With the desire to improve the lifestyle of yogis, Komal Jain an entrepreneur from Mumbai owns an environmentally conscious brand called Yoga Land. According to her, the label redirects a new way to uphold ancient wisdom with a progressive aesthetic. We caught up with her to know more about her brand.
ThinkRight.Me: You founded Yoga Land in 2017, how and why did you start Yoga Land?
Komal Jain: I wanted to create a product that was special. Something that would touch people’s life in a good way. Art and yoga being my solid grounds, I knew it had to come from there.
After a year full of research and sampling, I made a few yoga mats. But to imagine mass production and distribution of mats that would be harmful to the environment was very disturbing. Also being a mother of a newborn, I was now more aware and conscious about the future of our planet, more than ever. Then again, decades of textile knowledge that I have inherited from my father made it easier to creatively fuse all these aspects into my eco-conscious journey of Yoga Land.
TRM: What was your thought behind eco-friendly yoga accessories?
KJ: On regularly practising yoga you become more conscious and aware.
So, it comes naturally to one, that the yoga support accessories you use as an extension to your body should be natural. It is just like the difference you feel when you eat your food using your fingers as compared to the fork or spoon. You feel more connected to the earth. And we forget that we are a part of this earth as a whole system.
Natural materials are bio-degradable and thus eco-friendly. Imagine all the human bodies that lived on this planet and never made it into fossils. That is the kind of place we will leave for our children to live in.
Also, considering yoga as a spiritual process and not merely an exercise, the material you are in contact with makes a big difference. Like the mats used for prayers in different communities are usually made of a specific material. You will find a huge difference in your experience if you meditate on a cotton mat v/s a PVC mat. The PVC material insulates your energies from the earth while the cotton mat lets your energy flow freely, working beautifully on all your energy chakras.
TRM: As a mother, entrepreneur, and wife. How do you find the right balance between work and life?
KJ: It has been a super fun roller coaster. I look at it as a juggle that I am practising getting better at each day. I learnt to plan and schedule my days better, set my priorities right, focus on the important things and maintain the rhythm. There are times when I lose to my mind, but then I breathe and start again. Juggling looks difficult, but with practice, it gets rhythmic, beautiful, and fun. Also, I do not believe in work being separate from life. It is just life where you weave things organically. My child knows my work, I know his games, my husband shares his music with us while we discuss our sales. But the catch is to be fully involved and present at the moment. With work from home, it has become possible to do this.
TRM: Your products are locally produced. How did the idea of local production strike you?
KJ: Our country is a treasure house for handloom textile. The reason I picked cotton as my main material is that it is produced on this very land, it is woven here by our very own people. It is our abundance. We can have a good grip on the quality and keep experimenting, coming from a textile background.
TRM: What does a typical day as the Founder of Yoga Land look like for you? Any specific mindfulness activities that you follow to ensure you give your hundred per cent to the day?
KJ: I keep updating my schedule every month according to the events in my family. But my basics for a good day involve –
- Start my day early with a cup of hot water and fresh air making sure that I have a quiet morning time by myself before I get going.
- Wish my family members a good morning, setting up a positive tone for the day.
- Practice yoga and Pranayama.
- Accompany my son for his online school while working.
- Work only 5 hours/day mostly.
- Practice 5 minutes mindfulness after every 2 hrs.
- 2 hours/day are dedicated to learning something new, skill development. e.g.: my usual choice is sketching and painting.
- 1 hour/day of physical play with my son and husband like practising tennis, football, running or swimming.
- Try and eat with my family.
- Watch movies/shows only once a week.
- Read and breathe before I sleep.
TRM: What are your views on art being adopted as a mindfulness activity, especially during recent times?
KJ: Art has been a therapy forever. It helps you shift your focus from your mind to your artwork (something outside of you) channelising all our energies without any prejudice. Sadly, constant judgement as good and bad blocks people from using such a simple therapy.
If you do not care of what the outcome is, you can go ahead and paint, dance, cook and create as you like. These recent times have provided us both reason and time to use our creative energies so let them flow.
TRM: 5 things that you suggest everyone should do every day to maintain their connection with their inner creativity.
KJ:
- Challenge yourself – Try and do little things differently. Find simple alternate solutions /changes in your daily routine. Mix it up a little, try some orange instead of lemon in your tea today. Taking a risk could shock you into a different creative approach.
- Get Inspired- Consume content mindfully. Currently, the means to get inspired are plenty. We need to really choose. Watch, Read, Listen, smell and taste not just to feed your ever-increasing requirement of pleasure but to get inspired.
- Play games and sports – If you have kids, it is the best opportunity to play with them and feel alive. It teaches you to have fun in the process. Even if you do not have kids, everyone loves to play!
- Keep Learning – With the amazing variety and quality of online courses available, you can keep your brain active in grasping new learnings. Have your daily dose of mental stimulation.
- Grounding and meditation – Walking barefoot in nature, mindfulness, taking a dip in the river or a guided meditation, all help in wiping out the fog in our mind. Thus, helping us see more clearly, enhancing our experience of life and boosting our inner creativity.
You can visit the Yoga Land website here.
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