The holiday season is upon us. No matter what holiday you’re celebrating this month, and regardless of whether you are a religious, spiritual or secular person, chances are you’re celebrating.
December is a month to reflect upon all the highs and lows of the year that is coming to an end and set our best intentions and clearest visions for the coming calendar year. It is a month of a multitude of social gatherings and celebrations, a time of abundance, gift-giving and generosity.
More and more people are starting to practice yoga and mindfulness, since they are such effective ways to deal with stresses and distractions so prevalent in modern life.
Do you have any yogis or meditation practitioners in your life to whom you want to offer a special gift? Although these spiritual practices are meant to be non-materialistic and can be practiced without props or paraphernalia, let’s be honest: we live in a material society — and there are some items that actually can help deepen spiritual practice, when used mindfully.
Here are some great recommendations for thoughtful gifts for the yoga and meditations lovers among your friends and family:
1: Mindful Mug
We’re gonna start this list with the cutest and most affordable yogic gift of them all, namely this lovely mindful mug. A mug that has the word “breathe” etched on the outside and “taste & savor” written in the inside.
We find this mug to be a lovely gift for anyone in todays hectic and high-pace society. We’re all so preoccupied by our own internal movie and redundant thoughts about life while simultaneously being overly distracted by innumerable things from the surrounding world that we forget to simply pay attention to the present moment. Breathe, taste and savor are all healthy reminders to enjoy life more fully.
The mug comes in three different colours: Sky blue, pastel pink or chocolate brown.
That being said, this mug one is definitely our favorite!
2: Aromatherapy Essential Oil and Diffuser Gift Set
Aromatherapy goes hand-in-hand with the formal practices of yoga and meditation. According to the Mayo Clinic, aromatherapy can assist with anxiety and depression, sleep quality and quality of life, especially for people with chronic health issues.
This is a great set for those beginning to explore aromatherapy, as it features an all-natural cool mist diffuser that uses pure plant-based essential oils. It also comes with a set of high-quality essential oils including lavender, peppermint, tea tree, frankincense and eucalyptus to diffuse.
This thoughtful gift will permeate the room with a soft, soothing aroma and provide an inspiring atmosphere for your dear friend’s yoga and meditation practice.
3: Travel Yoga Mat
Looking for the perfect gift for an adventurous yogi close to your heart? This is a superb mat for travel. Lightweight and thin, the Voyager folds up to the size of a yoga block. It can easily fit into a suitcase or backpack. Made of natural rubber, this high-quality mat is resilient and cushioned.
What’s more, you can help the environment with your purchase! Jade Yoga plants a tree for every mat sold in partnership with an organization called Trees for the Future.
4: Zafu Meditation Cushion
Great for all practitioners, from brand-new beginner to teacher, this stylish and practical meditation cushion has a convenient grab-and-go handle. It supports the spine and alleviates tension from the hips in seated yoga poses, as well as in sitting meditation.
This lovely, multipurpose cushion can also serve as a yoga block. The zafu is made from all natural, eco-friendly materials and filled with buckwheat hulls. You can choose from a variety of colors and designs.
5: Mala Beads
Mala beads provide an excellent reminder to practice meditation, or yoga practices
With the support of mala beads, one can diligently start each morning or top off the evening with a mala meditation. The tactile feel of the beads makes it a cinch to do 108 repetitions of a sacred syllable, mantra or prayer, counting each one on a bead—either aloud or internally.
These gorgeous malas feature individually-knotted Buddhist prayer beads with a colorful cord and tassel. Its Tibetan silver metal beads are engraved with Tibetan characters that translate to “praying” in English. There is a wide variety of 25 stones and color options to choose from, including garnet,lapis, turquoise, orange aventurine, tourmaline and more!
6: Chakra Stones
Gemstones and crystals are interesting objects no doubt and while some believe in their potential healing qualities most happen to be sceptical to them. Chakras and auras find themselves in the same boat, some believe in these realities, dimensions and energy spots, while others do not. Most yoga lovers and knowers of hindu philosophy and spirituality are aware of what chakras are, namely symbols for different energy points/potentials in consciousness and physical body.
This lovely set of 7 chakra stones are perfect for those yoga lovers that are looking to contemplate further on the significance behind hindu, yogic and/or buddhist scriptures and texts. These stones can help advance their practice and understanding of the many different spiritual dimensions and layers within themselves.
The set of 7 chakra stones include one piece for every point, they include:
- Amethyst (Crown Chakra)
- Carnelian (Sacral Chakra)
- Yellow Jade (Solar Plexus)
- Green Aventurine (Heart Chakra)
- Lapis Lazuli (Throat Chakra)
- Clear Crystal (Third-eye Chakra)
- Red jasper (Root Chakra)
7: Yoga Statues/Figurines
Sometimes those seeking inner peace and spiritual fulfilment need physical and tangible reminders of the spiritual journey and practice. We easily get distracted by the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and we find that conscious and meditative décor can be a fun and creative way of solving this modern predicament.
This set of 4 small figurines is a lovely gift for achieving this. Each figurine represent the yoga practitioner in an unique yogic/meditation pose.
This is a lovely way to remind oneself to stay present and mindful.
8: Yoga Wall Art
Speaking of meditative and yogic home décor, this colourful set of 6 silhouettes performing yogic poses is yet another good choice for a décor yoga gift.
The use of colours is a powerful yet underestimated tool that can positively boost our moods and wellbeing. Colours combined with serene yoga poses are just an unbeatable combo.
Each piece measures about 8″ x 10″ and are all high-quality prints.
9: Tibetan Singing Bowl
This adorable set includes a 3.5-inch hand-hammered Tibetan singing bowl, a wooden striker and a hand-made cushion to place the bowl on. Crafted by skilled Nepalese artisans, this singing bowl immediately creates an atmosphere for emotional equilibrium and healing.
Tibetan singing bowls are great when it comes to auditory healing and can help relieve stress, pain, depression and other forms of mental and physical ailments. They are easy to play and emit resonant tones to create the ideal state for deep meditation, creative thinking and connecting with one’s inner center.
This conveniently-sized meditation bowl is simply a great gift idea for yogis and avid meditators.
10: A Good Spiritual Book
Gifting an interesting book on spirituality is a wonderful way to support and inspire your loved one’s practice and personal growth.
There are countless classic books out there on meditation and yoga. Shopping for the right one can be overwhelming. A lesser-known, yet best-selling spiritual guidebook published in 2007 called The Untethered Self is appropriate for newbies and experienced practitioners alike.
Spiritual teacher and author Michael Singer explores the question of our identity and human consciousness. With a candid, down-to-earth and engaging tone, he illustrates how the development of consciousness can enable us to live with mindfulness in the present moment.
The book is free of dogma and prescriptive religious references. The simple practices given in each chapter enables the reader to experience and process firsthand the author’s excellent ideas.
Honorable mentions
If you didn’t find a gift that clicked right, you could have a glimpse at some other items we’ve reviewed and written about in the past:
- Meditation benches: These babies can be the perfect gift as they are oftentimes highly portable and light.
- Meditation table: Small tables/altar/shrines to have beside you in your meditation room.
- Zen jewelry: Small pieces of jewelry and accessories that ooze meditativeness.
- Meditation bells: Sound can be very healing for the human psyche, these bells, crystals and bowls do the trick.
- Meditation clothes: Being comfortable is an important part of meditation, these clothes help.
- Yoga clothes and props: If you’re a aspiring yogi, we’ve also made a collection of clothes and accessories.
- Meditation shawls: Something warm and comfy to wrap around yourself during a meditation session
Final remarks
Hopefully by browsing these gifts you’ve found a way to cheer up someone you care for, someone who evidently looks for that inner peace to accompany them along life’s journey. Maybe that someone is a friend or family, or just maybe that someone is your own self!
In that case, many blessings to you indeed, and happy holidays!
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