In case you missed it:
Back in April, right before we left for Europe, I did a Hot Yoga Challenge where I went to a 90-minute Hot Yoga class every day for 7 days.
Back in July the studio had a deal where you could get one month unlimited for only $50. $50/month is SO CHEAP for Hot Yoga (it’s regularly $165) so I snapped it up! My punch card JUST expired so that unlimited month was activated on September 5.
How convenient that from September 5 – October 5 I will have unlimited Hot Yoga. Right before the marathon!
Obviously I’m not going to attempt to go every day for 30 days + marathon training. My goal is 3-4 times per week and I’d like to go for a minimum of 12 times in this month (I’ve already gone once, and tonight will be 2 so it shouldn’t be too hard!)
I’m excited for this little challenge, I think doing hot yoga regularly will really benefit my last month of marathon training!
Speaking of yoga, let me show you my new yoga mat from CSN Stores!
Pretty huh!?
When I was contacted a couple months ago about doing a review + giveaway I started poking around their websites and discovered they sold fitness equipment and accessories!
I was in dire need of a new yoga mat as my old one is FOUR YEARS old! That’s right, I got it my first year of college!
And Webster has kind of destroyed it!
Apparently he thought it was his scratch pad :S
I have used my new mat for Hot Yoga twice now and it’s worked great both times! On Sunday we did an intense warrior series in the middle of the Bikram poses (I adore the fact that when the instructors at this studio teach Bikram they aren’t all cult-ish and strict and *sometimes* waive from the 26 poses, warrior sequences are my favourite!)
Anyways, holding lunges + a 40 C room = LOTS of sweat. But I didn’t slip at all on my new mat! It worked great!
Well, I’m sure you guys have entered a million CSN giveaways by now and know the drill! I am giving away a $30 CSN Gift Card to any of CSN’s over 200 stores.
All you gotta do is comment on this blog post and tell me if you practice yoga or not, what your favourite kind of yoga is and why! I’ve decided to only allow one entry per person for this giveaway but it’s an easy one to enter 
I’ll go first.
I do practice yoga regularly. The Hot Yoga studio I go too teaches mostly Bikram, but they occasionally have guest instructors come in and teach Moksha and Flow (Vinayasa) Yoga. Bikram is growing on me (I hated it the first few times I tried it). Anyways, now that I practice Bikram regularly I do enjoy it more but Vinayasa Yoga will always hold a special place in my heart. I LOVE flowy yoga with downward dogs, warrior series and chataranga’s!
I have to say, though. Practicing in the hot room is amazing. Any kind of yoga in the hot room is A-OK with me! I am SO relaxed at the end of a Hot Yoga class that I end up lying in the hot room in savasana for 10-15 minutes every time. Something about sweating that much makes your body feel so amazing.
So, tell me, do you practice yoga AND if you do, what kind is your favourite and why? If you don’t, why not?
*This giveaway will end at 9:00 PM PST on Tuesday, September 14*
{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }
Oooh, what a great giveaway! (Love your new mat!) I practice Vinayasa Yoga as well and that’s really the only kind I’ve tried so far, but I love it. The classes I go to are one breath per motion and I love that because its keeps me moving and flowing and focused on my breathing.
I did hot yoga for a month in July, and it was FANTASTIC. It’s so relaxing and re-centring, and extremely peaceful, especially when it’s by candlelight. I only wish it weren’t so expensive here in the city – I need to work on recreating the effect at home. Space heaters and tracksuits here we come!
LOVELY mat, btw!
I believe I “sort of” practice yoga. I think it’s great if you’re into it, but am not a fan of traditional yoga as a workout. I do, however, do yoga fusion sessions where cardio is incorporated into the moves. It makes me a much more satisfied chica.
Don’t tell Bikram they add in additional poses!
I practice Anusara yoga–flowing with grace or opening your heart.
Namaste. =)
Well I probably shouldn’t be calling it “Bikram”. They call it “Hot Yoga” and don’t refer to Bikram. (But it mostly consists of the Bikram poses/breathing)
I have poor flexibility and poor balance, so the thought of going for an actual yoga class would probably be embarrassing. For awhile I was trying the yoga moves on our Wii Fit program though, and I was enjoying it. I have to start using it again.
I used to practice yoga. I miss yoga. Flow yoga was something I looked forward to doing with my mom every week. I’ve been dealing with weird health issues that cause me to be dizzy all the time so flipping around in different positions is not appealing at all anymore. One of many reasons I can’t wait to have this bizarre health issue resolved!
Having said that, gorgeous mat you have there. It will be calling you to practice.
I loved ballet growing up and was always flexible.
but due to a health issue I practice Gentle Yoga now.
I do not practice yoga. I briefly tried Vinyasa for three weeks in college, I liked it but with my busy grad school schedule I barely have time to run.
I don’t practice yoga, but I’ve been thinking more and more about it. I need one that’s good for people who usually are cardio junkies!
Wow! This is a great giveaway! I don’t do yoga, but I’ve been wanting to get into it I have done pilates for a few years and really enjoy it so I plan on giving yoga a try too!
Amber feel free to delete this one. I didn’t mean to enter twice!
I love yoga! The only yoga I get to practice though is what is offered at our gym. I would love to be able to do classes at a studio…and give hot yoga a try eventually.
I just got back from yoga : ) The gym at my school only has Vinyasa yoga, so luckily it’s my favorite too! I miss the hot yoga at the studio at home though : ( I love Vinyasa though for all the same reasons as you, I like quick movements or else my mind starts to go a little crazy.
My goal is to try to go 3 times a week too!
Great giveaway! I do a yoga video at home sometimes – “Yoga for Stress Relief”, but if I were to choose a class, it would be ashtanga, or if I’m feeling more mellow, hatha.
I don’t practice yoga regularly (or at all). But it’s something I’ve always been interested in trying – I guess I just haven’t bitten the bullet and gone to a class – definitely something I need to do. Like, now, haha.
I don’t really practice yoga, save for a few On Demand workouts I’ve done. I want to do it more, but don’t know if I’m brave enough to try a studio yet!
I LOVE yoga! I dont do it as often as I would like to, but I really, really love it.
I dont to a lot of traditional yoga, although I do like it, I prefer Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown style yoga. Its intense!
I’ve never gone to a yoga class, but I really want to try one day! I guess I haven’t because of the cost, my lack of free time, and I’m afraid of being absolutely embarrassed by my lack of flexibility.
The only kind of yoga I’ve done is for the Wii Fit, and I don’t know how much that counts. I did buy myself an at-home yoga DVD though, so we’ll see how that works out!
I practiced Vinyasa for a while last year, but I babysat a puppy for a friend who destroyed my mat and honestly haven’t had the opportunity (or time) to get one and get back into it
I love that you got a mat from CSN! They are so much fun to work with
I haven’t tried yoga yet because to be totally honest? I’m intimidated by it. And the place where I can do it for free is all windows & mirrors and I don’t like the idea of people watching me do my yoga (and I know other people do, ahem, men) especially since I’ll be a newbie. However, I really do want to try it! I think it would be really good for me 
I love yoga and all the different kinds! I especially love doing sun salutations and vinyasas! Your new yoga mat looks awesome. I really need a new yoga mat, mine got ravaged in the washing machine and has 2 huge gashes in it. Good luck with your challenge! You can do it!
No, I don’t practice yoga regularly and really have no good excuse as to why not, because I need it.
susitravl(at)gmail(dot)com
I LOVE YOGA!!!
Or the form of yoga that I know. I was doing Centurgy at Gold’s gym here in Regina. Its a combination of yoga and pilates. I think it totally kicks your butt! Core exercises and stretching = good Tammy!
I recently canceled my membership though, between working and farming.. no time for the gym. But I have a WII and Have been doing some Yoga on there!!
Thanks for the great challenge Ambular!!
xo
tam
I love that red mat! So fun. I had a pink one from Target that I just gave to my mom. I have a dark blue and a violet one now. Love having fun colors to use.
I like doing yoga at home, but also at Lifeforce Fitness (my boot camp class). I’ve done hot yoga before, but didn’t enjoy the instructors or studio in my town. I think the instructor makes a HUGE difference. Their voice, their attitude, the sequences they lead you through. Yoga is sooo good at bringing a peace to my inner self and helps to prevent running injuries.
With my recent running injury I really feel like I need to get back to doing yoga on a regular basis.
With my recent running injury I really feel like I need to get back to doing yoga on a regular basis. I want to try hot yoga someday soon.
I do like yoga but have not done it lately. I would like to try hot yoga though.
I have tried yoga once. It ended with me on the ground laughing at myself hysterically. I am not flexible. That mat is super cute though! I would do yoga just for that cute accessory!
I love yoga too- I do vinyasa in a hot room. I love it! I try to do it to help with stress relief but honestly I haven’t mastered that yet (oops). I really love it because of how it strong and flexible it makes me feel.
I’ve been doing yin yoga since it beginning of the year – it’s great after a stressful day at work
I actually just went to my first yoga class last Saturday. It was pretty good and I look forward to trying more classes. I was pretty sore afterwards.
Great giveaway!!
I have never tried yoga before, believe it or not!!
Can’t say I’m too good about doing yoga, but when I did do it 2-3x a week I was sooo flexible. Missing those days now — maybe I’ll go back!
I practice yoga on and off. I prefer kundalini yoga by DVDs over the hatha yoga that’s offered locally.
I love your yoga matt! It’s so cute!
I don’t really practice yoga, I must say… I did it occasionally last summer at my Y. They called it ‘fitness yoga’. I have never tried a class at an actual studio. I am afraid to try it because I might love it and it’s so gosh darn expensive! There is one instructor at the Y that I really like, so once marathon training is over, I will probably make a habit of going to that class hopefully…
I’ve tried several different types of yoga over the years: Iyengar, Hatha, Restorative, and just recently Bikram. I’m still learning to love the Bikram but it does make me feel amazing. It’s an incredible detox!
Glad my kitten isn’t the only one to think that yoga mats are great scratching posts! Yeesh!
I wish I could get into yoga. I can’t though. I’m not flexible at all. However the last time I tried was in high school so maybe I should try it again!!!
That mat is GORGEOUS! I do like yoga but I need to do it more, especially from home. I like doing Vinyasa, it helps me build strength and challenges me. I always feel better after!
Hi Amber!
I don’t do yoga regularly, but I have tried Bikram and it was SO intense! I actually didn’t like it because the heat was just too much. The benefits didn’t translate into my cooler-temperatured normal life. However, I have been meaning to try another form of yoga for so long now (this seems to be a common theme with many of the commenters here). So yeah, it’s basically just a matter of getting out there and trying it!
Good luck with your marathon training
I LOVE Bikram yoga!! So much so that I’m practically bouncing off the walls reading your post! I’ve found so many great running blogs and not a one on hot yoga. This is such a treat! Sadly, yoga has been aggrevating an injury of mine these days and I haven’t been able to go as much as I would like. Good luck taking advantage of the unlimited month!
Hey…sorry about the triple post. I’m not that over zealous. My computer just froze up and I thought it wasn’t going through.
Love the yoga mat and I’m missing hot yoga, that’s a great deal!
Now that fall’s here, I’m going to poke my nose around and try and find which studio has the best/cheapest hot yoga room…but I also want to get back into the climbing gym, so it’s going to be a financial toss up between the two.
Great job on the run! Miss you…it feels so weird not to be headed back to the classroom with the whole J-gang!
I did yoga at a studio for awhile when I got a Groupon deal, and I loved it so much. I like doing it at home too, but it’s not the same at all. One of my goals is to one day join a studio. Whenever I can afford it!
I do dance and fitness classes, but not Yoga. Not really sure why not. Maybe I’m too much of a mover and a shaker? I should give it a go though, since I have many girlfriends who rant and rave about it.
I’m new to yoga, but I love what I’ve tried! I even enrolled in a hatha yoga course (I think that’s what it was?). I was so nervous when I first started, but it’s such a nice way to spend an hour. I need to get back into it!
There’s been times when I’ve gone on yoga kicks. I took a class in college, and pretty regularly did a dvd through parts of high school. I definitely noticed the positive effects on my body doing it, and while I do enjoy actually doing yoga, I’m far to lazy to actually do it regularly
I don’t really do yoga – I’ve tried it a few times, it’s just not my favorite choice for a workout.
I’m not currently practicing yoga. I’ve found that I lose more weight and get in shape quicker when I do more aerobic/cardio type workouts. Your new mat looks pretty cool though!
sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com
Oh, I miss vinyasa – I really like the way the breathing is coordinated with the movements between poses. Now I have access only to what I would call “geriatric” yoga. Not really sure what kind it is, but it’s a lot of basic stretching and I am the youngest in the class by about 20 years, and I’m no spring chicken. But it’s super convenient, and I can’t complain because any yoga is good yoga in my book!
What a fun new mat! I need to be getting one for myself because I have fallen in love with yoga recently. I took a few hot yoga classes and would love to continue, but they are really expensive, so I have been taking yoga classes at my local YMCA and loving it!
I’ve never done yoga =X
I’m pretty overweight to be honest, and have just started Tai Chi woot! It’s heaps fun and a gentle way to start getting into exercise. It is a lot of squats and balance and standing on one leg so thats getting me a lot more balanced then I ever have been. I have always toyed with the idea of starting up yoga but the beginner classes are a little expensive. I might just put away $5 a week if I can towards it. Especially after looking at your mat (and checking out the website and seeing another mat I really adore) I think I might look into starting it again. That and I have absolutely no upper body strength and a chest size of 36K that I think would most definately get in the way. But I have a goal to be able to do a cartwheel in about a years time so I guess yoga would most definately get me towarsd taht goal, I would love to try it one day.
I tried yoga once and really sucked at it!
Elenna {AT] sbcglobal [DOT] net
I’ve taken some yoga classes and enjoyed it. I don’t know what “kind” of yoga it was.
HobartsMama {AT} AOL.COM
I do not practice Yoga regularly. I wish I did though! My good friend that is a group fitness instructor teaches it every once in awhile, but around here I don’t think the trend has really caught on… I thought about finding some classes online or finding some on FitTv to try at home, because I have a good feeling that I will love it.
I used to do a little yoga and I need to start again. It was so refreshing!
I have not tried yoga yet but I keep hearing good things about it. I defintely want to try it out sometime!
I haven’t tried yoga yet. No Experience. Some people did me their experience.
JK
@Buy TV Stands