating than galloping across an open meadow – I think it has something to do with the complete joy radiating from the animal beneath you. Although I am currently on a lifestyle -induced hiatus (city life) from regular interaction with the beloved four-legged masterpieces, they will always be in my heart.

what do I want to be remembered for?

The best quotation anthology of all time. I’m not even joking. I’m thinking of doing a little coffee table number filled with tidbits of inspiration, joy & and wisdom. Personal goal: to avoid creating a toilet reader.

If you feel passionate about developing yourself and elevating the world you might want to consider aligning your talents and your livelihood. Live your Monday to Fridays to have fun, exist and develop and not just to survive until the weekend. Find out if your skill sets and career path align with any of our current possibilities on the lululemon careers page.

p.s. - I tweet career opportunities and daily inspirations (quotations). Check me out on twitter: @rebeccaapeel.

Where will you be travelling this summer?

Summer is approaching and everyone has traveling goals, can't wait to soak up the sun, or hop on a plane to see the world. The question is, “what will you be packing?” To us, the answer is a no brainer -- pack your favourite lululemon pieces! Easy to pack, wears well during the day and then you can hit the streets of Venice, Italy or Venice Beach, California for a dusk run to enjoy the view!

Throughout the years we have received emails, postcards and now Facebook pictures and Twitpics of our guests traveling around the world in lululemon pieces.

This month during your travels, share your experience, your destination, your travel stories, people you meet along the way and show us how far lululemon travels through a snap shot of you somewhere in the world.

Join June’s Travelling lululemon photo challenge this month and share your group shots with us.

how do I send you my photo for this challenge?

You can upload your photo to our monthly challenge photo pool on flickr, send it to onlinecommunity@lululemon.com and we’ll add it for you (we won’t publish your email address), @reply us on Twitter, or post it on our Facebook wall!

what will you do with my photo?

We’ll be featuring some of our favourite entries on the lululemon blog. If you don’t want your name or entry to be public, let us know.

Sweat hard, and travel harder!

Dance, sing, floss and travel.

What?! Travel?! Who does that these days? We don't have enough time, and we certainly don't have any money!

Actually, if you look on the average 18-39 year old's facebook profile, most of them consider traveling as one of their interests. We all know that tourism has decreased dramatically in the past couple of years. If most of us love to travel, why aren't we doing it?

I believe it's because we've stopped allowing travel to be a priority. Do you remember the last trip you took for pleasure? Didn't you feel magnificent? Exhilarated? Alive? Me too.

That's why ever since I was 18 years old, I've gone on two vacations each year. This isn't because I have more money or time off than you. I've simply made traveling part of my goals. By setting and working toward your goals, you actually get to take the future into your own hands. Brian Tracy says, "You become what you think about most of the time." If that's the case, truly start visualizing yourself on that vacation you've been dreaming about. How does the sun feel on your skin? What does the music sound like? How does that piña colada taste? On my travels, I've created memories, started new relationships, strengthened already existing relationships and learned about cultures other than my own. I may not stay in an oceanfront suite every time, but I still get what I'm looking for out of each trip. Traveling gives me a strong sense of overall wellbeing. It is what fills my soul.

The first step is choosing the place you want to visit next. Once you make a commitment, everything else will fall into place if you let it. Just go with it, and you're guaranteed to come home with tons of stories and memories you wouldn't have experienced if you had stayed home.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." -Mark Twain