Full Moon Meditation at 3rd & Ocean Drive

Tomorrow's Gemini Full Moon will bring back Beach Yoga's Full Moon Meditation with Rev. Lorraine Meyer. Last month more than 100 people showed for the event and they're hoping to top that this month. (And with the help of this post on NamasteMiami.com, we're sure to tip them over their goal.)

The shindig begins at 8 pm (June 15th) at 3rd Street on Miami Beach - you can RSVP on Facebook. (Speaking of Facebook, if you haven't "Liked" Namaste Miami yet, get on and do it now). Cost is an asked donation of $5. 

Hopefully we'll see you there tomorrow night! If you'd like to come say hi to us, this is what we'll be wearing. Namaste!

(P.S. What's up with the "Rev." before Lorraine's name? Do we address her as Reverend?)

Full Moon Drum Circle at Miami SoHo House

Full Moon over Miami Beach, May 2011.

Last night we checked in at SoHo House for their Full Moon Drum Circle. The place was pretty packed, and as always, completely gorgeous.

This wasn't our first time here, this member's only club is a great Sunday beach hangout and if you're under 27 yrs old - is the place to be on Mondays (everything is 50% including spa services.)

We were a little surprised at the number of people sneaking in - as the place filled up people openly bragged about not being members or guests of members, but still making it through the doors.

The Drum Circle was actually held in the back garden area rather than the beach. See below for a short video of the action.

Meet Miami Beach's 11-Year-Old Yoga Teacher

(via NBCMiami.com)

Yoga for kids is nothing new, but there's one class in Miami Beach where the teacher is a kid too.

Amandine Lerner is just 11 years old, and she's a certified yoga instructor.

"Amandine is different than other children," says her mother, Alessandrina Lerner, who's been studying yoga for 10 years.

"I mainly did it to learn more about the body, and how everything's connected," said Amandine, who showed us her certificate from the Yoga Alliance, which makes her a registered yoga teacher.

(continue reading)

View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com.

Wanderlusting (The Afterglow): Cameron Shayne's Budokon

While all of the programming at this past weekend's Wanderlust Festival was stellar, there were a few stand out performances. One of them being Cameron Shayne, creator and founder of Budokon.We caught a few of his classes and demos and we're thoroughly impressed - not only with his lack of clothing (hello booty shorts!) but with his extreme body knowledge. 

From demonstrations with his flock of followers, to breaking down transitions here, here and here - he definitely left us wanting more. Check out our YouTube Channel for more videos from this weekend from Wanderlust Festival at the Standard and find out when and where you can get a piece of Cameron's action by viewing his schedule. Namaste.

DecoBikes Debuts Bike Sharing & Rental Program

http://www.decobike.com/

Now there's a better way to get around Miami Beach. DecoBike has unveiled their revolutionary public bicycle sharing a rental program - find out how it works.

We tried checking one out unsuccessfully this past weekend during Wanderlust Festival at The Standard - there is a docking station right across from the hotel. Problem? They don't take AMEX. Duh. We were not deterred and checked one out the following day (using the proper currency).

Learn more about DecoBike Miami Beach.


How To Use DECOBIKE (Instructional Video) from DECOBIKE on Vimeo.

Om, Namaste, 1Ness and Now: Gear as Art

Lyrics Cork Block - Namaste, $30

Say Namaste to Manduka's New Lyrics Collection. Very cool, artist inspired yoga gear. I'm in the market for a new yoga towl and I'm putting these at the top of my wish list. (The last one I bought felt like sandpaper and these ones are SUPER soft.)

We're gearing up (literally) for Wanderlust at The Standard, which begins tomorrow afternoon. A few of us will be there covering the event so stay tuned to the homepage and Twitter for live blogging action!

Learn more about Manduka AFTER THE JUMP!

H2cOconut: Is Coconut Water Good for You?

Agua de Coco - Straight from the source.

I've always wondered about coconut water. It's a little too hyped for me to totally jump on board and when I saw that my (former) favorite brand of coconut water, Zico, was backed by Coca-Cola, Inc. it really left a really bad taste in my mouth.

So, I started doing a little research and found out right away that I wasn't the only one asking this question.

Time Magazine touts coconut water as "Nature's Hangover Cure".

I have a lot of experience in attempting to cure hangovers, and I have to agree. It IS a delicious way to help cure a hangover.

Not everyone agrees - Inc. Magazine describes the taste as "sock water". (They were talking about Vita Coco, and I have to agree there. Vita Coco is my least favorite brand). Good Morning America has a nice exposé on the liquid gold (it's a multi-million dollar industry) pouring out of young coconuts.

Huffington Post (who recently sold out to AOL for $315mil)  asks the question "Coconut Water: Myth or Miracle?" and raises a question I've asked myself:

"At $2-3 for a typical 11 fl. ounce tetra pack (equivalent to about 10 sips), is it really worth paying top dollar for, well, top water?"

All of this brings me back to a small, hot yoga studio in Philadelphia. (I am going somewhere with this, I promise). I was there last year for a wedding and I picked up the studio's brand, Real Coconut Water/Pulp from Taste Nirvana. Upon popping open the cap and taking a chug, I did indeed taste Nirvana. As I entered the gates of coconut water heaven, I knew I found my brand. Sold.

The only place I've been able to find the Taste Nirvana brand is in Apple A Day Market in Miami Beach (why are they so mean there?). I buy it by the case and it's totally worth it.

Update** Ewww - on a related note, we just received a tip that O.N.E. Coconut water is being recalled due to mold. 

The House of Yoga - A Hidden Gem (In the Rough)

The House of Yoga, Miami Beach, FL

I was still half asleep this morning when I stumbled upon a link for The House of Yoga in Miami Beach.

How did I ever miss this place? The website was pretty cute and when I clicked "Contact Us" I was surprised to see they were actually located in my neighborhood. What? I slipped on my flip flops, poured a cup of coffee and went for a walk to 77th & Abbott Ave. to investigate.

Just off of Collins Ave. on the east side of Abbott Ave. is a really cute, two-story building you can't miss.

Krishna Das at Unity on the Bay

So we were a little late getting to Krishna Das this past Saturday due to a documented run in with the food trucks in Miami.

Here is a 30 sec video of the King of Kirtan - I didn't have the best seat in the house due to my late arrival, but the video is still beautiful and does do justice. I wish I would have been recording during the more candid moments, but I was so enthralled with KD speaking so openly, I didn't want to pull out the iPhone and hit "record". One of the most beautiful references he made to the reason he does what he does (aside from making kirtan and red flannel sexy) stems from this Rumi poem. You learn something new every day. Enjoy.

Food Truckin' in the Design District

Fish Tacos from Purple People Eatery

This afternoon before heading over to Unity by the Bay to see Krishna Das and Ram Giri, we swung by a few of the food trucks congregated in Midtown.

I hardly ever cross the bridge so the food trucks are like a pack of unicorns to me - something heard of but never seen or experienced.

Pictured left are some of the fish tacos from Purple People Eatery. Equally delicious was a grilled cheese (goat cheese and prosciutto) from Ms. Cheezious.

Go to the Namaste Miami Flickr for some more food photos and stay tuned for the Krishna Das content - I'm heading off to Lou's.

Jesus Is Now Following Us On Twitter

If Jesus were following you on Twitter WWYD? This just popped into the Namaste Miami inbox. OMG*!

*OMJesus?

You Can't Escape the "OM" This Week in Miami

The King of Kirtan, Krishna Das

Wow. Krishna Das, John Friend & Seane Corn in Miami this weekend? There is SO much going on, it's hard to keep it all straight. Here is a complete run down of all of the Namaste-ing that will be going on in and around the 305 over the next few days. Please Email Us if we left anyone out!

"City_of_Miami_Beach_WiFi" Is a Mean Trick

The City of Miami Beach claims to have free Wifi but I am not convinced. I mean, it does come up as an option, and it indicates that I'm connected, but nothing. ever. happens.

No sign-in screen, no movement - nada. This morning I got all settled in at Epicure, ready to do some work and the only option for WiFi is the one shown above. This is in a ground floor building in the heart of SoBe - no go. The screen to prompt you to sign up for the service wouldn't even pop up.

Has anyone ever been able to use the network?

WIN A TRIP TO MIAMI BEACH FROM FITSUGER.COM

Win a three-night vacation at the Gansevoort SoBe from FitSugar.com (includes airfare for two).

You have until March 18th to enter. The contest is taking place on their Facebook.com page - you can click here to enter.

The winner will also receive a year-long membership to Tablet Plus. We're already down here in the warm sun - so sign up and get down here and join us!

My First Bikram Class: A Memoir

"The heat really doesn't bother me." Those were the last words I remember saying as we filed into the warm studio.

I positioned myself behind Holly. I noticed an unattractive man rolling around in a pair of purple American Apparel briefs. I stuck to my mat like an island - visions of all of the bacteria that must be in this carpet danced in my mind. I took a deep breath, mentally telling myself that it was ok, and I was not going to catch a flesh eating disease from this studio. Surely they clean it.

Parking Meters Mess with Miami Bums' Beer Fund

The coins will go to Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust.

I was wondering what was going on with the Britto Meters. Miami New Times answers the question:

Pop artist Romero Britto's work has infected Miami like a great open sore pulsing red, yellow, and blue. When future archeologists unearth our city, they'll think we worshiped squinting kitty-cats and butterflies--and that our artistic ability fell one neanderthal short of a cave painting.