We love Paula, one of our social media experts, for her ability to capture and share our culture in 140 characters or less (seriously, how do you do it!?). With a job that requires you to be "on" 24/7 and blurs the line between work and play, we asked her to weigh in on where she draws the line between 'tweeting in the moment' and just simply being present.

Working in the social media space, I am constantly fighting the battle between my phone and my mind. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don’t think I’m alone here. After returning home from an incredible long weekend at Wanderlust Festival Colorado this week, I was confronted by the recent buzz surrounding a certain yoga instructor being fired due to her vigilance around cell phone use in class. This conversation within the community highlighted a personal guilt I have been facing recently. Over the last six months, my phone has crept its way into my must-have accessories: yoga mat, water bottle, strap, block, iPhone. It sits face down amongst my pile of props at the top right hand corner of my mat, ready and waiting for me to slide it open. Though I know some teachers are okay with bringing phones into class (some even encourage it), it does have me questioning: Does bringing my phone into class compromise my yoga practice?

Here’s a quick rundown of my inner dialogue:

"I need to take a photo so that everyone on instagram will know that I went to yoga today."

"I get stressed out when I can’t record everything profound that my teacher is saying."

"I may get an emergency phone call I need to take."

"I like to know how much more time is left in class."

meditate now, tweet later

After writing these ‘concerns’ on paper, they seem irrelevant and less justified. Though I’m not sure I’m ready to give up my phone cold-turkey, here are some helpful hints to ensure you’re always respecting the studio space, your teacher and those you are practicing with:

• Find out the cell phone etiquette at your local studio - if it’s not publically posted then ask your instructor. In most cases there will be a no-phone policy but sometimes certain teachers may encourage you to bring your phone into class.
• Double Triple check that your phone is on silent before you begin class. This way you can stay present and not have to worry that it may go off. Trust me, having your 'Like a G6' ringtone blaring mid-class is not a fun experience.
• Take photos before and after class but put your phone in your bag during your actual practice.
• Bring a notepad into class to jot down any juicy nuggets that your teacher shares.
• Make sure that anyone you are currently texting, emailing or tweeting knows you’re walking into an 90 min class and that you’ll reply once you’re done. This avoids any guilt associated with not replying right away.

Do you bring your phone into class? If so, would you be offended if your teacher asked you to turn it off?

A few months ago one person from our lululemon family in Washington D.C. set an intention of holding a complimentary outdoor yoga class to be simultaneously held across North America. The goal was to create a shared space for any and everyone to be a part of. She enrolled the team around her, and Salutation Nation was born, quickly to become a movement of health and togetherness our entire community was eager to share.

Yoga mats ready to be rolled out in the U.S. and Canada.

It was this intention that woke me 20 minutes before my alarm went off at 6am this morning. Normally I can continuously hit snooze for a good hour, but this morning I awoke to an amazing energy that wouldn't be dismissed. We were more than 3 hours away from the kickoff of Salutation Nation on the west coast, but the east coast was awake and breathing our intention and sending it my way.

Saluting the sun in Boston.

Waking in San Diego, I longed for a way to connect with the Salutation Nations happening in near minutes on the opposite coast. I opened my computer to find lots of buzz of the yoga about to take place in Boston at the Esplanade, and the Ellipse at the White House. Although I didn't get to take in an OM with the east coasters, I felt them and was so excited for the west coast hour to begin.

Ready to begin in San Diego.

I wasn't alone in my anticipation and was delighted to see familiar lululemon faces, guests, neighbours and new friends in San Diego bright and early at 7:30. We began to lay our mats and an air of wonder filled us all. We didn't know how many people we'd practice with in the park.

We didn't know how many people we'd practice with up, down, and across the coast. We didn't even know if the sun would come out so that we could salute it properly. But it didn't matter. Our neighbours woke up this morning to practice yoga together, and that in and of itself was enough.

We shared an hour together today of yoga and breathing, an hour of enjoying our lives outside. It is days like today we are so proud of the community we commonly shared today. We took in oms with familiar faces, and shared a savasana with people we hadn't met. That's the wonderful thing about yoga, although your practice is entirely your own, the space is shared and connects us to one another without objection, even miles, cities and countries apart.

Thank you for sharing a space with us today, can't wait to see you next year. Namaste.

One month ago, I wrote a Big Hairy Audacious Goal on a piece of cardboard that said, “I have been featured on lululemon.com in a sports bra by July 1st!”. I had a lot of friends asking me why this was a BHAG. While some people have no problem heading into a hot yoga class sans shirt, I have always been a little shy of my body. So what better way to overcome my fear than to declare to the world that I will show my stomach off! This scary goal fit into my health, personal and career goals!

• Health: it motivated me to push my body a little harder when I worked out because I knew I was going to be wearing a sports bra in public and online.
• Personal: it helped me overcome my ego, as I was committed to doing it whether I was in my ‘ideal’ physique or not.
• Career: it pushed me to create and accomplish a BHAG and be featured on my company’s website for all to see!

In order to hold myself accountable, not only did I write my goal down, I shared it with the entire company through our internal communication channel and online for all of our guests to see. The response was a little overwhelming, but it was also empowering to see the support I got! For me, this wasn’t just about taking my shirt off and snapping a picture, it was about being comfortable in my own skin, literally.

following through

Flash forward to July 1st. I woke up, packed my yoga gear, picked the hottest class on YYoga’s schedule and was on my way. I even specifically wore a long sleeve shirt as extra motivation to take off my top in class. As I walked up the stairs of the studio, I secretly had my fingers crossed that the class would be full and I would be turned away. I quickly pushed these thoughts aside and told myself, “Shawna, this is not a big deal".

I was the last one to join the class and ended up right in the middle of the room. I placed my yoga mat down and pondered the idea of wearing my long sleeve shirt for the whole class (it was moisture wicking after all).

Shawna letting go to achieve her BHAG.

I'm not going to lie, I kept my shirt on for the first 15 minutes of the hot yoga class and as a result I began to feel quite nauseous. Not because of the heat, but because of the internal conflict in my head and the increasing butterflies in my stomach. At that very moment, Will Blunderfield, an inspiring YYoga instructor, told the class to “just let go”. While it was a general statement to the class, in that moment I felt like he was speaking specifically to me. I took my shirt off and dedicated the rest of my practice to myself.

Forty-five minutes later, the class ended. While I admittedly had the urge to reach for my shirt a few times throughout the class, I didn’t. No one looked at me funny, no one judged my body and no one cared. So if no one else cared, why should I? In that class, I let go of more than just my shirt. I let go of my ego, my baggage and the barrier I put in front of myself.

Will I be able to let go and rock another class in just a sports bra? Yes.

Joining a yoga class once or twice a week will increase your focus and agility in other sports, by stretching your muscles and tendons and increasing your flexibility.

Below are the steps to Dancer's pose (Natarajasana). This pose helps you develop concentration and balance, strengthens and tones your leg muscles, and opens your shoulder and chest muscles.

Maintain steady inhaling and exhaling throughout the pose. Remember to listen to your body, and stop if you feel any pain.

step one

Begin by standing comfortably with your feet together and your arms by your sides. Take a deep breath, and shift your weight to your right foot. Bend your left arm at the elbow and hold your hand with the palm up.

step 2

Lift your left foot behind you, and reach back with your left hand. Grab the inside or outside of your left foot.

step 3

Raise your right arm up towards the sky (or the ceiling of the arena), and slowly begin to lower your right arm so that it is parallel to the ground. At the same time, kick your left foot into your hand, and extend your left leg.

step 4

Keep looking forward while you balance on your right leg with your right arm extended straight and hold for about eight breaths.

To release the pose, let go of your left foot, bring your right arm down, and return to standing pose. Repeat these steps on the other foot.

To find a complimentary yoga class near you, check out your nearest store's event calendar: http://www.lululemon.com/stores/