Thursday, April 2, 2009

Notes on yoga gear

It's taken me a while to embrace the whole "wear as little clothing as you feel comfortable in" Bikram idea. But I'm there now. Even though my body image leaves a bit to be desired, I wear a tank top and shorts to most of my Bikram classes. And I've had to buy more shorts and tank tops, but due to circumstances, I really don't have a lot to spend on yoga clothes. So here are my picks for where to get yoga gear that is a good value.

Lululemon Outlet - Those of us in the Seattle area are lucky that we've got the Lululemon outlet a hour or so up the road in Burlington, Washington, just off I-5. It's one of those places that doesn't always have good stuff because it's an outlet, but if you're not super picky about wearing last season's colors/patterns, there are deals to be had. One of my better deals was 3 sports bras for $28. I believe the suggested retail on them was $42 EACH so $28 for all 3 is a pretty damn good deal. Also have picked up shorts for $12. The tank tops aren't usually much cheaper than they are on sale at the stores - usually $22-$25 at the outlet vs. $29-$34ish on sale at the stores. However I did get a couple of other mesh tops for $6 each around Christmas time so you never know what you'll find. The pants tend to be less discounted than other items and I don't think the signature Lululemon hoodies are discounted at all. But if you happen to be in the area, it's definitely worth a visit. I've also been to the Lululemon outlet in Vancouver and it's not nearly as good as the Burlington outlet. It's off the beaten track in a somewhat sketchy part of Vancouver, it's small and the prices weren't great. It's much better to stop in Burlington on your way back to Seattle from Vancouver!

REI or REI.com - I've gotten some Prana stuff on sale/clearance from REI and REI.com. I don't like Prana tops that much. Some of their fabric patterns are really cute, but the sizing seems inconsistent and the tops don't seem as durable as my Lululemon stuff. However, the Izzie shorts are AWESOME! Love them!

eBay - I've bought lots of Prana and Yogitoes headbands as well as all of my Yogitoes towels from eBay. Be sure to consider shipping charges before you bid, but there are still some deals to be had.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I just left a comment on the heidi jo blog but I was so impressed with Mika Yoga Wear's shorts and tops that I wanted to share again. http://www.mikayogawear.com/ is their website. I really appreciated the high quality and actually pretty inexpensive clothing line for Bikram and other types of Yoga. Check it out. My girlfriend loves them.