Love My Mat

Have a party! 🥳 Invite your friends. Invite your neighbours. Invite families from your kids school. Invite your friends to bring a new friend. Reach out to your community to build an even larger community. When we come together in fun times, it makes it easier to come together in challenging times. When you know your neighbours and your community, you have more resources. You can all support each other in your businesses or work places. You can share resources and contacts. Plus, you’ll have fun! Cause who doesn’t love a good party? Put out some snacks, play some games or do whatever you love. Just do it with your community Want to make it even more sustainable? Don’t use any disposables. Instead, ask everyone to bring their own plate and cutlery. Use cloth napkins. Get food from a local restaurant or cafe. Serve tap water instead of bottled water. Reach out and make new friends. I promise your life, your community and the earth will be better for it! #microsustainable #communitybuilding #sharethelove #partytime #lovethyneighbor

Micro-Sustainable Monday Tip = Use Less Electricity I’ve recently ditched my AirPods and gone back to my corded headphones. The corded headphones don’t require electricity ⚡️ They’ll never run out of power 💪 They don’t emit radiation ☢️ (please correct if I’m wrong) Basically let’s try to reduce our power consumption. Remember that every choice we make to reduce our emissions helps the earth we love & need. What are you doing to make small changes that can have a big impact??? #sustainabliving #reducewaste #uselesselectricity #wiredheadphones

These cushions aren’t just for meditation. Our Modern Zafus and Sit Pillows help correct your posture. And when you sit in good posture, it helps to relieve back pain. Finding the right size cushion is key 🔑 When you sit cross-legged, you want your knees to be below hip level. That allows the hip flexors to soften and helps takes pressure off the low back. Our cushions allow you to sit taller and re-train the muscles of your back to hold you up better. Making more space for breath. More ease in your body. And more awareness. Have you tried our cushions? Come into the shop and we’ll help you determine which size cushion is best for you. We’re open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for free Sitting Fittings! Hope to see you soon! #meditationcushion #betterposture #floorcushion #madeincanada #sittingfitting

Small changes for big impact. That’s what Micro-Sustainable Mondays are all about. Today I’m encouraging you to sweep your floors instead of using your vacuum. 🧹 A vacuum requires power - that you have to pay for. Sweeping just requires your time - and not any more time than vacuuming anyways. So why wouldn’t you sweep? So this micro-sustainable switch actually saves you money 💰 Try sweeping instead of vacuuming this week and let me know what you think? Did it take more time, less time or the same time? Did your floors look and feel more clean? Did you save a few cents? #sweep #cordlessvacuum #keepitclean #sustainableliving #uselesspower

Traditional or Long & Lean? Which bolster size do you like best? If you’re not sure which bolsters size is best for you, let me explain the difference between the two. Traditional Bolsters are 24” long x 10” wide x 5” deep These are the standard size that have been around since the 1960’s. You’ll find them from most bolster supplier and in many yoga studios. Traditional Bolsters are great for any type of Restorative Yoga because they offer a wide surface to support your body. Long & Lean Bolsters are 28” long x 8.5” wide x 4.5” deep. I designed this size after years of practicing yoga, teaching yoga and working as a yoga therapist assistant at a physio clinic. What I found was that most of my clients at the clinic needed chest openers and backbends to counteract all the sitting and time spent in spinal flexion most of their days. But Traditional Bolsters we’re too wide to allow their chest to stretch open and too short to support their whole spine. So I designed this bolster for modern western bodies. It’s longer and leaner to address the issues that our bodies have from living in this modern world. The Long & Lean Bolsters is best for Yin Yoga, Hatha Yoga or any type of body work designed to open the chest, heart and shoulders. Let me know if you have more specific questions about our bolsters or other yoga props. I love helping people find the right props for their practice. #yogaprops #hathayogateacher #chestopener #yogabolster #restorativeyoga #yogateachers

Shop Local - Shop Sustainable Doing what you can, when you can. That’s what micro-sustainability is all about. You don’t have to change all your buying habits today. But I do encourage you to buy more things that are made locally when available. If it’s not made local - make sure it’s made with sustainable and/or ethical practices. Or maybe you can purchase and non-locally made item from a local supplier? That’s great too! For Micro-Sustainable Monday I’m asking you to make conscious decisions about the products you purchase. #sustainableliving #nomoreamazon #shoplocally #supportlocal #alwaysdoyourbest

MICRO-SUSTAINABLE MONDAY - Sharing books with our community through Free Little Libraries. We had a snow day last week. The schools were closed so the boys and I walked around our neighbourhood and dropped off a bunch of books we were done with at 3 different Little Free Libraries. I love this concept of sharing with our community. We left lots of books for others and found two new books that the boys are excited to read. The best part? When we’re done with these books, we can drop them off again to be shared and enjoyed by others. Sharing = Sustainability If you’re done with something, offer it to a friend or neighbour before discarding it. If you need something - can you borrow from a friend or neighbour before buying it new? Sustainable living doesn’t have to cost lots of time or money. There are so many easy and free things you can do to live creating a little less waste. #sustainableliving #lowwasteliving #littlefreelibrary #sharemore #lovebooks #communityfirst

A quick little full body workout you can do with a set of 5Lbs Sandbags or Hand Weights. Strengthens & stretches hamstrings Works biceps & triceps Tones core muscles (abs & back) Sculpts shoulders & pecs Save this video to try it later and let me know if you liked this little sequence. I’d also appreciate it if you liked this reel or shared it with a friend. And let me know what else you want to see us sharing here. Thank you for being here 🙏😘☺️ #homeworkouts #yogawithweights #totalbodyworkout #sandbags #madeincanada

A little more about our Everyday Tote Bags 100% Made in Canada 🇨🇦 Handmade using re-purposed textiles Lots of Pockets! Comfy straps Holds everything without feeling too big Machine washable & dryable Made in small batches for unique designs Sustainability without sacrificing style. That’s what we’re all about here at Love My Mat. Creating useful goods out of discarded goods so you can Do Good & Feel Good 😊 #sustainableliving #sustainablestyle #totebags #madeincanada

A lovely little floor flow you can save and try later. I support my knees with our flax-filled Knee Pillows to make sure I don’t experience knee pain in these poses. If you don’t have Knee Pillows you can use a blanket or towel or pillow to protect your knees. Just make sure that whatever you’re resting on doesn’t lift you too high off the ground, or it will be difficult to keep a neutral spine throughout these exercises. This yoga floor flow will help stretch & open your whole body. The spine moves in Cat/Cow Hope flexors open in low lunge Chest & shoulders stretch in the twisted low lunge Hamstrings get a good stretch from Monkey Pose Big chest opening in Camel pose The back body releases in Child’s Pose Make sure you do this flow on both sides to treat your body evenly and with love. 😘 Don’t forgot to like this post, share with a friend who needs it and save it so you can do the flow yourself. Let me know if you like this and if I should post more yoga flows 👇🏾 • yoga sequence • knee pain relief • beginner yoga • yoga props •

I can’t stress this enough… everything we need already exists. I love handwritten notes and lists. I’m constantly leaving them around the shop and my home. But I don’t buy all the new, cute little note pad or note books I’m tempted to. Instead, I cut up all the paper that comes into our home to create note sheets. Today, I’ve cut up a 2024 calendar. But I also cut up paperwork from my kids school, bank statements, junk mail and even my kids old artwork. This way i’m to reduce the amount of precious trees that get cut down in the name of paper products. There are so many simple & free ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Get creative. Use what you have before buying something new. Repair before you replace. Borrow from a friend or neighbour. Repurpose things. Give things you no longer need away - try free groups on Facebook. What are you doing to reduce your waste???

It’s okay to wear the same outfit over and over again, you know 😘 This week for Micro-Sustainable Monday, I’m asking you to consider re-wearing your clothes for as long as possible. Because the longer you keep your clothes, the less clothes you need to buy. Buy better clothing and take better care of it. Shop your closet and re-style what you have, before buying something new. Forget trends and dress in what makes you feel good. There are more clothes on the earth than humans could possibly need. Please consider using what you have before buying something new. I thank you. The earth thanks you. Micro-Sustainability • Say No to Fast Fashion • Shop Your Closet • Use What You Have