Seeking Soul in Sun City

While sun-soaking, wake-boarding and wine-sipping may be Kelowna BC's three favourite summer lifestyle choices, our visit last weekend revealed a more soulful side to this Okanagan lake front town.

First up was Oranj, a new dance, yoga and fitness space featuring three serene studios with gleaming wood floors, high ceilings and a cheery, urban decor. Oranj offers 100 classes a week ranging from a kettlebell bootcamp, ballet and various styles of yoga.

Managed by the personable Sheila Chutskoff, formerly of lululemon, Oranj hosted my partner, Eoin Finn for two sold out workshops, Superflow Yoga and Yoga for Happiness, both of which featured packed bodies in a room, moving, flowing and breathing their way to a deeper bliss.

And for those in-between yoga libations, we discovered the Chai Baba Tea House, a funky zen meets urban tea bar in downtown Kelowna. Tina Pritchard, the resident Tea Goddess and owner, presses her custom blends of tea through a high-pressure tea-spresso, which incidentally looks just like a professional espresso machine.

"It's one of the first of its kind in North America," she beamed.

You can taste the difference, Chai Baba's iced tea elixirs made from the tea-spresso were rich, fragrant and full of all those beneficial tea anti-oxidants. Of the creative options on the menu, my favorite was the Shiva Shakti, a blend of yerba mate and elderberry blossom that tasted just like summer. Eoin, who loves green tea, sampled the Ninja Cha, an enlivening blend of Hojicha tea, vanilla and chai spices. mmm

Chai Baba has about 85 different loose leaf tea varieties, many of them organic, as well as premium coffee and some vegan treats.

Oranj Dance is located at 529 Lawrence Avenue. Phone: 250.448.5749

Chai Baba is at 104-1289 Ellis Street, Kelowna. Phone: 250-717-5616

yep, if its yoga, you gotta connect to your bandha's

michele daignault had a vision, to design a beautiful, sturdy bag to tote her belongings and yoga gear around while globe-trotting her way around the planet.

In 2001, michelle spent six months studying yoga in India and fell sway to the colors of the country, the sounds, scents and sights of the landscape and began noting the intricate borders on sarees, the textures of hand-loom textiles. she felt inspired enough to return a year later to work with local tailors and local textiles and Bandha Accessories was born, a line of sturdy, well-made yoga and lifestyle accessories inspired by the heat and colours of India, yet suitable for anywhere you happen to be.

I have one of the "Sanskrit Yoga" mat bags, which are perfect for taking to outdoor yoga down at Kits beach in Vancouver, with eoin finn. there are zippered pockets for your keys, a wide strap that's comfy enough to throw over your shoulder while getting around on your cruiser bike and there's even room enough for a towel for that cool-off dip in Kit's Pool later. plus, they're made of pure handloom spun Indian cotton and come in a rainbow of earthy colours. the sanskrit yoga mat bags cost US $65 each and are available on the bandha e-shop.

summer eco-sale at greenloop


sourcing good quality and reasonably priced and stylish clothing is not always an easy task. thankfully, online boutiques such as greenloop have led the charge.

with an array of lines from Bono's and Ali Hewson's Edun, to recycled cashmere queen Deborah Lindquist, Greenloop has a fantastic selection, the site is easy to navigate and currently they are having an awesome summer sale, until July 20th.

so far, i have my eyes on a "Toggery" tunic dress, a summery top by Eco-skin and of course that staple, an Edun t'shirt with a funky screen - perfect for that pre and post yoga walk.

with the skies pouring sunshine onto UBC's thunderbird stadium last Saturday, the Yogathon and Blissfest could not help but light up Vancouver. the annual event raised over $100,000 for Camp Moomba, a summer camp for children impacted by HIV-AIDS from across Canada and radiated a big dose of positive energy.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

the scent of bliss

while the highlight for me at the yogathon is definitely the yoga - led by leading teachers in the community - and watching a sea of arms raised in unison to the skies, yoguestyle was also enthralled by the blissfest, a gathering of local businesses and organizations promoting the sustainable yoga lifestyle.

"we love this event" said Arline Trividic, R.A.H.P. a certified aromatherapist, who is the owner of smell this! aromatherapy and we love "smell this!", especially their Warrior Wash line of yoga mat cleaning products. A blend of high-quality essential oils including witch hazel, lavender, eucalyptus, pine and tea-tree, the warrior wash mat cleanser is available in an easily refillable spray bottle, that will freshen and cleanse your mat, perfect for some aroma-purification, post a sweaty yoga flow.