By: Jen Mullholand, conference blogger

With the holidays now upon us, there are so many options for great gifts to give the yogi in your life. The team of the Northwest Yoga Conference is especially excited about all the wonderful gifts that support local businesses in Seattle, Tacoma, Portland and Vancouver, just to name a few places. We have come up with a few great ideas to share. A few of these folks will be in the Marketplace at the conference in March (only a few months away!). Enjoy and happy holidays!

• Bicycling Buddha is an Etsy shop featuring traditional Buddhist Malas and other handmade jewelry and gifts.The jewelry is made by Seattle artist Alyssa Lee. Alyssa uses healing gemstones and crystals in her pieces, and every piece has an explanation of the significance of the materials used.

•  Mishu Boutique is a Seattle-based boutique with locations in Capitol Hill, downtown Seattle and Everett. Mishu specializes in clothing inspired by creative movement and expression and hires local designers to create patterns and samples for its collections. They have a large selection of tops, jackets, skirts, pants and dresses, most under $100. Their accessory collection includes a big selection of scarves, jewelry and pocket belts in leather and canvas at various price points. Mishu also carries local artists goods and will be in the marketplace at the conference in 2015.

• Nari Alliance is an online social business venture that seeks to raise the quality of life for women and children survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking in Nepal. Nari means women in Nepalese. Nari Alliance was founded by Seattlite and Nepal native Lila Ghising, who is also the founder of the non-profit organization Womens Protection Center in Nepal. The Nari Alliance offers clothing, jewelry and home accessories made in Nepal under fair trade regulations and sold online. Nari Alliance will be in the marketplace at the conference in 2015.

Buddha Tunic

•  Inspire Me Mandalas offers hand-painted mandalas on cards, coffee mugs, glass cutting boards, t-shirts, canvas prints and framed matted prints. The word mandala comes from Sanskrit and means circle. The primordial shape represents many qualities such as unity, wholeness, perfection and divinity, with the center of the circle representing our spirit.  Inspire Me Mandalas is owned by Shabeena, an artist living in Woodinville, WA whose passion is “to provide visually appealing art that is not only esthetically pleasing, but aids in enriching our understanding of ourselves as well as each other.” Shabeena and her mandalas will be on display in the marketplace at the conference in 2015.

• Big Dipper Wax Works is a Seattle-based company specializing in hand-crafted beeswax candles. Big Dipper has recently expanded into the arena of bodycare, offering beeswaxs-based lip balms, massage balms and hand salves. For the holiday season, Big Dipper has an array of holiday aromatherapy candles and unique beeswax ornament candles. You can find Big Dipper products in your local healthfood stores and yoga studios around the Pacific Northwest, including Whole Foods, PCC and 8 Limbs Yoga Centers in Seattle.

• Nutti Yogini is a Tacoma-based business owned by artist and designer Jessica Alexander specializing in mala beads and necklaces. One of Jessica’s most successful ventures has been her Nutti Yogini line of necklaces designed to combine the power of “OM” with the healing nature of gemstones to create powerful symbols such as intuition, serenity, wisdom and other traits we wish to possess or need to work toward. She has recently set on a new mission to design and create a yoga-inspired clothing line based on her mission of using sustainable, organic natural fabrics made in America.

Do you have a yogi in your life who just loves to practice and learn? Someone who would love to spend a day (or even four!) immersed in the teachings of yoga asana, philosophy, the business of yoga and more? Consider giving your favorite yogi a pass to the 2015 Northwest Yoga Conference. You can purchase a pass for yourself or as a gift for anywhere between one to four days (single workshops will be available for purchase 2 weeks before the event).  Purchase your pass here!