We’ve long loved Diane Cesa’s blog Everything Yoga, a very down-to-earth, eye-opening look into the life of a yoga student (and yoga-therapist-in-training). Now Diane’s enlightened ThisNext with her newly added selection of yoga essentials, a sort of insider’s take on which props and products can help nurture your yoga practice. For toting your stuff to the studio, Diane recommends the Timbuk2’s Yoga Bag (“Not only does this bag look cool, but it’s very functional,” says Diane. “Plenty of room for water bottle, towel, block, strap, etc.”) That bag can carry your Manduka PurpleLite travel mat, a product that’s “thick enough to absorb shock but…compact enough to take on the road.” Once it comes time to hit the Manduka mat, Diane suggests using a Gaiam Yoga Board, which helps support your body in challenging poses. And to stay stylishly comfy while achieving those poses, Diane recommends donning Prana yoga pants (“I wear these all the time, whether I’m practicing yoga or not!” says Diane of her Prana gauchos).

Like Lori at Smart Lemming, I’ve always been a stress ball with chronically tense shoulders who constantly forgets to breathe. But unlike Lori, I’ve yet to adopt a regular yoga practice as a way to “actively manage my health and stress levels.” Despite growing up as “the typical jock,” Lori’s picked up a copy of Gaiam’s A.M. & P.M. Yoga For Beginners DVDs, hosted by renowned teachers Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden. The result?

“I have to admit, I love it. While I don’t always start my day with yoga, I end my day with it and it actually makes me sleepy and calmer…When I’m done with my 20 to 30 minutes of P.M. yoga, most of the lactic acid is gone from my shoulders.”

Which sounds like a dream to me.

Our Nicole was schooled in yoga with the help of the DVDs as well, noting that they’re “relaxing while giving a good workout and perfect for any skill level.” And Kara gives props to A.M. & P.M. Yoga For Beginners and the entire spirit-based practice: “Yoga is a healthy supplement to any exercise routine,” she writes in her shopcast. “Good for the body and mind.”

Who wants to downward dog onto a yoga mat made with anything but healthy, nontoxic, eco-friendly materials? Certainly none of the yogis at ThisNext. When it comes to shopcasting that most essential of yoga tools, ThisNexters tend to talk up the greenness of their favorites, choosing mats with some element of health-promoting, planet-protecting power. Which shows yet again how conscious consumerism pervades the product picks on ThisNext: In a post from Lime.com’s Stuff We Like blog, Paul Freibott reveals that not every yoga mat is so worthy of becoming lovingly shopcasted:

“PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a hard plastic softened with plasticizers called phthalates, has been the most common material for modern yoga mats until recently. (Traditionally, cotton rugs were used.) Scientific studies have linked PVC or phthalates to a wide range of health problems, including cancer, kidney damage, lupus, allergies, and improper reproductive development and function…Moreover, even if phthalates turn out to be safe in low levels or certain uses, as the plastics industry hopes, PVC is not recyclable.”

That’s why our members choose PVC-free products such as the Harmony Fusion Yoga & Fitness Mat, recommended by Lara. In addition to boasting “super traction and cushioning,” the Harmony Fusion is “biodegradable, environmentally friendly, PVC free and compostable,” Lara says. That same combo of superior traction and eco-consciousness can be found in Hugger Mugger Earth Elements Yoga Mat, according to Kasha (“They don’t use latex, PVC or rubber to make it,” she explains. “This leaves why it has such good traction a bit of a mystery to me…but I’m not complaining!”) And for David and Willow, it’s all about Jade Harmony: “I can’t live without it,” says Willow of her Jade Harmony Travel Yoga Mat, while David is made for his mat because it’s “made out of rubber (pvc free!) and has great grip and feel to it.”

...continued: Green yoga

Even though I don’t do yoga, have never done yoga, and maybe never will do yoga, I still sometimes dream of treating myself to a lovely pair of yoga pants. Maybe it’s because I live right next to an American Apparel, which means that practically every time I leave my house I’m bound to encounter a pair of perfect mannequin-legs clad in some fantastic color of supersoft cotton. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for the very graceful look achieved by that quintessential yoga-pant drape, and I want to fake like I’m yoga-graceful too.

Among those who can actually manage a deftly executed downward dog, Lululemon Athletica emerges as one of the most popular brands of yoga wear. Matt Reyes describes the line as “incredible fabric creations with yoga designs in mind,” while Danielle insists that “yoga apparel never looked and felt so good.” Laura Cestone is particularly fond of Lululemon’s Boogie Pant (left), as the cropped flares are “easy to move in, from running to yoga.”

...continued: Be a yogi...or just look like one

While we very much value the health-related outcomes of working out (greater strength, better cardio function, enhanced energy, to name just a few), we’re not going to pretend like looking good isn’t one of our main motivations for running/biking/whatevering to the point of extreme sweatiness on a regular basis. So it makes sense that when we hit the gym, yoga studio, or trails, we prefer to pack our gear in a bag that’s uber-cute as well as super-functional.

Bored beyond belief with the pleather thing I picked up at Target last summer, I’ve been poking around for a gym bag more worthy of showing off. Of all my ThisNext discoveries, I’m most smitten with the adidas by Stella McCartney Tennis Bag picked by Princess Sarah. Somewhat unfortunate, since I haven’t played tennis since 1997. Then again, perhaps I should take a cue from Sarah herself: “I would take up tennis for this bag,” the princess proclaims.

...continued: Stylin' sports bags

Although I am no longer the (semi-)hardcore runner I used to be, there are still those days when I push myself hard enough to experience some considerable muscle ache later on. When that happens, I usually take the “whine and do nothing” approach to self-care. But the athletes of ThisNext, who know way more about this stuff than I do, each have his/her own secret solutions for soothing sore muscles.

Mariko Hirakawa, a yoga instructor and dancer, favors muscle rubs infused with naturally healing ingredients. First there’s Zip’s Muscle Rub from Indigo Wild, an essential-oil-based salve that works to ease pain in both your muscles and your joints. Says Mariko:

“It is my favorite muscle rub for sore, knotted muscles, because it contains natural, high quality oils that condition that skin, as well as healing herbs, such as angelica, arnica, and goldenseal, which truly aid in healing the muscles underneath. Plus, it has a pleasant, natural fragrance that has an aroma-therapeutic effect.”

Mariko also turns to the anti-inflammatory, analgesic Traumeel, noting that - even though it lacks “the penetrating feel that Ben Gay or Tiger Balm has” - the rub contains homeopathic remedies that “really speed the healing process.”

Those anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties are also found in Pharmanex FlexCreme, a menthol-based product proven effective by a Medical Journal of Rheumatology double-blind clinical study. In her FlexCreme shopcast, Kayaker Tanya Faux announces that “after shoulder surgery, it was the only thing that gave me instant pain relief.”

...continued: (Don't) feel the burn

Like about 60 million other Americans, I am sometimes prone to insomnia, which may have to do with my affection for caffeine, overall stressiness, and/or the fact that my cat is a big jerk who always wants to hang out and talk a lot at 4 a.m. To minimize my time spent staring at the ceiling for hours on end, I sleep with a lavender-stuffed teddy bear. You stick him in the microwave to warm him up, and the herbs inside (rosebud and hyssop and rosemary and so on, in addition to the lovely lavender) release their calming scent and gently help you drift off to dreamland. The whole nuking-the-teddy-bear ritual always feels a bit odd, but it works and generally keeps me from having to wake up at some dreadful hour and invariably end up contemplating the meaning of life (ick).

So many ThisNexters have their own inventive sleep solutions, a few of which are even more high-tech than my teddy bear. Like the Sleeptracker recommended by Jean and Ivar Zantinge: Worn like a watch, the device picks up on physical signals from your body, determines your best possible waking time, and then rouses you from sleep at just the right moment. And, having owned Select Comfort beds for two decades, Eric Hammond “can’t imagine going back to the other kind” (“No more sagging in the middle as the bed gets older and my wife and I each have our own ‘sleep number’ to adjust our sides of the bed to different firmness levels,” says Eric of his Select Comfort Air Bed).

...continued: Sweet dreams

We all have our dreams. Some are just more unique than others. Take Paul at (At Least) One Cool Thing, for instance: “I’ve often said that if I am ever obscenely wealthy,” he writes in a recent post, “one of my eccentricities will be to never wear the same pair of socks twice. There is something about the new sock feel that puts an extra spring in your step.” Paul’s dream sock of choice is Thorlo athletic socks, which “retain that new sock feel even after dozen of washings.” Our own Gordon is a Thorlo fan as well, as evidenced by his Running Crew Socks shopcast (“A run without my Thorlos is always a bit sketchy, often ends in blisters,” Gordon points out).

...continued: ThisNext will knock your socks off

You’ve got your cute yoga pants, your trusty mat, your bottle of water for lots of happy hydration. But what else should you bring to yoga class? Eager to share the good vibes, the yogis around the ThisNext neighborhood have a few suggestions for products that can help make your trip to the yoga studio a much more blissful experience.

First there’s the Yogitoes Skidless Mat Towel, a moisture-absorbing microfiber item featuring lots of little nubs to give you some good grip. Cheena Chandra promises “you will never slip on your yoga mat again!”, while Gail Goldberg’s shopcast calls the towel an “essential for yogis—especially if you sweat.” Matt Reyes, meanwhile, includes the pick on his Yoga Hop list because “you can wash them easily, the colors are great, and they keep your hands and feet from sliding.”

...continued: ThisNext's yoga essentials

How do you cope with everyday tension? Massage? Meditation? Bottle of wine? A quick search for “stress” on ThisNext reveals our shopcasters’ widely varying but always ingenious methods of shaking off the mounting stress of the modern world: There are fun toys and pretty-smelling self-care products, even one member’s recommendation for her much-beloved chiropractor. And while it may seem most unlikely that a plushie toy or bath salt could be your key to keeping healthy, finding those ever-reliable ways to mellow out and calm your nerves is crucial to staving off sickness. With stress linked to so many health conditions – everything from ulcers and TMJ to heart disease and weakened immunity – these ThisNext picks just might be virtual lifesavers.

...continued: ThisNext gets de-stressed

If you’re not taking along your own yoga mat to the gym or studio, you might want to at least pack some cleansing wipes: Daily Mantra shares a recent New York Times article about communal mat cleanliness, pointing out that the mats “could house infectious germs due to their inability to be well cleaned.” The editor of Daily Mantra - a blog about everything from health and the environment to divination and dreams - shares her mat-cleaning secret with one commenter: “[J]ust throw them in the washing machine on cold with some Woolite, and then lay them over a chair to dry. They get extra sticky and it’s really easy!”

What if you lived in a planned community where hiking trails, spas, gyms, and a team of nutritionists, personal trainers, and other health professionals were readily available nearly 24/7? At wellness blog The Oasis, Ellen Britt writes about “wellness communities” where keeping healthy is a neighborhood endeavor - and the rents are sky-high.

For the modestly salaried among us who still want to live well, Ellen offers some suggestions on creating your own at-home wellness center. A few of our favorites:

“Set aside a mini-spa day for yourself at home. Be sure to plan for one and a half to two hours when you won’t be interrupted. Be creative and formulate your own routine. Put on some relaxing music. Add your favorite bath salts to a hot tub of water and soak your cares away. Take time to really relax. Slather on a moisturizing lotion after you get out. You get the idea!”

“Sign up for a new body class. Make a commitment to explore yoga, Pilates or even a martial art.”

“Take some time each day to quiet your mind, either by meditation or just listening to beautiful music.”

Yoga Chickie checks out two DVDs - Richard Freeman’s Ashtanga DVD and Sharath’s Primary Series DVD - that can help ashtanga yogis nurture their at-home practice. The verdict:

“If you’re looking for detailed instruction, Freeman is the way to go. He is beautiful, his voice is beautiful, his alignment and drishte instructions are amazingly detailed and precise and resonate (with me at least, given that I have a background in detailed and precise alignment instructions). He even goes so far as to instruct, ‘Smile softly to open up the back of the palate’, ‘Come up like you’re swimming into Samasthiti’ and ‘inhale straighten out the spine, open up the soles of the feet.’”

On the other hand:

“If you are looking for a led class to follow along with or even just a beautiful Ashtanga practice to watch from start to finish without any chat to interrupt the flow, then Sharath is the way to go…He leads his way through the Primary Series with minimal instruction, using instead the the Sanskrit counting tied to inhales and exhales that Guruji uses when he teaches on his world tours (and as I would guess he uses whenever he teaches led Primary). This is the kind of DVD that you use once you really KNOW the Primary Series and wish to take a led class without leaving your home.”

As I sit slumped over my laptop in shamefully bad posture, the idea of using a backbending bench seems like pure heaven. Lori at Yogalila recently had one custom-built, based on designs by Yoga Props (below) and IYogaProps. Described by Lori as “a wonderful tool/prop for yoga,” the bench can help tone your abs, stretch your shoulders and chest, ease menstrual cramps, and - of course - alleviate back pain.

Transitions recently discovered Chi Running, Danny Dreyer’s book about taking a yoga-, pilates- and tai-chi-like approach to running in order to prevent injury and get more joy out of your workouts. Eager to master the practice, the blogger quickly tried to incorporate all of Dreyer’s techniques (including keeping your arms at a 90-degree angle and your mind in “non-judging” mode) in one run. The result: lasting “almost a mile until I notice my heart rate up around 90%.” Lessons learned, according to Transitions:

1. Follow the guidelines in the freaking book

2. Don’t do too much at once.

3. Patience! Doing correct posture for 100 feet doesn’t mean mastery!