create a retreat at home

Yoga retreats and festivals like Wanderlust are great ways to eliminate the day-to-day stresses and restore your life’s natural equilibrium. What do you do when day-to-day stresses don’t let you get away from it all? When we asked on Facebook and Twitter how you re-energize at home, the common themes were eats & drinks, exercise and a little bit of pampering.

eat

Comfort foods, like mac & cheese or chocolate, score highly as easy stress relievers, as do eating out at a favourite restaurant. When it comes to relaxing drinks, the jury is still out as to whether a cup of herbal tea (green, chamomile, jasmine, etc.)  or a glass of wine is the most effective for dispatching distress.

exercise

The majority of us regain control through yoga but there is a definite contingent that exercises to music, whether it’s throwing on our iPods and running or cutting loose with an impromptu dance party. The surprise entry into this category was house-cleaning. While some swore off chores, others swore that cleaning the house from top to bottom left them in a brighter space, both figuratively and literally.

pamper

Bubbles. Bubbles. Bubbles. There’s something about bubble baths that makes us breathe deeply and relax - optional extras include scented candles and Epsom or lavender salts. A good hand cream or taking the time for a mani/pedi is another fantastic way to remind us all how much we value ourselves (and rightly so, we’re pretty awesome).

Obviously, the ideal home retreat would include all three characteristics (although we’re pretty sure that running in the bath while holding a glass of wine is a bad idea). The fundamental essence is to forget the small stuff and to focus on what you’re doing: the taste and texture of wine; the meditative zone of yoga or running (or vacuuming) and the muscle-relaxing heat of a deep bath.

meet andrea

what are you up to now on the design team?

I am the colour designer and trim hardware designer at lululemon. (But in the past eight years I have done everything from garment design, to material design, to leading the design team at lululemon.)

why do you love working at lululemon?

I love working at lululemon because it is a place that inspires greatness. It is an environment that encourages you to think outside the box and create without limitations. Everyone at lululemon wants to be there and therefore is an inspiration to work with. It is also a company that supports not only your work goals but your personal life goals as well.

why call Vancouver home?

Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is lush and green and energetic yet laid back. The proximity to world class mountains for snowboarding & amazing surf along the Vancouver Island coastline is what has kept me on this coast thus far - and will keep me here for many years to come!

meet janine

how would you describe your role?

I am hiring and building the best athletic apparel team in the world. Finding rad people who are athletes and passionate about the brand and letting them shine, create and do what they are great at! I heart my job.

why do you choose to live in Vancouver?

It's a beautiful, west coast city with green mountains to play in and lots of people to play with. You are engulfed in ocean air with surfing and skiing close by and an awesome yoga community. Every band passes through Vancouver at some point. It’s a foodie city. An international hub connecting us to great cities easily.

meet shannon

what's your role at lululemon?

I am the lead designer of womens running and outerwear. I am responsible for the development of the lines from inception of ideas to the retail floor. This involves everything from identifying trends and technologies, to creating beautiful designs with colour, fabrics and textures, to leading and inspiring greatness in others. I lead a team of incredible people who help bring my ideas to life — we make magic together! Ultimately, I get to work with athletes, solve their athletic problems and make their lives better – it’s incredible!

why do you love working at lululemon?

Because I can elevate the world one running short at a time! The product is so inspiring, the people are so amazing. I have ultimate freedom, inspiration and support. lululemon is as much a lifestyle as it is workplace and it supports this in its employees. There isn’t a divide between how I work and how I live. And, change is the only constant at lululemon – its the most dynamic, challenging place I’ve ever worked – I love it.

why out of the whole world do you choose to live and love vancouver?

It’s a city that offers everything an active healthy person wants – beautiful mountains, breathtaking views, ocean, fresh air, incredible restaurants, clean beaches and trails to run on. In one day you can ski a world-class mountain, go mountain biking, go for a hike and go surfing. I live near my favourite beach and go for a run every morning surrounded by glassy water and huge mountains and not even notice that I’m in a city. It’s a spectacular place to live.

Interested in joining the lululemon design team? Check out the possibilities on our careers website.

Above are Tiffany's housemates, Fay, Emma, Kelsey, and Sarah, who are giving thanks to each other in little ways.

To most university students, Thanksgiving brings the excitement of going home, spending time with old friends, and eating plenty of real, home-cooked meals.

I have four housemates – Emma, Fay, Kelsey and Sarah – and we live in a little house right near the Queen’s University campus. Similar to most university students, we’re all very excited to go home to see our families and, of course, eat home-cooked meals.

This past Saturday, we received a Facebook message from Emma, which I wanted to share with all of you:

so i’ve decided that we are going to celebrate thanksgiving.

for thanksgiving we all go home and appreciate food and that is definitely great. but i think our celebration (although it will involve food) should also involve thanking each other. so what i will do this week is go around and give everyone little cuecards, and on those cuecards we will have to thank each other for something (coolness, being a person who listens, sharing food, etc.) then i will compile them and we will have a dinner celebration (date and time to be decided) and hand them out.

Although the message was simple, it got right down to the point of Thanksgiving – giving thanks to those who you are grateful for. These four girls are my best friends in the world – but sometimes its easy to forget how much I truly appreciate them – even if its just for their coolness!

I challenge each and every one of you reading this blog to do something similar – take a moment and really give thanks to the people around you. Let them know how much you appreciate their love, time and special characteristics.

We had our Thanksgiving feast on Monday night – and despite the fact it certainly wasn’t a homecooked meal – it might have been the best Thanksgiving dinner I’ve ever had!