The  Three Minute Egg® is not simply a replacement for the traditional square yoga blocks, although as people gain experience with the Eggs their blocks are often cast aside.  The Three Minute Egg® is more than that.  It’s a new way of thinking about yoga props.  Even as its inventor I am constantly surprised by its versatility (every teacher seems to find some unique application for the Eggs), and its versatility brings with it the need for some clarification.

Now that you’ve decided you want some Eggs, there’s a good chance you have a few questions. Can I get any colors I want? What’s a Hard-Boiled Egg? Do all the orange Eggs have signatures on?  In fact, you may be thinking (in a Ricky Ricardo sort of voice), “Jaaaason, you got some esplaining to do!”  And so I will elaborate.

We currently offer 3 variations on the original Three Minute Egg®: Namasteggs, Signature Eggs and Hard-Boiled Eggs.

All of these Eggs are the same size and shape. The Hard-Boiled Eggs (only available in Gray) are harder and a tiny bit heavier. The difference in hardness is important and noticeable. The difference in weight (unless you’re holding a gigantic box) is not. The general principle is this: if the Eggs are in your hands (think Upward Facing Dog), and your weight is on the Eggs (or any arm-balancing pose), you want those Eggs to be Hard-Boiled.  For the most part 2 is enough, though in some instances you may want more.  If you’re standing on an Egg, it absolutely needs to be Hard-Boiled.  If the Eggs are supporting your head, spine, ribs or chest (think supported Backbends or forward restorative twist) and you’re planning to stay there a while, you will be more comfortable and better able to relax into the slightly softer Namasteggs (available in 7 colors other than Gray).  A minimum of 4 is recommended (3 under the back/chest and one under the head).  This golden ratio of 2 Hard-Boiled Eggs to 4 Namasteggs is what led us to create the Breakfast of Yogis and Yogi Meal (the only difference being that the Yogi Meal comes with our introductory DVD). 

The Namastegg is actually our flagship product, and had I thought of that name at the beginning, this company might be called Namastegg! But I digress. The Namastegg is designed and intended for Yin, Restorative, Senior and Therapeutic Yoga. All of these styles will benefit from 4 or more Eggs, and at least 4 of those Eggs should be Namasteggs. (Anyone under 108 pounds can pretty much use Namasteggs for anything, but by and large everyone should have a mixture of Eggs. More on that below.) Namasteggs come in 7 beautiful colors and are a bit softer and more comfortable under your back and head. If you’re serious about your Restorative practice you will want more than 4 Eggs, and if this is the case, the chances are that you can utilize Hard-Boiled Eggs (under your legs or knees for example) without their density being a negative factor. If you are planning to go with 6 or more Eggs, we strongly suggest that you consider one of our Yin & Yang Yoga packs, visible near the top of our products page, as these all come with both kinds of Eggs.

Signature Eggs are all Namasteggs, but they are signed (the signatures are actually heat-stamped into the foam on one side, like our logo is on the other) by some very popular and respected yoga teachers. Each teacher has a unique style and all are early supporters of the Three Minute Egg®. Every teacher has their own color, and their colors are available with and without their names on the Egg. (When choosing your color, if the Egg you choose says “Signature Egg,” it will come with their name on it. If for any reason you don’t want a signed Egg, just order the Namastegg in the same color.  Namasteggs are referred to by color only.)  We probably won’t be making these Signature Eggs forever, so know that our Signature Series may be a collector’s item some day.

If you are concerned that these teachers have done something “un-yogic” by putting their name on a product, you may be misinterpreting these Eggs. I have developed warm, personal relationships with each of these teachers and it is my gratitude for their contributions to my practice and my product that inspired me to put their names on Eggs.  They said yes in support of me, and to support the success of the Three Minute Egg®. They aren’t making heaps of money for doing so.  They did it because it was a fun thing to do, they really believe in my product and they all use Eggs in their classes. If you have the chance to study with one of my “Signateurs,” you will see they have each developed unique applications for the Three Minute Egg®, and you will understand why they have been invited to participate in this series. You may choose to embrace the Egg of your favorite teacher, or purchase our Signature Salad and collect all four!  All of the Signature Eggs are also available in the Yin Yang Yoga packs where they are combined with our Hard-Boiled Eggs.

Hard-Boiled Eggs only come in Slate Gray, and they are harder and only slightly heavier than Namasteggs. Their weight is not a critical factor, but their hardness is. The fact that they are harder makes them ideally suited for Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Iyengar-inspired yoga practices. A couple of Hard-Boiled Eggs are a great tool for learning and practicing Jump-thrus.  The height offers you a little more clearance while you learn the technique and build the core strength needed to perform the movement.  The shape of the Egg protects your wrists, and the position of the Egg naturally shifts in order to accommodate your body’s changing orientation to the ground. Any time the Eggs are in your hands and your weight is on the Eggs, those Eggs should be Hard-Boiled.  Unless you weigh less than 108 pounds, all arm-balancing poses should only be done on Hard-Boiled Eggs.  Even if you weigh less than 108 pounds,  I would still recommend you choose these over the Namasteggs.  2 of these Gray Eggs are generally sufficient for personal use. Placing a Hard-Boiled Egg under your foot to stretch your calf is, without question, the single greatest calf-stretch I’ve ever experienced. Everyone should have in their backpack, at least 2 Hard-Boiled Eggs.

Good Karma Eggs bring together supportive partnerships between Three Minute Egg®, teachers who love Eggs, and causes many of us care about.  A minimum of 10% of the proceeds from Good Karma Eggs are donated to organizations specified by the partnering teachers.

Our Special Edition Alignment & Flow DVD is a terrific introduction to the Three Minute Egg®. This DVD is comprised of 2 practices with complete menus. Each practice is 27 Minutes long, and they may be done separately or together. The Alignment practice (which you should definitely do first) will teach you 21 ways to get comfortable using the Eggs. The Flow practice will add several new postures, and help you integrate the Eggs into a dynamic practice. This DVD is suitable for all levels of yoga. There are a few poses that may prove challenging at first.  There’s no need to be discouraged.  You can modify or work on them slowly and look forward to learning them over time.  Both practices are accessible routines you can do every day from home.

All of our Retail Packages (up to 9 Eggs) come with our 3ME Signature Backpack. Each backpack holds up to 6 Eggs. Groups of 8 or 9 Eggs come with 2 backpacks.

Now that you understand the differences, what should you actually buy? The best deals going (and our top sellers these days) can be found in our Yin & Yang Yoga section. The most popular of these is the Yogi Meal. This package comes with 2 Hard-Boiled Eggs (Gray only), 4 Namasteggs (in your choice of colors), the Special Edition Alignment and Flow DVD, and of course our 3ME Backpack. With this specially-priced package you will receive everything you need to practice any type of yoga, and the DVD will show you where to begin. If you’re not a DVD person, then the Breakfast of Yogis will offer you the same variety of Eggs without the DVD. If you need more Eggs you can look at the Egg Limbs of Yoga and Give Eggs a Chance. If you want to create your own color combination, you may do so by visiting our Egg Salad Bar.

Here’s what makes these Yin Yang Yoga packs such a good idea. Should you require more than 2 Eggs for your Ashtanga, Vinyasa, or Iyengar practice, you may supplement with Namasteggs. Because the majority of your weight will not be on these extra Eggs, their softer density will not be a factor. Similarly, should you desire more support in your Restorative or Yin practice than 4 Eggs can provide, your Hard-Boiled Eggs can be used in ways that their increased hardness won’t bother you. If you are injured, older and wiser, or less flexible, you might even consider increasing your Yin Yang collection to include 8 or 9 Eggs.

You will notice that in spite of all this sage advice, we still offer Eggs in other combinations. That is because we are here for you, and you may have different desires than what we have outlined here. Whatever you decide and whatever you order, we are confident you will love your Eggs and that they will inspire, if not revolutionize your yoga practice. Please don’t hesitate to email or call us with your questions. We welcome the opportunity to speak with our customers and if there’s anything we can do to help you, we hope you’ll give us that chance.

*A note to Teachers and Studios: We have discount pricing for bulk quantities of our “Scrambled Eggs,” which are ideal for studio use.  “Scrambled Eggs” are our scratch-n-dent product that is new and unused from the factory, but not up to our ridiculously high standards.  When we notice something we don’t like about an Egg, we “Scramble” it, meaning we set it aside for studio use.  These imperfections are very minor and in no way impact the durability or usability of these Eggs.  Half they time you won’t even notice them! Most of these marks would happen within a week of studio use anyway, so studios and teachers looking to provide their students with Eggs are grateful for the discount and unperturbed by the blemishes.

We also offer wholesale pricing on retail product if you would like to provide Eggs for your students to buy.  Experience has taught us that if you use Eggs in your classes, students will want to own them for themselves.  We highly recommend planning on 2-4 Eggs per person for Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Iyengar style classes, and 4-6 Eggs per person for Yin, Restorative, Senior and Therapeutic yoga.  If you intend to utilize the Eggs in both dynamic and restorative classes, you might want to order the Yin Yang Scrambled selections.  Feel free to follow up with an email specifying colors you do or do not want.  If you are teaching both Yin and Yang style classes, the ratio of Eggs you buy for your studio should generally be 4 Namasteggs for every 2 Hard-Boiled Eggs.  Let us know in your email if you want something different.  Whatever you decide, you won’t regret it.

Thank you for making the Three Minute Egg® a part of your practice.

Namastegg!

Tags: 3 Minute Egg, advanced yoga and props, Ashtanga, beginning yoga, intermediate yoga, iyengar, pregnancy yoga, restorative yoga, Senior Yoga, three minute egg, Vinyasa, yin yoga, yoga props, yoga with wrist pain

This entry was posted on Monday, June 27th, 2011 at 10:56 am and is filed under Product Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.