Last night, my (semi) local Lululemon held a special karma class. I rarely have reason to venture outside my own Moksha studio, but the lure of finally giving "The Mat" a hands-on (or perhaps, downward-dog on?) try, not to mention donating to a few CN Tower climbers who are fundraising for the WWF, got me out of the studio and onto the Lululemon store floor.
As I write this, I'm thinking I actually used the backside of the (reversible) mat. Which makes me feel stupid, but stress is my excuse. The side I used is actually partially made of recycled luon fabric, which is pretty cool. Being that that is NOT supposed to be the extra grippy side, I'm going to go out on a limb and say the other side is fantastic. On the luon side, I did have some minor slippage issues in my downward dog, but considering I must be the world's most sweaty female, my hands perspire even in the driest of yoga classes. My warriors didn't budge an inch.
I'm going to hazard a guess that the side that is intended to be grippy very likely is. My head was definitely in the clouds last night. When comparing to a Jade and a Manduka, I'm going to say that this mat is going to be my winner. The quality seems very comparable, and I like the price point(especially adding to the fact that after I take my Kids Yoga training next week, I'll be eligible for the R&D program). I also am partial to the colour pink!
When I buy the mat in a few weeks, I will give you the other half of the review! That half will be taking place in a sweaty studio as well, for the most accurate testing!
So, why was my head in the clouds? It turns out I am actually going to be taking my teacher training earlier... This July, in Toronto! I was experiencing a lot of mixed emotions when I heard a spot had opened for me and I had to choose. I was really looking forward to spending a month in Montreal, albeit most of it inside the studio. But, my studio is in dire need of teachers, and it means I don't have to wait 5 whole months to take the training. I ultimately decided Toronto was the way to go. I was grateful to a friend who reminded me that "things happen for a reason". I usually take that mindset, however I was so frustrated the thought didn't even occur to me. It just goes to show that when you are frustrated, it pays to take step back from all the emotion and look for the positives. I will just have to spend a weekend visiting Montreal in September anyhow :)
I started looking around on Kijiji and Craigslist for a place to stay closer to the studio (I live about 40 minutes away, depending on traffic, and the thought of all that pollution and wasted gas driving that far 6 days a week did not sit well with me!). I actually may have found the perfect situation, house and cat-sitting for 3 of the 4.5 weeks, only 4 km away from the studio. No pollution, and no rent either! I'm actually started to get excited about Toronto!
Namaste,
Callah
