Square Water Bottle by Clean Bottle

“Oh my gosh, what is that!” My office mates are excited. I’ve just pulled out my new Square water bottle by Clean Bottle. “It’s square! That’s so cool! And those are fun colors.” My yoga students are similarly excited. “It’s square! Now when you accidentally knock over your bottle in class it won’t roll all the way across the room.”

I’ve been walking around with my Tritan square water bottle now for a couple of weeks, and I really like it using it. The number one reason – and this is a rather surprising perk – is that it’s easy and comfortable to carry by it’s handle. I don’t have to wrap my entire hand around it to hold it, so I can juggle a few things at once.

Other (not so obvious) benefits. The bottom twists off, so you can easily clean the bottom of your bottle. For those of us who have found grunge in the bottom of water bottles before and tossed them out in disgust, here’s an opportunity to get your clean freak on and scrub your water bottle clean and shiny from all angles. There’s even an optional water filter that you can buy. If you prefer stainless steel, you can get their stainless steel version for a few bucks more.

Pro’s
  • Vibrant, fun colors
  • Handle is super easy to carry
  • Easy to clean
  • Dishwasher safe
  • Square bottom! Doesn’t roll.
  • Fruit infuser lets you pack your water with your favourite berries or fruit
  • Opens from bottom to easily add your infuser or water filter
  • Easy to clean bottom of your bottle
  • Plastic…eh, a pro and con, BPA free, but it won’t break
  • Fits into soft pockets meant for round bottles
Con’s
  • The lip isn’t the most fun to drink out of. But the size of the opening is good.
  • You have to open the lid to drink out of it. This doesn’t bother me, but some of you may like straws for easy sipping.
  • “Responsibly made in China” – not sure what “responsibly” means
  • Square shape doesn’t fit into my car cup holder or my bike water holder
  • Infuser won’t prevent small seeds or pieces of fruit from getting into water
Conclusion

If you have been lamenting the cleanliness of your bottle or if you constantly knock them over (like me), then this bottle could be a little gem in your collection. The bottles cost at $12 a pop for the plastic, $44 (on sale for $29) for the stainless steel. And you, dear reader, get a 30% discount if you use the code “rachelyoga”. So if you think being square is cool, then go on. Get your square on.

YogiSocks: Want socks for your yoga practice?

Vadim and David got in touch with me because they’d created a product that they thought may help foot-shy yogis out: YogiSocks.

Now, socks for yoga are not a new idea.  ToeSox are the rather fancy original that go for $16-$18 a pair. For the same price, Vadim and David will send you six pairs in a box. In a nutshell, these are cotton socks with little rub pads on them that prevent slippage.

I had some friends try them out, and one size really does seem to fit all. We cavorted on carpet and on hardwood and found the socks to be comfortable and to hold their grip surprisingly well. The little stickies are in the right place and the socks fit all our different foot sizes easily. The gals also liked the fun colors.

Pro’s:
  • If you have foot fungi (sorry folks, awful truth here) or are shy about showing your feet, then these are an inexpensive alternative to sliding around in your regular cotton socks on potentially slippy yoga floors.
  • Inexpensive.
  • Fun colors.
  • Breathable cotton.
  • Useful if you want the option to practice mat-free.
  • Potentially good for sweaty feet.
  • I could see using these for Pilates or martial arts classes, or for just walking around on your slippy floors at home. Frankly, I could see using these in teacher training, when students are prone to leap up and do poses on hardwood floors and potentially slip. Freaks me out!
Con’s:
  • Fun colors (not everyone likes pink).
  • Most yogis don’t use socks because we like to be barefoot.
  • The stick factor is redundant on most yoga mats, because they are already sticky.
  • Not sure about longevity, especially if you use them because you sweat.

Alignment of values here is uncertain:

  • health-promoting: Yes, if you have foot fungi, these could be a great little helper!
  • celebrates authenticity: If you consider that choosing to wear socks is an assertion of personality.
  • emotionally elevating: Depends how much you love your socks.
  • educational: Nil.
  • high-quality: Unsure.
  • eco-friendly/ globally mindful: Unsure.
  • celebrates community: Unsure.

Details:

  • Amazon link to check them out.
  • Your 15% off promo code: XMXA8Z27