Style Guides:
The Ecofabulous Guide to Yoga
This guide is presented by PURE organic bars.
September is National Yoga Month, and in celebration of the practice that so many of us at ecofabulous HQ hold dear (before founding ecofabulous, Zem had started creating an eco-friendly yoga apparel line of her own!), we wanted to offer a guide of our favorite companies and products. While yoga is a beautiful thing, many of the products that support your poses are anything but healthy. We believe that everything associated with yoga should be as conscious as your asanas so we’ve curated a list of top yoga apparel and accessories just for you. Read below to learn how you can ditch the PVC-laden mat for one made of natural tapped rubber (and recycle your old one!), and commit to purchasing apparel that is produced without pesticides. Enjoy!
| The Hyde Life: This small New York-based company combines high quality organic cotton from Turkey, adds a touch of spandex for a little stretch, and then brightens the whole package with gentle soy-based inks to create some of the softest pants and tops in the most brilliant colors, like the skye tank pictured here ($40). |
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| Strike a Perfect Pose: PrAna’s yoga apparel collection features materials like hemp, organic cotton, and recycled polyester for some of the best fitting duds we’ve tested. The Sonja top, with its slim racerback straps and shirred front, is perfectly designed to show off those sculpted shoulders ($46). |
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| Wise Woman: Bay Area-based Clary Sage Organics designs and produces their fashionably feminine eco-friendly yoga line locally from organic and sustainable fabrics. We love the attention to detail with ruching and delicate lingerie-inspired trim, plus their hot shorts are… well, HOT ($48). |
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| Studio to Street Cred: While it still hasn’t become fashionable to wear your pj’s all day long (as much as we’re tempted to push the limits of casual Friday), wearing your sustainable yoga gear from 8 to 5 just got a whole lot easier, and way more hip thanks to Yoga Tribe and Culture. |
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| Layers of Consciousness: The Ramblers Way line of high quality basics are made of the softest worsted wool you’ve ever felt. The extra long women’s camisole ($55) is great as a base layer for yoga, while the other pieces were made for post-class comfort. |
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| Cool as a Cat: For days when you don’t feel like getting into skin-tight garb, turn to Prancing Leopard’s Aix-en-Provence Jumpsuit in organic cotton for a free-flowing studio onesie that will double as an outfit for an evening out ($147). |
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| Post-Class Presence: This California cozy-meets-rocker-chic bamboo fleece cover-up will bring the warmth long after Bikhram’s over ($248). We also love the Monroe racerback top for its sexy-even-when-sweaty appeal ($79). |
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| Twinkle Toes: For yogis trying to increase the spread and strength of their toes, these organic cotton socks will bring increased balance, thanks to the genius patented non-slip soles ($15). |
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| Getting Jaded: Hands down the best eco-friendly yoga mat option available is natural tapped rubber. Jade’s Harmony mat is still one of our favorites. Tapped from a rubber tree, the rapidly renewable material provides traction and comfort without the toxic chemicals found in conventional PVC mats ($59.95). |
| Whether Reuse or Reincarnation: A Mat Recycling Kit is offered for $5 with the purchase of any natural tapped rubber yoga mat from Manduka. The company gives the yoga mat to an organization that will find a second life for it, whether reuse or mat reincarnation. |
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| That’s Y: Most bags that make transporting your mat a little less clumsy are made of petroleum based material or pesticide-laden conventional cotton. Made of organic cotton using low-impact dyes, Y Sadhana Yoga Bags have an extra long zip for easy access and an additional pocket for car keys or a cell phone ($62.95). |
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| Building Blocks: Like natural latex, cork is a rapidly renewable material - it’s actually the bark of a cork oak tree that can be shaved every nine years. Plus it’s super comfortable underfoot (or bum or hand) as a brick to help aid or extend certain poses ($14.98). |
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| Blanket Statement: Great as a prop for yoga, this recycled fiber plaid blanket works for sun salutations in the park followed by a picnic for two ($34.95)! |
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| A Drink for Mind and Matter: Both Balance (for pre-practice) and Vitality (for post-practice) are chock full of all the good stuff and none of the bad – YogaEarth products are made without preservatives, additives, artificial flavors or coloring commonly found in flashy sports drinks today ($59.99 for 30). |
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| Bar None: In a world full of energy bars, Pure Barsstand out among the rest. Made with certified organic ingredients, the bars are raw, gluten-free, vegan, kosher, and totally delicious ($21.99 for box of 12)!*sponsored listing |
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| Balm & Breathe Deeply: Calm, center and balance your inner yogi with a Badger Balm. Dab a little of the yoga & meditation balm (the main ingredients include oils from the bark of Cedarwood and Sandalwood trees) onto temples or under your nose and then just relax and breathe it all in ($8). |
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| Relief in a Bottle: Choose from a roll-on or dropper bottle filled with organic and wild-crafted oil blends for some post-practice pampering. The True Relaxation Muscle Remedy uses basil to soothe and loosen tight muscles ($48). |
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| Soak Salutation: Buddha Nose’s line of organic products promote inner balance for outer beauty. Try the meditation bath salts for a tub time that will encourage self-reflection and relaxation ($24). |
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| With a Clean Conscience: Washing the ‘ol yoga mat in the tub can be kind of a serenity kill, but it needs to be done occasionally. It’s not just about the funky yoga stink – regular cleaning actually prolongs the life of your mat. Stirlen Chi’s non-toxic mat cleanser, mat refresher and mat wash are made with natural oils and extracts and are completely biodegradable. |
