me, trendy?

earlier today, a friend pointed out to me that i'd made a list of top 10 yoga trends. me, really?

i clicked on the link to jill miller's gaiam blog post and did a quick scan.

and there i was, under trend #8: Great yoga bloggers keep us informed and connected... Joni Young’s (sic) Accidental Yogist (who covers anything and everything about the massive LA yoga scene — and does it all on her lime green bike)!...

nevermind that the article was published back in december 2009, i was flattered nonetheless -- and wondered why i hadn't seen it before. or if i had, why i couldn't remember having read it! argh... was i having another senior moment?

jill's list was pretty comprehensive, and is definitely worth sharing. here's an excerpt:

Top 10 yoga trends for 2009

1. Yoga activism organizations are proliferating, helping to bring social change to the world and helping out communities in need. Seane Corn’s Off the Mat, Into the World is an organization that helps teachers build communities around activism and social change. Yoga Gives Back provides micro-finance to India. And Make a Difference Worldwide provides hands-on-help in impoverished communities worldwide.

2. Yoga social networking sites like YogaMates, LoveYoga and Facebook continue to be incredible tools to keep us all connected.

3. Local festivals like Ojai Yoga Crib on Ojai, Calif., Wanderlust Festival in Lake Tahoe, Telluride Yoga Festival in Colorado, and EvolveFest in New Jersey help us to continue to grow, learn and build a sense of community.

4. Studios that broadcast online yoga classes — such as Yogaglo, Lulubandhas and YogaVibes — help bring exposure to teachers around the globe.

5. Kirtan is exploding more than ever, with Jai Uttal performing at Chant4Change during Obama’s inauguration and BhaktiFest in Joshua Tree. Bhakti Yoga Shala opened as a yoga studio entirely devoted to Kirtan in Santa Monica, and Lady Gaga even has a Kirtan riff in her hit song “Bad Romance” … Can you hear it?

6. Yoga therapy modalities are growing as teachers seek continuing education and specialization. Explore Gary Kraftsow’s Viniyoga, Leslie Kaminoff’s Breathing Project and my very own Yoga Tune Up®. Check out more info at the International Association of Yoga Therapists.

7. Proliferation of in-depth local yoga media — like LA Yoga and Ayurveda Magazine, Yoga Chicago, Yoga Living Magazine in Philadelphia and New York Yoga Magazine — help find great studios and events.

8. Great yoga bloggers keep us informed and connected. Some of my favorites are Elephant Journal, Dr. Kelly McGonigal and Joni Young’s Accidental Yogist (who covers anything and everything about the massive LA yoga scene — and does it all on her lime green bike)! In NYC, Yoga Dork is witty, cutting-edge and entertaining. And of course, there’s the blog you’re reading now!

9. Green yoga studios raise our eco-consciousness: Home Simply Yoga in Santa Monica, Green Yoga House in Des Moines, Iowa, Yoga Now Chicago in Chicago, and Blue Lotus in Raleigh, N.C.

10. There have been serious groundbreaking studies in yoga research — a trend that I truly hope continues to evolve to inform us for the next several decades. Special thanks to Dr. Lorin Fishman for his studies on yoga and osteoporosis, Richard Miller, Ph.D., and his studies with soldiers and Yoga Nidra, and the pioneering brain research being conducted through Kripalu’s Institute for Extraordinary Living.