Holiday Gift Guide
Holiday Gift Guide
Curated by Taryn Vander Hoop
It’s that time of year! Some say it’s the most wonderful time. For me, it always brings up a lot of mixed emotions. The closing out of another year marks the passage of time and there is a sadness of letting go mixed with the joy of celebration and seeing family.
One thing that I have begun to enjoy more in general is gift giving with intention, not just for the holidays, but all year long. I have been the beneficiary of so many gifts from support for artistic endeavors to hand-me-downs shipped cross country to sponsorships from brands I love.
I’m so grateful for all the support I have received and hope I am able to give back just as much, or more, as I receive. Some questions I want to ask more of in 2022 are: “Do you need support? How can I be of service to your greatest good?” And I want to be able to answer those questions from a place of abundance and giving freely.
I don’t love promoting consumerism, and turn down about 99% of brands who approach me, so if I promote a product it’s because I actually love it and think others would too! So here are a few things that I have received this year, either as gifts from others or gifts to me from me. If you are looking for a gift for a yogi, dancer, parent, athlete / mover, sentient being, please consider some of these gifts and brands for your holiday shopping. It’s always important to shop small, but perhaps more so this year as small brands are hurting from surging shipping costs and transit delays. Much love to all of you and happy holidays!
Books
Here are two books that have changed my world this year!
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Thanks to John for this recommendation.)
Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are doing the Uncommon by Dr. Joe Dispenza
I hope you actually buy these for yourself and give them to someone else because I think the former can change the world, and the latter can help us be the best versions of ourselves, which will also change the world.
Here is the funniest book I read this year: Anxious People by Frederik Backman (Thank you, Gillian Ebersole, for this recommendation.)
Here is the best page turner: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (I can’t remember who recommended this to me on Instagram, but my whole family and my dance partner all read it in 2 days — thank you!)
Here is the best book I read to help me get my S*&% together: The Smartest Investment Book You’ll Ever Read by Daniel R. Solin (I followed the advice in this book and made a 15% return on my investments this year. Pretty good!)
*I linked to my favorite bookstore in Brooklyn. If you are in Los Angeles, there is a sweet new local bookstore The Book Jewel in Westchester.
BODY:
Best best thing to a massage: Ached Away Massage Gun and Cuppers. My postpartum body is a hot mess, as in a “I have a chiropractor come to my house once a week” kind of mess, which is the kindest thing I’ve ever done for myself. (I tend to ignore signs that things are out of whack until all the signs become a siren…) Anyway, he used these on me and I was like, I actually NEED these products in my life, and have needed them my whole life, why do I not have it? If you do any kind of exercise rigorously and are over the age of 30 or have chronic pain, you need this. I will only say this once in this post, because we really just need water, food, shelter and love… but this might be the 5th item on the list? It’s a strong endorsement and I will die on this hill.
THREADS:
Electric and Rose - I love their clothes, but mostly I love what they stand for. Small business based out of Venice. Use TARYN20 for a discount.
Storq - A maternity company run by a team of 6 women whose clothes are so soft and comfy you can wear them even if you aren’t expecting. My favorite is this bra!
GEAR:
BYoga Mat and Accessories - people are always asking me for sticky mat recommendations. These mats are more on the costly side but so worth it because they are the stickiest of the sticky. You will not slip. The best thing you can do for the environment is not buy a cheap mat, only to buy another one because you don’t really like it because you are slipping all over the place. Mats are filling up landfills, so buy one and use it until there are holes in it. BYoga is my recommendation for a good sticky mat. (I’ve tried almost all the brands at studios, conferences, etc. and this brand is my favorite in terms of stickiness and sustainability.)
TRAININGS:
Lila Flow 200hr YTT or Pilates Mat training - trainings are one of the few gifts I give myself and we are offering two this January!. Patricia is leading both of them and everyone who takes a training with her falls in love and is Lila Flow / Patricia fan for life. (You can also check out her retreats and learn to surf over at Love Surf Yoga.) We have a team of amazing teachers joining the YTT: Kat Colla, Deidra Demens, and Dee Holliday. The yoga training starts this January in Costa Rica, and you can do Pilates from home. Join to start the year off right!!!
Yin and Meditation training with Yoga Medicine - What!?! You are promoting a “competitor”? Yes, this training is so good, and I believe in supporting people doing good work in the industry! We can’t do it all and when we don’t offer something, I want to recommend the best training out there in my humble opinion. Tiffany and Dr. Bismark are masters. I am loving this online training and highly recommend.
If none of the above sound appealing to you, the following are things I always love that I consider a luxury, so it’s much easier if someone buys them for me: really nice candles, gift cards for massages or facials, a yearly subscription to a magazine, book club, fitness site, etc. … and if all else fails everyone can benefit from a beautiful journal.
I always love reading about things before I purchase them so I hope these recommendations help you find a gift for yourself or someone you love.
Wishing you the happiest of holidays.
Much love,
Taryn