JOURNAL

Based in India, Shakti Warriors designs and manufactures high quality yoga mats with extreme care, only using the best quality, and all natural materials. “It all started when I wanted to invest in the perfect yoga mat.” - Sonakshi Bagla, Founder.

What drew you to Shakti Warrior, and what are your day to day tasks at the company?

Sonakshi (CEO) and I have been friends for 8 or so plus years, and yes so the reason I actually started working with Shakti Warrior is kind of a funny story. We used to go to school together (both went to NYU), and she moved back to India to start an eco-friendly yoga brand. She wanted to bring sustainability to the yoga world. We just hadn’t been able to find any eco-friendly yoga products, 5 years ago when we started talking about this concept, or she started talking about this concept. So she moved to India in 2016, and came back to the US at the end of the year and was staying with me in my apartment. And one day I came home from work and she had this box waiting and she said, I’m going to show you the prototypes or the samples of the mats that I want that I’m going to start selling. And she pulled out this gorgeous cork yoga mat, it had a peacock on it (Subhana Yoga mat) and the artwork is hand designed by her mom, who is an incredible Indian artist. So I saw the design and thought wow this is beautiful, this is gorgeous. I’ve never seen a cork mat in my life before. And she said why don't we go to a yoga class and try it out. I said sure. So we went to a hot yoga class, and I rolled out the mat, started to put a towel on top of it. And she’s like what’re you doing? And I said well, you know I sweat a lot, it’s a hot yoga class, so I need a towel to not slip. And she’s like “Viviana, the reason I made the cork yoga mat is so you don’t have to use a towel. And I’m like ya, right. So I reluctantly put the towel on the side, right within you know, near me so I could reach it and get it, but 90 minutes went by, I didn’t use the towel once.

It was an incredible experience to be able to practice on not only a sustainable, eco friendly, all natural product, but also a product that was super functional. And just easy. I didn’t have to carry a towel, I didn’t slip, I could focus on the practice. So we went back home and she showed me the other designs she was thinking about printing, that her mom had designed. And we were just going over the details, and she’s telling me everything about the product, and during that time, I used to Air BnB one of the rooms I had in my apartment, and my guests happened to walk in, and they saw these mats laying on the floor. And they were like “oh what’s that?” and started asking all these questions. And Sonashki didn’t really have pricing yet, she had made samples and was still in the developing process. And she was telling them everything about it, and the wife turned to the husband and said “So and so is a yoga teacher, did you get a Christmas gift for her?” And he was like “Oh my god yes, how much is it?” And Sonashki just said a number, she said something like $120 and he just took out his cash and gave it to her and bought the very first mat right then and there.

Right on the spot. So that was a lightbulb for me, and she asked me “Would this be something you’re interested in trying out with me with? I need help with the sales and development side of business” And I thought about it for like 3 seconds and said yes, and within a couple of months I packed my bags and moved to India to start this business with her. So yeah, that’s the long short story.

What makes it different from other yoga/activewear companies? Aside from the sustainability/eco-friendly aspect, hand drawn designs, anti-slip, etc. If there’s anything else that you feel separates you from the competition?

I think there is one more aspect that separates us that we have going for us that’s very different is that we’re women owned and operated. And also that we have a special program where we work with this wonderful group of women in India. Who makes our yoga bags, so the yoga mat covers that you see on our website, and we have a ton more that I have not added to the website that we use for special events. They also make our eye pillows. And these women are incredible, they come from economically challenged backgrounds in New Delhi, India, and we partnered with this wonderful group called Summertime? (look into this, may be incorrect) who teaches them basic skills like sewing, and then they connect them with companies like us. So that we can hire them, and what we do is that we send all the proceeds that are made from the bags and the eye pillows, they all go back to these wonderful ladies. So that was another aspect, like the social cause for the brand was very clear from the beginning. We wanted to uplift and empower other women. Because we are a woman owned and operated brand, we feel it’s just necessary to do that, especially in places like India, where it’s hard for women to be uplifted economically especially. So yes, there is sustainability, but there’s the social cause side of it that differentiates us from most, if not all yoga brands.

You said the company started back in 2016 was it?

Well the product research and development was started in 2016, but we didn’t officially start, our very first event was in India in March of 2017. So officially, officially, 2017 in India, and then here in the US it was early 2018 when we brought the brand here.

Sonakshi (CEO) and I have been friends for 8 or so plus years, and yes so the reason I actually started working with Shakti Warrior is kind of a funny story. We used to go to school together (both went to NYU), and she moved back to India to start an eco-friendly yoga brand. She wanted to bring sustainability to the yoga world. We just hadn’t been able to find any eco-friendly yoga products, 5 years ago when we started talking about this concept, or she started talking about this concept. So she moved to India in 2016, and came back to the US at the end of the year and was staying with me in my apartment. And one day I came home from work and she had this box waiting and she said, I’m going to show you the prototypes or the samples of the mats that I want that I’m going to start selling. And she pulled out this gorgeous cork yoga mat, it had a peacock on it (Subhana Yoga mat) and the artwork is hand designed by her mom, who is an incredible Indian artist. So I saw the design and thought wow this is beautiful, this is gorgeous. I’ve never seen a cork mat in my life before. And she said why don't we go to a yoga class and try it out. I said sure.

So we went to a hot yoga class, and I rolled out the mat, started to put a towel on top of it. And she’s like what’re you doing? And I said well, you know I sweat a lot, it’s a hot yoga class, so I need a towel to not slip. And she’s like “Viviana, the reason I made the cork yoga mat is so you don’t have to use a towel. And I’m like ya, right. So I reluctantly put the towel on the side, right within you know, near me so I could reach it and get it, but 90 minutes went by, I didn’t use the towel once. It was an incredible experience to be able to practice on not only a sustainable, eco friendly, all natural product, but also a product that was super functional. And just easy.

I didn’t have to carry a towel, I didn’t slip, I could focus on the practice. So we went back home and she showed me the other designs she was thinking about printing, that her mom had designed. And we were just going over the details, and she’s telling me everything about the product, and during that time, I used to Air BnB one of the rooms I had in my apartment, and my guests happened to walk in, and they saw these mats laying on the floor. And they were like “oh what’s that?” and started asking all these questions. And Sonashki didn’t really have pricing yet, she had made samples and

was still in the developing process. And she was telling them everything about it, and the wife turned to the husband and said “So and so is a yoga teacher, did you get a Christmas gift for her?” And he was like “Oh my god yes, how much is it?” And Sonashki just said a number, she said something like $120 and he just took out his cash and gave it to her and bought the very first mat right then and there. Right on the spot. So that was a lightbulb for me, and she asked me “Would this be something you’re interested in trying out with me with? I need help with the sales and development side of business” And I thought about it for like 3 seconds and said yes, and within a couple of months I packed my bags and moved to India to start this business with her. So yeah, that’s the long short story.

So you’ve seen some serious growth over the last 3-4 years already.

We’ve expanded, we made the conscious decision to bring the product to America as soon as possible because we felt that this is where, this is where we needed to be. Just because that sustainability wasn’t really there yet in the Yoga community. There was only one other yoga mat at the time that was making cork mats, and they’re very different from ours. In India were the first. So we’ve done very well in India, just because we are the first and only yoga brand that’s bringing the sustainability aspect and social consciousness to yoga. You think of India as the yoga capital of the world, but we had to do a lot of educating the consumer there, about sustainability and why the yoga mat is the price that it was. As opposed to spending $10 in the local market. There was a lot of education that had to go into it there (India) we didn’t have to do much of that here. But yes, we’ve made a very conscious decision from the very beginning to bring the brand to the US as soon as possible, so we can be one of the first to do this kind of thing.

Where do you see Shakti Warrior in 5 years?

V: So right now we’re working on expanding in the middle east. So Sonahski is in Dubai right now, and we have a few partners right now, they’re ecommerce platforms that we sell through, like ?? It’s very similar to Amazon. Basically the Amazon of the middle east. So we have a partnership with them, we have a partnership with a few others. So we are trying to crack that market. We have a big yoga studio there, and we want to continue to grow here. There is so much work to do, the U.S. is so big. There is just so much growth, and a lot more competition now right? So it’s just trying to stay ahead of the curve, like how we have the hemp yoga mats. I don’t think anyone else is making hemp yoga mats yet which is awesome for us.

It seems that most yoga mats are made of rubber no?

Yes so most yoga mats are made with PVC, or rubber, there is another material, called TPE which is a natural tree rubber that's mixed with plastic. It’s marketed as eco-friendly, and biodegradable, but it isn't. And that’s another thing that differentiates us from other mats in general, our mats are made with 100% natural tree rubber. So there is no plastic mixed in it, and that’s one of the reasons our mats are a little bit heavier than others. But the good thing about that, is that it makes them super sturdy, and of course biodegradable as well. So we have that going and of course the hemp mats were our new addition to the yoga mat collection. We also extended into accessories, we are making meditation pillows as well, which people are loving. The cork mediation pillow is awesome, so that has been a really good addition. And we want to continue to do that. So what I see happening is just continuing to increase our product line with eco-friendly products that are made with sustainable materials, like hemp. It’s such a wonderful material to work with, it’s not only an amazing material touch. It’s like a fabric, it’s a wonderful fabric to practice on, it’s really nice for yoga. But it takes a significant amount of less water to grow than cotton. I think they say something like 40% less water than cotton to grow, so it’s super sustainable, super eco-friendly, and that’s one of the reasons we work with that material. I’d love to make more products out of it, that’s what we’re trying to figure out how to work more with. So yeah, just continue to find ways to work with sustainable and natural materials for our brand.

What is your favorite Shakti Warrior Product? If you have one?

Of course the Subhana will always have a place in my heart, because it was basically the mat that changed my life. Had I not seen that mat, and practiced on it that day, had Sonahski asked me if I wanted to work, I probably would have said no. I had a very comfortable life, and was very happy with what I was doing. So I think that had I not felt, seen it, practiced on it, I probably would have never made that leap of faith, that completely changed my life. So of course that mat will always have a special place in my heart, and I do love practicing on the cork, that’s my go to material, when I practice yoga. But we just started making this travel mat, in our Ananda collection which is made of the natural tree rubber and microfibre on top. Those fold really nicely so I love the convenience of the mat, and they’re super sticky as well, so they work well with my practice. I’m able to just put it in my backpack, so I do love being able to do that. But I also love the meditation pillows. So my top 3 would be the cork mat, so my personal practice for the travel mat is the Ajna natural rubber mat in the travel size (Ananda collection) and of course the meditation pillow is just awesome. Those would be my top 3.

And you said working at Shakti has changed your life, do you mind expanding on that?

Oh in every way. I used to work in sales for a restaurant group before. So sales has always been my thing. I've always been into the business development and sales aspect of anything I did, prior to Shakti Warrior. And that’s my focus, so that’s basically what I do. And it’s my job to figure out who we’re going to partner with. So basically strategic partnership and sales is what I’m supposed to do, but I do everything in between as well. So it’s changed my life in just, every way. I live in Maryland now, which is wonderful. I love living in Maryland, just because it’s a very different lifestyle from New York, but I still get to go to New York regularly which is really nice.

From a business standpoint, I’ve just learned so much. Starting a business, and not really knowing anything about….anything really. It’s such a huge learning curve and we’re learning every single day. It’s been 4-5 years, and we're still, just every day, something new. Something new, or a few things that we learn. Just how to continue growing, how to reach more people, how to partner with brands, like yours for example. There’s just so much out there, and it’s just a really wonderful learning experience for everyone. Not just for me, but for Sonashki, her mom (Anita), for my mom, who sometimes comes and helps us with events. And she sometimes helps us when we have a lot of orders. She comes to our warehouse and helps us pack.

So it’s been a really fun experience, also to be able to include your friends and family in it. And then what I love the most is just being able to, when we’re not traveling or anything like that, being able to have the time to, for example, sit and talk with you guys and have an interview like this. And being able to spend some time with my mom because I’m back home. Just having the time management and not having to be in one place at home time, is huge for me. And I think for everyone to have that level of being able to manage time a little better. So that’s been a huge change for me that’s very positive. And we try to do that with everyone we bring onto our team, we just had three interns over the summer, and we were very conscious of not only making sure they were learning things from us and our business, but to ensure they had a good summer, and good quality of that life/work balance. So I think that’s something that has worked out really well for me, and just changed everything for the better.

Because before this job I was just in an office, every day, all day.

How did the mantra/brand slogan “Be a Warrior, Not a Worrier” come about?

Sonashki’s mom, and Sonashki as well. Sonashki’s mom has a really wonderful way with not only her art but her words. She’s also a writer. So she’s a published author, and she’s written a few books, and she always has these wonderful puns, and wonderful things she says out of the blue. And one day she said it. We were just trying to come up with a slogan for the brand, and it’s actually Soul Awakens, but this is one of the things that she said, and Sonashki loved it, so she had to add it as well. But it just came out of the blue, she (Antia) just said, “Be a Warrior, Not a Worrier ''. There are days where we’re like “oh my gosh what are we doing?” but It’s just a part of the process and we keep at it, and we’re finally starting to experience the really wonderful side effects of just staying with it, and not worrying too much about how it’s going to happen, but just doing the work, and somehow it will happen. As long as we keep at it, good things will continue happening. So we’re super grateful for everything that has been going on, especially over the last year, we’ve seen a massive change and growth. And partnerships that just weren’t there so it’s just been wonderful.

How have you found navigating the business during Covid-19? How has yoga helped you through it?

Yoga definitely has been my go to for just peace of mind. And being able to have a productive day. My day always starts with yoga, and it’s just a practice for me that I’ll never let go. It’s helped not only the pandemic, but just life in general. It really changed my life. I started practicing a little over 9 years ago, and I love the practice. So through the pandemic it was an even more an immersive experience because there was a lot more time at home and a lot more time to do different types of practice. But the way the pandemic changed our business was incredible because we used to - so the way we were growing the business, we were going to a lot of events and doing a lot of participating in yoga festivals, wellness events, pop ups with different studios and small shops and things like that. And all of that stopped. So all of 2019 that’s all we did.

We got in a car, or big truck, with a bunch of our products and we signed up for every yoga festival from the east coast to the west coast and up and down the west coast and everywhere in between. And we participated in a ton of yoga events that year, so we spent about 6 months on the road doing that. And our plan was to continue doing that in 2020. So we had our event calendar filled with events, and then the pandemic happened. We lost a lot of revenue from that time, the pandemic forced us to change our business model a little bit, and change how we thought about our streams of revenue in the business. And we focused a lot more online of course, I mean everyone was shopping online so that definitely helped us out a lot.

We started focusing on larger retailers, and we were able to secure a partnership with yogaoutlet.com who has been incredible for us. So that all happened during the pandemic. And we were also able to secure a partnership with Macys.com. So that was the icing on the cake for the end of 2020 for us. I think it taught us a lot. It was definitely a very turbulent time for everybody, not just us. A lot of our partners closed their studios, and it was really sad. Because we worked really close with a lot of the people, especially the studios in New York City, and the ones here in Maryland. I met with every single yoga studio owner that we sold to in the East Coast, Florida, Maryland and New York are my main hubs where I travel to, and meet with everybody. And to find out that some of these places have closed down is really asd because we not only had a relationship with them professionally, but also personally.

That’s how we started right? The studio owners let us come into their space, and let us do a pop up shop for the weekend and they saw how great the product was selling. And they chose to buy from us. So in a way, they sort of opened the doors for us to be able to show our products, and showcase our products to the world. So it was hard to see, some of these partnerships stopped because of the pandemic. But you know, people in the yoga community are really resilient. And every single one of them, either have reopened or have taken the online route and have done really well.

J: What is your favorite type of Yoga?

V: So it really depends on my mood. My go to yoga every morning is definitely a hot vinyasa class. That's sorta my go to, every single day, that gets me going and gets my day going. I need to break a sweat with a hot, powerful, vinyasa flow. That's usually really good for me to start the day. In the evenings I usually tend to do a restorative class, or I love kundalini yoga. It’s such a wonderful way to lose energy. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but if you’re not, give it a try.

I’ve only restorative myself, but I’ve always wanted to try hot yoga, I hear its a great workout and obviously you sweat a lot.

V: It is. It's one of those practices that you wanna die in the moment, but you finish a hot class. A really good hot class, and it’s just so invigorating. It's a wonderful feeling. So I do like to start my day with that, but then in the evening I prefer something a little more restorative or Kundalini. It’s wonderful. And the breathing exercises they do in Kundalini are great also, so I do enjoy that.

If someone wanted to start out in their yoga journey, what advice would you give them? Certain classes they should try? Certain amount of times per week they should drive?

I would say to look at yoga like a personal practice. It’s not going to be the same for everybody. When people ask me “Oh how many times should I go to class?” It’s hard for me to say because I don’t know what you’re looking for. For me, I go to yoga every single day. This year I have a goal, to finish 360 classes, for the year. So I have to do at least one class every single day. If I miss one day, I have to go twice a day. But that’s because I set that goal at the beginning of the year, and I do something like that every year. So this year it just happened to be a yoga class every single day. But for me, yoga is a practice, so for someone that's starting out and wants to really get the benefits, the full benefits of the practice, I’d say just show up to a class. Find a teacher that you like. That you’re comfortable with. Different people have different teaching styles. For me at least, it’s very important to find a teacher you resonate with. That gives you the practice that you’re looking for. Whether it’s online or in the studio. And just show up. Show up for yourself. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. Those 4 corners of your mat, it's your space to do whatever you want. If you want to just sit, or lay down for the entire class, it’s your practice, so it’s just a matter of showing up, and getting the benefits of whatever that day brings. But yeah, it really depends on what someone is looking for. So yeah, start with a level 1 class, or a restorative class would be a good way to get your feet wet. And finding a space that you’re comfortable in, or a teacher that you’re comfortable with.

Based in India, Shakti Warriors designs and manufactures high quality yoga mats with extreme care, only using the best quality, and all natural materials.

“It all started when I wanted to invest in the perfect yoga mat.” - Sonakshi Bagla, Founder. For Shakti Warrior founder Sonakshi Bagla yoga is more than just an activity, it’s a way of life.

However, when she began her journey into yoga she was surprised to discover that her options for finding the perfect yoga mat were limited.

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