4 Rules to Follow when Shopping for a Yogi: with bonus gift suggestions

Follow these rules when buying a gift for the yogi in your life:

1. Avoid waste. Get your yogi-friend something very usable rather than simply beautiful. Some go-to suggestions? 
1. A yoga class pass is a sure bet. All month long, if you buy an unlimited class pass gift card ($135 value), you receive a FREE tee "Namaste" teeshirt for your friend or your recipient.
2. Give food: a gift certificate for a juice cleanse, a case of kombucha, hand-crafted healthy fare from your local organic market, or - if you want to give a gift that keeps giving - a subscription to a CSA box service that will deliver fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies to your recipient each month.
2. Buy eco-friendly. Even if you weren't buying for a yogi, an eco-friendly gift is just the responsible way to spend money and resources. Our favorite eco yoga products?
1. Jade Yoga mats. If eco-friendly is the number one priority in your mat, go for Jade. The company is committed to organically-sourced yoga mats, and the quality is on par with any equally-priced yoga mat. 

2. Patagonia Provisions. This is Patagonia's line of camping food, such as fruit and nut bars, buffalo jerky and black bean soup. Like everything Patagonia makes, these products are environmentally responsible and tell a wonderful story about our world.
3. Give an experience. Yoga is all about experiencing each present moment, and you can help your recipient do just that. Some amazing yoga experiences?
1. Biggest budget: teacher training or retreat
2. Little less dough: tickets to a yoga festival
3. Nice but not breaking the bank: A pre-purchased workshop with a favorite teacher
4. An easy way to make it happen: Take your loved one to a class and brunch. 
4. Help them take their yoga home. Everyone is looking for ways to deepen a practice, and yoga at home is the best way to do just that. Here are some supplies your recipient would love:
1. A subscription to a yoga video service like YogaGlo, YogisAnonymous, Grokker, or a similar site
2. A set of props: 2 blocks, a blanket and a bolster are great starters
3. Books on philosophy to invite them deeper into the practice. Recommended: Meditations from the Mat, Light on Yoga/Light on Life, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, The Autobiography of a Yogi
4. Music and mantra to fill their home. Recommended: Snatam Kaur, Ram Dass, Girish, Wah!

Happy shopping.