Workin it at YogaWorks in NYC

On Saturday (6/20) and Sunday (6/21), the Vira Sun team ran a pop-up shop at YogaWorks in NYC's SoHo neighborhood in celebration of the Summer Solstice and International Day of Yoga. A huge thanks goes out to Ava and the entire YogaWorks management team for being such wonderful hosts!

It was an amazing experience and plenty of great connections were made with passionate yogis from NYC and beyond–including our new friend Coline from Paris who will literally be the only person in France wearing Vira Sun shades upon her return next week. Merci beaucoup!

If you missed us in SoHo, don't fret; we'll have another pop-up shop on Saturday, June 27th, from 10:00am-3:00pm at the YogaWorks location on Manhattan's Upper West Side (37 West 65th Street, between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West). Stop by, say "Hi," and check out The Original Sunnies for Yogis.

To learn more about YogaWorks, please visit their website and social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

4th Annual Yoga on the Green in NEW JERSEY

On Sunday, June 14th, we were honored to participate in the 4th Annual Yoga on the Green event held in Tenafly, NJ, on the expansive Kaplen JCC Field. Hosted by our friend Brenda Blanco, it was an absolutely gorgeous day! Approximately 200 male and female yogis of all ages and abilities were in attendance, and they enjoyed a fun yet challenging outdoor yoga class taught by Brenda.

The Vira Sun team was on-site with our full sunglasses collection for event attendees to check out. We were in good company with other featured brands including Lululemon Athletica, Nkisoy Yoga, SheaMoisture, Now Foods, Karma Organic Spa, and Ben & Jerry's (because every yogi needs a sweet treat after an intense class!).

It was an all-around awesome day and we can't wait for next year! To check out more photos, please visit the gallery on Brenda's Facebook page. Namasté!

Finding Enlighten-ment in North Carolina

When we first connected with Dina and Shari from Enlighten Yoga in Charlotte, NC, we immediately knew we wanted to work with them! Their calculated approach to hand-selecting every brand sold at their studio is very impressive—and we were honored and humbled to be considered. Having our shades sold alongside some of the top brands in the yoga world is a dream come true!

As the premier yoga studio in the Charlotte area, Enlighten Yoga offers over sixty-five classes weekly for all ages and abilities. From Yin and hot power mixed classes to performance classes specifically for athletes, Enlighten has it all. Their workshops and teacher training programs are top notch and draw people from all over the country. They specialize in linking movement with breath and hope it translates not only on, but off your mat into everyday life.

If you're in the Charlotte area be sure to stop by, check out their retail shop (and our shades!), take a class or just say "Hi." Learn more at enlightenyogaclt.com and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Vira Sun is HOT in Arizona. No Lie, it's TRUE!

Did you know there are on average 300 sunny days per year in Arizona? That means 300 opportunities to wear sunglasses!

True Hot Yoga—with locations in Scottsdale and Glendale—is the first (and only) yoga studio in AZ to carry Vira Sun. With classes for beginners through advanced yogis, come prepared to get a great workout, improve flexibility, open your mind, sweat, and oh yeah…buy a pair of our shades!

True Hot Yoga is just that—a hot, power flow studio with temperatures reaching 104 degrees and 50% humidity. Classes are inspired by elements of Bikram, Ashtanga and Vinyasa, all geared toward helping you achieve clarity, increase self-confidence and strength, all while reducing stress and flushing toxins from your body. The heat helps warm your muscles allowing for deeper (and safer) movement and flexibility throughout your flow. If power isn’t your speed, they also offer a variety of Yin and restorative classes.

We’re thrilled to be carried by such an amazing studio filled with wonderful students and instructors. What’s even more impressive is their philanthropic nature and wide variety of charities they support including the 911 Memorial Fund, Wounded Warrior Project and American Red Cross.

To learn more about our friends at True Hot Yoga, please visit truehotyoga.com or check them out on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Vira Sun hits it BIG in Texas

The old saying's true; everything IS bigger in Texas—including the yogi love for Vira Sun!

Integrity, community, possibility, empowerment and fun are just some of the words and actions that BIG in Houston stands for. At Vira Sun, we share the same beliefs and couldn’t be more proud to partner with them and introduce BIG as our first ever retail partner in Texas. Yee haw!

BIG sold out of their first round of Vira Sun shades in 24 hours and immediately reordered. WOW! It’s humbling and thrilling to have the BIG yogis representing us with such pride and excitement!

Known primarily as a heated Baptise Power Vinyasa Yoga studio, BIG also offers Yin, Bhakti, various flows (both soulful and rock & roll-ful), kids classes, and SUP yoga on 288 Lake. In addition to its wide range of classes, BIG also offers Yoga Alliance 200-hour training programs for yoga and SUP yoga, plus teacher training specialties for kids yoga.

To learn more about BIG, please visit their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.


Vira Sun x Bird Rock Yoga

It was roughly two months ago when we first met the amazing Mandy Burstein (@zengirlmandy, Zen Girl Chronicles) at our local yoga studio in La Jolla, CA. We recognized her beautiful face from her social media pages since we had been following her for quite some time. Upon introducing ourselves and making a connection right there in the studio's lobby, we instantly began talking about ways we could work together. Exciting ideas began to flow and we solidified our conversation with a big hug. She was as lovely as we had hoped!

As a manager and teacher at Bird Rock Yoga, Mandy was planning a 30-day yoga challenge for the Bird Rock/Little Yoga Studio students. The challenge was to complete 21 classes in 31 days during the month of March (#sandiegoyogachallenge) and be entered to win some amazing prizes. We were thrilled when Mandy asked us to sponsor the challenge and we offered a bunch of Vira Sun shades to be raffled off at the end of the challenge. When it was all said and done, 17 amazing yogis and yoginis completed the challenge and had the distinction of being strong, committed and dedicated to their bodies, minds and practice. Congrats, everyone!

The buzz around our sunglasses was so high at the studio during and after the challenge that Mandy, Heather Grisco (the wonderful owner of Bird Rock Yoga) and the Vira Sun team decided to partner up to create co-branded Vira Sun x Bird Rock Yoga shades to be sold at the studio. The frame and arm color were mindfully selected to align with the studio's branding—light blue translucent frame, dark bamboo arms, and silver mirror lenses (polarized, of course!).

Not only is this our first-ever collaboration, but it's also the first-ever retail location to sell Vira Sun shades! We couldn’t be happier to align ourselves with such amazing people at a fantastic studio filled with passionate students.

Our collaborative shades ($35.00) are now available in limited quantities exclusively at Bird Rock Yoga, located at 910 Grand Avenue in Pacific Beach. Get yours before they're gone!

To learn more about our friends at Bird Rock Yoga, check out birdrockyoga.com or follow them on Instagram and Facebook.