small life, slow life

(The opinions in this blog are 100% my own and are in no way affiliated with/endorsed by lululemon athletica. Now that I’ve said that, on with the show!)

Haaaaaappy Friday, everyone!

Hope you have  a chunk of time, ’cause this blog’s a big one! I think I went a little crazy with everything I wanted to include!

So I have a little story for you.

© Cecily Breeding 2012

In the Los Angeles region, each lululemon athletica store has a chance to put on a special event on the 12th of the month. I am relatively new to the company and had never been to an Onthe12th event before, so when I found out that September was our store’s turn to put on a community event, I was really excited.

lululemon doesn’t just sell great workout gear – their intent is to elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness. (That’s a big mission – one that I can fully get behind!) There are a lot of ways the company does this, but one of them is being a part of the community and creating a space where people can live fun, longer and healthier lives together.

We whispered to our guests for several weeks about what our Onthe12th would be, but as far as how freaking rad it was, it surpassed even my expectations.

Guests showed up at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills wearing all black. They unrolled their mats, were given glow sticks, and proceeded to be led through the most amazing yoga/dance party I’ve ever seen  by ambassadors Jill Kennedy and Drorit Rudin.

Over 300 people came.

Yeah. That many.

It was totally insane!

© Cecily Breeding 2012

© Cecily Breeding 2012

© Cecily Breeding 2012

I brought along girlfriends Marianne and Elizabeth (you’ve seen them in this blog here and here), my man and my seventeen year-old sister Meaghan. Together, we downward-dogged, crescent-posed and danced like no one was watching. The electricity in the room was palpable – it was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced. One of the reasons I love working for lululemon is the amount of connection I now experience in my life. This night was a peak experience, for sure.

© Cecily Breeding 2012

If you haven’t done yoga before, I urge you to try it. Personally speaking, I am one of the most inflexible people ever and I still love it! The times I’m really rigid and stressed out, I can say with total certainty that it will be true that I haven’t practiced yoga recently.

If you want to see the short video, you can watch that here!

© Cecily Breeding 2012

All smiles before the 2+ hours of yoga/dancing began.

Unsuccessfully trying to get our “om” on!

It’s been a few weeks since our event now, but people are still talking about it. For me, I wish I could do something like that every couple of weeks. Three hundred people meditating at the same time creates crazy energy in the room – I’ve never experienced energy like that before.

Anyway! Thanks for reading, and now it’s time for some Friday link love!

It finally, FINALLY is beginning to feel like fall in Los Angeles. A Beautiful Mess posted a super yummy spicy chipotle sweet potato soup recipe that is perfect for shorter days. I am beyond obsessed with sweet potatoes lately – I usually just chop them into coins, drizzle avocado oil on them with salt and rosemary and throw ’em in the oven for 20 minutes. Do you have any good recipes?

I adore My Thought Catalog – have you ever checked it out? Anyway, Heidi Liu wrote a great autumnal post: Can’t We Just Wear Sweaters And Hug And Do Autumn-y Things Together For A Fixed Amount Of Time?

I loved this idea of placing little love notes to your partner in hidden places. C does this for me sometimes and it totally makes my whole day. I also have saved all of them! (Speaking of that, here’s a great article on lessons learned from writing love letters to strangers.)

The same author suggests that walking together may be the key to making a relationship last.

Um…can we just TALK about this portable kitchen for a second?! I want this! I want this so I can just ship it anywhere and live in little tiny houses all over the world!

Check out 7 Habits for an Awesome Start to Your Day. I’ll admit that I get bored with blogs that are always listing “10 Ways to be Happier” or “7 Ways to Get Over It,” but these tips are ACTUALLY SO AWESOME.

Leo Babauta wrote about facing uncertainty. This spoke to me specifically, as I notice myself doing it ALL the time:

• Become aware of your clinging. Watch yourself clinging to something when you feel fear and pain. What are you clinging to? Often it’s just an idea — the idea of you and a romantic partner, an image of who you are. Become aware of what’s going on.
• See the downsides of clinging. Once you see your clinging more clearly, see the pain that results from it. If you’re clinging to your stuff, see the space it takes up, and the extra rent that costs you … see the mental energy it takes to live with all the stuff, the money you’ve spent on it, the lack of space you have to live. Anything you cling to has a downside — we only see the good side of it, and so we want to cling to it.

For me, I notice myself clinging at work – I get attached to the thing I want to be doing, and feel a spike of resentment if I am pulled from that task. Within the last few weeks, I’ve noticed how ludicrous that is and I’ve been able to out myself to those I work with. Why on earth would I be attached to folding an entire pile of pants if a guest needs help? Why am I intent on organizing the lost and found items when there’s stuff in the back that needs to be brought out? And yet, I do it. Often, I also notice that the projects I get attached to are solitary endeavors while what I’m being asked (and not wanting) to do are chances to connect. Do you ever notice yourself avoiding connection?

Have you heard of Erin Condren’s life planners? A few of the girls at work have these and they are these amazing, big beautiful books – laminated, with pockets and your name (or initials) all over them. I think I definitely need one for 2013.

Is it just me or have manicures gotten a thousand times more interesting lately? the beauty department posted another fun nail tutorial.

Lisa Congdon is still in Norway and the pictures are still drop dead gorgeous.

So Many Places wrote about finishing up their time in Ecuador. The pictures of their stay in Baños are amazing!

I was completely wrong about the new Tegan and Sara single “Closer.” I love it. Can’t stop listening to it.

I also discovered Sucre this week. MAJOR LOVE. The sweetness of her voice and the way the beats change makes my ears do a sparkly-explody dance. The whole album is great, but “Chemical Reaction” might be my favorite right now:

And as always, here are some happy images to take you right through the weekend:

Have the best weekend ever, guys!