Super Awesome Giveaway Time!

Are you ready for it? It's here! It's time for the Super Awesome Giveaway I have been promising you!! So, since I planned on posting it last week and I wasn't able to, I''m not going to waste much more of your time. Just remember, in order to participate, you MUST be 18 years or older, have a U.S. address to ship to and you must do what the directions below on Rafflecopter say. Oh and there is only ONE mandatory way to enter. The other ways are all just bonus entries.

So, what will you win?  Here's the break down:

2 foam, turquoise Mind, Body, & Soul Yoga blocks

1 pair of Nectar Sunglasses- Apollo

1 pair of Glyder Apparel crop legging in Lola (size S)

1 Nutrex Pure Hawaiian Spirulina powder

1 Nutrex Hawaiian Astaxanthin

1 Nutrex goody bag of stuff (slouch bag, apron, books about Spirulina and Astaxanthin)

1 Medium Ad Space on Finding My Way In Texas

Thats total prizes of $147.98 y'all!!! I'm so excited about this giveaway!! SO many awesome things! The Glyder gear, nectar shades, SPIRULINA POWDER (no joke, spirulina powder proved to be one of the harder things to find here in Houston. I would ALWAYS find gelcaps but NEVER powder. So, THANK YOU again Nutrex for being so awesome and sending me all these goodies for the giveaway!!), foam blocks from yours truly and last but not least ad space from the super sweet Jennifer at Finding My Way In Texas (if you don't know her you need to go check out her blog ASAP!!)

Finally I want to announce our winner from the other giveaway I held for the Desperado shades. The winner is Kayla C.!!!! Congrats girl! I'll be emailing you shortly to get your info :) Ok, that is it. good luck my friends!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Nectar Sunglasses

Man oh man am I EX.CI.TED. about this post. I had the privilege of reviewing the NEW aviator polarized Desperado by Nectar Sunglasses. Now, why am I reviewing a pair of sunglasses on a yoga blog. Simple. To me yoga is about finding balance and harmony with yourself and your body. Through that you also learn to respect and nurture it. That is where your eye sight comes in. You only have two eyes people, TWO! So you need to take care of them. I have always been a HUGE advocate of sunglasses and how they protect your eyes from harmful UVA and UVB rays. Not only do they slow down cataracts and macular degeneration, it also is a good way to prevent skin cancer in the area.

So, why polarized? Polarized lenses help to reduce that super annoying glare that can happen as a reflection off an object when driving or doing everyday outdoor activities. This in turn reduces the strain in your eyes. The only problem? Most good polarized lenses cost upwards of $150. I know, I own a pair of polarized Ray-Ban lenses. But having an 18 month old who likes to play treasure chest with mommy's purse makes the idea of spending so much on something that will inevitably get scratched up, impossible. So, I was super stoked when my Nectars came in the mail.

Now let me tell you, I was skeptical to say the least. HOW could $30 lenses do the same job as my $180 pair? Well, I did the side by side test, besides being way thinner no real difference. I did the driving test, no difference.  I did the walking outdoors in the CRAZY SUNNY parking lot, they didn't work as well as my Ray Bans usually do, but then again, they are only $30!! I did the wearing outdoors while teaching a yoga class, BIG difference. What was the difference? The Nectars weigh like 1/3 of the weight as the Ray-Bans which means they are SO much more comfortable on the bridge of my nose.

So, there you have it. Would I recommend these babies? YOU BET! Do I plan on getting another pair? If/when the ones they sent me to review break I sure will!! In fact I might have to sooner because hubby really likes them. The downside to having unisex ANYTHING in my household is that chances are you wont get to keep it because the other person tends to take-over (yeah I'm guilty of it too!)

Want the best part? They sent me TWO free pairs to give to YOU! So, I am raffling off one pair here and one pair will be raffled off in my SUPER HUGE YOGA MONTH GIVEAWAY to be announced SOON!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

To honor is to take action...

Today, 11 years ago is one that many of us will never forget. Some of us were too young to fully understand the gravity of the events that occurred, others felt it immediately, while others took a while to grasp what it all really meant. Today, as I check Facebook and read the news, everyone speaks about "remembering".  They "remember" where they were, they "remember" what they were doing, they "remember" how they felt. I too replay the day's events through my head anytime I am reminded of "9/11". However, this will not be about me "remembering" the day and where I was, how I felt, what I did.

I am here to ask you to take action. I am here to remind all of us that 9/11 should be used as a reminder that through misconceptions, lack of respect and arrogance, innocent people can lose their lives. Our world would be a better place if we began to respect each others' differences. Our world would be a better place if we began to listen to one another and let ideas and opinions that are different than ours, broaden our own. Regardless of your opinions about September 11, you have to remember that innocent people died. These people were from every race and religion. Evil doing does not discriminate. So today, I hope you did something that would honor those who innocently passed away for this country. Today, I hope you did something that would honor those who are dedicating their lives for this country. Today, I hope you did something that would honor those who work day in and day out to lead this country. Today, I hope you listened to those around you who think different than you. Today, I hope you respected that we are all different, with different opinions and ideas and that the best way to honor and respect each other is to do just that, respect that not everyone will think like you, look like you or even sound like you. That is what makes this country so amazing. Every single one of us (unless you are a Native American) has blood running in them that comes from a country other than the US of A. We all must remember that.

I am not writing this for any other reason than that I have been blessed with people in my life from all different backgrounds and opinions and from all different walks of life. I am one of the lucky few who was born into a religiously and racially diverse family and so right off the bat I was exposed to so many different ideals. It has taught me much about myself and about those around me. But most importantly, it has taught me to respect and idea, even if it isnt mine.

So, I want to say thank you to all my cousins who are Marines, thank you to my cousin who was in the Navy and thank you to my friends who are in the Reserves. I also want to say thank you to the teachers who teach our children and set foundations allowing them to grow up to be men and women who are able to form their own opinions, thank you to the policemen and women who protect us in our own backyard, thank you to our firemen and women who put their lives in danger to save someone from it, and thank you to every person who works for the government. I know I do not say it enough, but each one of you have had to make a sacrifice somewhere in your life to do what you do. And I especially want to thank the families who watch as their loved ones put someone else's life before their own, in hopes of providing a better future for our next generation. I know I do not thank you enough and I may not always remember what was given up to help support the dream that my parents' had when they came to this country. But that is why at least today I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing what you do.

Sunday Social: Link Up!

So I knocked out on the couch as I was typing this up... thus the late post. Enjoy anyway!! :)

Today we are linking up with Neely over at A Complete Waste of Makeup and Ashley over at Ashley's Carnival Ride for Sunday Social! I hope you enjoy getting to know us better :)

1. What is the name of your blog and how did you come up with it?? 

Its Called The Mama Mantras. Basically, I'm a mama who teaches yoga and owns Mind, Body, & Soul Yoga. So I thought that since the blog is about my yoga adventure on the mat and off the mat through the company, what better name than something that reflects that? So, the "Mama" is me and the "Mantras" are my words on the blog :) 

2. What do you love the most about blogging?? 

Blogging has really helped me to find my voice. There was a time a few years ago when I began to lose it, and I was not quite sure who I was. But blogging has allowed me to be me again and has helped me also do what I love best, share some awesome things with people!!!!

3. What are your 2 favorite posts you've written?

Since I am a newbie blogger, this one is going to be tough because I don't have many to chose from. BUT it's probably Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Candida What?. They both really reflect me on a super light note and on a super serious note. So, if you want to get to know me pretty well, read those two babies!

4. What is something you'd want to tell someone just starting out in blog world? 
Have fun! Always remember WHY you started blogging. If you stress about it, you'll loose the beauty of your words. AND if you borrow ANYTHING from ANYWHERE be sure to link back. It's blog-equette... that's blog etiquette (I dont think its a real word, I just made it up, but it sounds SUPER fun!!) 

5. Biggest blogging learning experience you've had? 
That sometimes you can pour your heart into a post and it may not be read by as many people as you hoped. But if even 1 person read it and it spoke to them, then that really is all that matters. 

6. Give us 3 blogs we NEED to be following that you love. 
Now THIS one is SUPER easy! 
Bolu by Rima
Our Love and Our Blessing
Bre Writes

Fun wasnt it? Want in next week? Here are the questions!

Next Weeks Questions:

1. 5 items you can't live without on a daily basis(water, food, shelter, and clothes dont count) 

2. All time favorite book? Why?

3. Something you'd like to accomplish before the end of 2012

4. If you could go back and relive any year of your life which year would it be?

5. What do you wish people knew about you without you having to tell them?

Grab the button, write a post and link up with Ashley and Neely!

To give is to love :)

Yup! I'm participating in my first EVER group giveaway on And They Call Me Mommy. But WHO is Lacey from And They Call Me Mommy? Lacey is a "sweet tea drinkin', football watchin', front porch rockin', southern charmer mother of 2 and wife of 1". If you haven't checked out her blog before to hear all about her hilarious antics with with her hub and kiddos, go do it! Want to participate? NO PROBLEMO!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But WHY is The Mama Mantras Participating in a giveaway for a non "yoga" related blog. Easy. Part of "yoga" is community. And here at The Mama Mantras, community is HUGE! So, when we were asked to participate and we KNEW it would help out a fellow blogger, we thought, "for sure"! SO, good luck to all those who enter! And maybe this weekend you can do something to help out someone in one of your communities!

September is National Yoga Month!

Yay! It's September! That means a promise (or hope in Houston's case) of cooler weather and changing leaves. Do you know what else it means? National Yoga Month!!! Yup, you read that right, September is National Yoga Month. If you aren't as excited as I am, here is why you should be...

• Yesterday (Labor Day) was Houston's Free Day of Yoga.  If you missed out, stay tuned for next years, because it. was. a. blast! I ended up teaching, not one, but TWO classes this year! The first one was an impromptu class in the park, which for all who were there, it ended up being a Hot Vin (MAN was the sun up and out!!! Good thing I wore my sunscreen and brought plenty of water!) The next class was a slow flow just before sunset. Talk about IN.TENSE. I hadn't taught a slow flow in a while and so teaching one, after teaching my "Hot Vin" earlier in the day was EXHAUSTING! But my yogis were good sports, trucked through it, had a blast and in the end we all ended our Labor Day on a great note!!

• Sad you missed our classes? No worries! Our next Yoga At The Park is October 6 at 8 AM! Check-out our Facebook invite and RSVP if you will be able to make it! (side note: I hate writing negative things because I don't like harboring negativity in my life. But I strongly strongly strongly request that you only say yes if you really plan on attending. I understand that things come-up, so feel free to change your RSVP at anytime. Although the class flow will not change, I try to make sure I have enough props and surprise goodies for all who attend my class. So, please help me avoid waste by showing-up when you say you will or contacting me if you can't).

• My super sweet mama was reading her Sunday Newspaper when she came across a Tuesday Morning advert that was advertising Yoga gear on the CHEAP!! The specials are good for September 7-9 so go check out a Tuesday Morning near you this weekend! 

• 10% off all month on all prepaid and booked private sessions
• 10% off on all yoga mats at our store from September 10-20!

So now, tell me September isn't going to be SUPER AWESOME! I hope everyone enjoys September and participates in as many classes as possible. I'll be sure to post about any public classes I will be teaching as they become available.

I hope you all have an OM-azing day! Here is a fun info-graphic to get you through the month!