because everyone loves a contest!

to celebrate the fact that i now have a new map on my site AND that i'm about to hit 1000 fans* on my facebook page, i've decided to give something away to one lucky follower! and that follower could be YOU!!

* i know, a thousand fans is a piddly number compared to such power houses such as yoga journal with almost 24,000 facebook fans and elephant journal with just over 11,000 fans, but hey, it makes me feel wanted :)

of course, you might have to do a bit of research to win, but here's something that should get your brain in gear... i'm giving away the new eQua hot yoga towel from manduka, with a retail value of $55!!

here's more information about this cool prize -- which should help keep you cool and dry during your hot yoga practice:

For those that prefer their yoga hot, the eQua Hot Yoga Towel is the ultimate solution to sweat management—allowing the user to perfect their poses instead of dealing with a perspiring distraction from their practice.

Developed in response to the common problem of excessive puddling during a sweaty yoga session, the Hot Yoga Towel is created with ultra soft, double knit microfiber—that remains super gentle on the skin but tough against toxins. Outperforming ordinary cotton or polyester towels, when spread over the yoga mat the Hot Yoga Towel forms a plush, sweat-trapping barrier and slip-resistant, hygienic foundation—absorbing the maximum amount of moisture while keeping yogi’s mat clean and dry.

"We know how distracting perspiration can be during a high intensity yoga session," said Manduka CEO, Sky Meltzer. “So to assist the yogis that are heating up their practice, we wanted to offer a high quality product that allows the user to enjoy their practice without the diversion of slipping and sliding on their mat. The eQua Hot Yoga Towel is the perfect solution—not only is it super absorbent, but it also provides a hygienic barrier—keeping bacteria away from the user and off their mat."

Made to fit most yoga mats and user styles, the Manduka eQua Hot Yoga Towel is 72" x 26.5" and is available in Candy (pink), Olive (green) and Scuba (blue). Able to withstand countless washings, the eQua Hot Yoga Towel is both machine washable and dryable — sweat it out, toss it in the wash and start your practice all over again. Whether you glow, perspire, sweat or seep—Manduka’s eQua Hot Yoga towel has your mat and your mind covered.

Like all of the towels in the Manduka eQua Towel collection, the Hot Yoga Towel is created according to fair labor production standards. For more information, please visit: http://www.manduka.com/ or become a facebook fan at: www.facebook.com/manduka.

so here are the contest rules:

1. after taking a close look at my LA yoga studio map (click here to get the larger version), post a comment below, giving me the name of ONE yoga studio that is NOT on the map (and i know there's a bunch of them, so this isn't a trick question) as well as its address, phone number, and website address. oh, and the color of the manduka eQua towel you'd like (pink, green, or blue), if you win!

2. the yoga studio has to be within the LA county limits and must offer group yoga classes on a regularly-scheduled basis.

3. even if a location offers a slew of yoga classes, as long as it requires membership to take a class -- as in a gym, health club, or fitness center -- i'm going to have to exclude it. community centers and function halls are also excluded. for the most part, i'm going to have to exclude private homes, unless they have websites and drop-in yoga class schedules posted on those websites.

4. and here's the kicker: the location has to be a studio that hasn't been mentioned by anyone else (in other words, only the first person to mention it gets entered in the contest).

5. only ONE entry is allowed per person. so if you know of more than one studio, you'll have to get a friend to send in an entry for you... and both of you will have to work out who gets the prize if your friend wins :)

6. lastly, you must be a fan of the accidental yogist on facebook in order to win!

one thing i should point out is that all you'll need to do is TELL me about the place; please DO NOT update the map!

by the way, if you come up with a studio that i've been to but have forgotten to put on the map, you will definitely earn yourself a shout-out :)

i'll give all of you until next friday, march 12th, to come up with a whole bunch of nice places for me to check out and add to the map. i'll randomly draw the winner from the eligible comments that come in, so if you're the only one who responds correctly, guess what -- you automatically win!

good luck!