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The Asanas: Elevating your Yoga Practice with Innovative Design
Due to our increasingly hectic lifestyles, moments of stillness are getting harder to come by. Consequently, stress has become an inevitable part of our everyday. Jammed with daily hassles, long working hours and constantly alerting smartphones, these external stimuli often take up more headspace than preferred. As chronic stress is known to negatively impact our mental and physical health, the art of slowing down has never been more vital.
With increased awareness around these matters, brands that support our wellbeing and help us implement conscious living are one the rise, including the Norwegian eco yoga brand, The Asanas.
“The Asanas was born out of a desire to combine all my passions that I have explored at different times in my life, particularly merging mindful movement and wellness with a sustainable lifestyle.”
As a competitive gymnast from a very young age, it was a natural transition for Monika to start studying the human potential and body through becoming a chiropractor. “Seeing the benefits of movement and mindfulness on the body and brain, inspired me to implement yoga into my daily wellness routine,” she says. Later on, Monika began encouraging other women to do the same when establishing her own business in 2016.
“Being able to create products that support a healthy lifestyle with materials and designs that I truly believe in, is incredibly rewarding to me and continues to influence the choices we make every day as a business,” explains Monika.
The Asanas aims to bring natural and sustainable products of the highest quality to people so they can have their own piece of Scandinavian minimalism. These pieces are to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional, aiming to elevate their experience of yoga.
One of the brand’s most popular product is the Cork Yoga Collection, which consists of a yoga mat, yoga wheel and a yoga block. All of the products are made from premium cork that provides an effective grip and a high-performance yoga practice. Due to their visually appealing, natural look, these products can simultaneously serve as beautiful accessories in your home and gentle reminders of one’s regular yoga practice.
As for the environmental aspect, sustainability has been one of the brand’s core values from the beginning. Curious about the lack of options for all-natural, toxic free yoga products, Monika started exploring the benefits of natural cork and its compatibility with yoga.
“We started blending sustainably-sourced materials, like cork, natural rubber, recycled plastic and organic cotton with Scandinavian minimalistic design, that could seamlessly blend into our living space,” says Monika. Apparently, a vast amount of research goes into the process of finding the right materials, often taking up to a year or more for a new product idea to launch. «It can be quite a lengthy process, but we’re all about inspiring women to invest in pieces that are going to last beyond seasonal trends, and to consider sustainability in all aspects of living,” she adds.
In addition to their Cork Collection, The Asanas also produce high-quality, Italian performance fabric yoga wear, made from 100% regenerated ocean plastic. Offering high-waisted tights, backless bras and crop tops, the Revive Collection consists of beautiful, feminine activewear. Available in a variety of colours, these soft and stretchy garments allow women to look both stylish and comfortable during their yoga practice.
“We are designing for modern women, who want to bring more movement and mindfulness into their lives by creating a daily space of calm and joy that they’d love to come back to again and again. This way, we support their wellness practice, so they can go out and take on the world.”
Inspired by Monika’s love for nature, earthy colours and a natural feel are very characteristic of the brand. “Growing up alongside the mountains, fjords and coastline in Norway has ingrained a deep relationship with wild open spaces and a huge appreciation of the beauty of nature. Norwegian summers are my absolute fave and going somewhere we call “Sørlandet” (the South Land) is my idea of heaven. The tranquillity I feel when I’m there, makes me want to bring it wherever I go, and it inspires me endlessly in the creative process of improving The Asanas,” explains Monika.
Looking into the future, Monika and her team want to continue bringing innovative designs to people in order to elevate their yoga experiences. Also, activewear designs for men are in the pipeline.
“We are currently working on some very exciting projects, which are due to launch in late 2020. The new lines will play with more natural and functional elements, adding more variety and categories to the concept. That’s all I can really say at this point, but it’s a very exciting time for the company,” says Monika.
The Cork Yoga and Revive collections can be purchased online through The Asanas website. Worldwide shipping is available.
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