(Sidenote: Stay tuned next week for the Finale episode of Char In My Suitcase. You don't wanna miss!)

Char In My Suitcase Ep.07 from lululemon athletica on Vimeo.

Super soakers and Super hot sweaty yogis. Mmm, mmm, Yogathons! Check it out in another episode of Char in My Suitcase below!

Char In My Suitcase Ep.05 from lululemon athletica on Vimeo.

And you thought the notorious Vancouver Grouse Grind was hell. Try Seek The Peak 2009. Char, along with guest co-host Jenny Harnett, venture to the top of Grouse Mountain where they get in on the relay action while swatting off a fly or two. Ch-Ch-Cheeckk it below!

Char In My Suitcase Ep.04 from lululemon athletica on Vimeo.

Read his story, watch the video, and try some of the poses for yourself! Brandon's video is a visually stunning and educational way to learn some basic yoga moves.

From Brandon:

I created this video in the Spring of 2009 as a motion graphics class project.  I've been wanting to experiment with mixing graphics and live-action video, so I was searching for an interesting subject.

I had also recently started taking some of the free Sunday morning yoga classes at lululemon Logan Circle... in my neighborhood in DC.  My girlfriend, Kelly Ferraro, works at the store and she's been encouraging me to try yoga.  After attending only a couple sessions, I was already feeling the benefits... and I think it also helped spark my imagination.  Whenever the instructor would call a different pose, I couldn't help but imagine what that pose would look like in graphic form... Like energy emitting from the body in color and shape.

So instead of just imagining the energy from yoga, I thought it would be interesting to actually bring it to life with motion graphics.  And fortunately, the DC lululemon community was eager to help out!  Kelly helped me brainstorm the idea. Kristin Neishi, an educator at Logan Circle, lent her time and talent to perform on camera.  And we shot the HD video in the expansive studio of the Georgetown lululemon.  Kristen was also wearing lululemon for the video.

Once the video was shot, I turned to the graphic design with my friend Kiril Tchangov. We created a series of graphics to compliment the poses - using a bright palette of colors and a range of graphic styles --- from graffiti (Pigeon pose) to art nouveau (Lotus).  Then I animated each set of graphics using AfterEffects, overlaying them on top of Kristen's yoga poses.  I really got to stretch my style on the graphics and animation.

The whole project was a great experience - and it all went so smoothly with the help of the lululemon community.  I'm hoping it'll get out there and be seen by yoga fans worldwide.

Hope you enjoy it!  You can see more of my work at blochportfolio.blogspot.com.

~Brandon