Wicked Yoga

Halloween is the official kick off to the holiday season. (at least I think so- and personally believe we deserve a day off of work in it’s honor. Halloween got robbed.) It is also the official kick off to ignoring your waistline and divulging in all that the season has to offer. Whether it’s massive amounts of candy, sinking your teeth into a slice of pumpkin pie, or getting buzzed off egg nog spiked with your choice of liquor to cope with your family being in town, it’s hard to carry over your rock hard bod from summer to fall. But Lululemon says otherwise.

Usually when I get Facebook invites I ignore them (much like the pokes from the creepy kid you went to grade school with) but when I noticed an event invite from Lululemon called “Wicked Yoga” I decided to check it out. Now I know I have blogged about yoga at Lululemon before but this event was so cool and unique that I have to tell you guys about it.  As the days went on I noticed the Facebook invite had over 100 “attending” RSVPs. “How in the hell are they gonna fit all those people up in there?”

Well on Friday night, I got my answer. But first, we had to come up with costumes. Let me tell you- it is not easy to come up with a Halloween costume that it appropriate for yoga. Ryan asked around on the Facebook invite and to our surprise we got a lot of feedback. After some deliberation we decided to go the ninja route. It consisted of black on black on black outfits accessorized with headbands, belts and arm bands made out of an old red tee. (so professional) At the last-minute we decided we needed “weapons” and crafted some ninja stars (cardboard and aluminum foil) and some nunchucks (Gasparilla beads and cardstock) Once our makeshift costumes looked presentable we walked over to Hyde Park.

At first we were unsure of where to go but had a pretty good idea to follow everyone in costumes carrying yoga mats and just like that I had my answer about where all these people were gonna fit.  We would be doing yoga on the top of the parking garage by Timpanos. Our first clues were the cobwebs and scary signs that adorned the stairwell on the way to the top. Once we got there we were asked to sign in and make our way outside. Literally, the coolest thing I have ever done. It was decorated with lights and props and there were 3 stages in the front where the instructors would stand and teach. Also, there was a DJ who played music to keep our Halloween spirits high. Did I mention how many people were there? Clearly the Facebook invite was true to form as there had to be nearly 100 people, all decked out. One girl was even a tree and was covered in leaves. (I can’t imagine how comfortable that was for her but to each their own).

Once 8pm rolled around, the instructors took their places and we began. They introduced themselves and we learned we would be taking class from Chay Prieto and Justin Rockett of Yogani Studios.  Since it was such a large crowd Chay and Justin spoke through microphones so the people in the back were able to hear. As this was Lulu’s first “Wicked Yoga” event, I have to say-  it was extremely well thought out and organized, so kudos to them. The poses we did were a little repetitive but with so many people of all ages and experience levels it was probably for the best. About 3/4 of the way through, just when things were starting to wear down…Thriller came on.

For the next 15 minutes we were instructed on the different dance moves and we became sort of  an impromptu flashmob. It was so much fun and everyone was really into it. Once that was over we went back into yoga mode 😦 .  After about another 20 minutes and a nice sing along, the Wicked Yoga had come to an end. On the way out there was a complimentary Lululemon goodie bag full of candy, free yoga class passes, and some other informational items. They were also giving away Smoothie King and had different set ups for photo ops. Score!

On the walk home the boys and I discussed what a great event it was and how happy we were to be a part of it. It was nice to take time out of our Friday night and join other South Tampanians (?) to do something positive for our bodies before the holiday season really picks up. Thanks to Lululemon, Chay and Justin for such an awesome event. We had a blast!!

xo- Allison