Lucy Edge

For me, and the forty other yogi makers and creators I work with, our ‘why' is an easy one – we’ve all been inspired by our yoga practice to create for our fellow yogis. Whether we’re making boutique yogawear, handmade jewellery or original gifts, it’s all about creating pieces that work on and off the yoga mat, and having them work according to yogi values - being good for people and the planet. Like me, many of our makers have come from corporate jobs in which they were successful but miserable. I was a burnt out corporate, working eighty hour weeks in advertising. Nothing in my life was working, so I decided to straighten myself out with six months in the yoga schools of India. I came home with the knowledge that my happiness lay in writing. A year later Random House published Yoga School Dropout. Suddenly I was getting emails from all over the world. As I shared my story readers shared theirs – how yoga had also woken them up to their creativity and given them the courage to follow their dream – to start a creative enterprise inspired by yogi values. I was particularly struck by the beauty, sustainability and originality of this creativity. Natalia was making yoga leggings out of recycled coffee grounds, yoga teacher Rachel was hand making exquisite malas, and mother of three Anna had created a super-soft, sweat-absorbing eco yoga mat. Feeling inspired by this dedication, skill and passion I decided to curate an international marketplace, from which I could champion the very best yogi makers and creators. From engineer Dana recognising wool as a suitable material for a sustainable yoga mat to Christina's mission to inspire everyone to spread their wings, to Reiki healer Delphine, charging her gemstones with rays of light. I hope all this creativity will act as a beacon of light to you, perhaps inspiring you to fulfil a yoga-inspired dream of your own. Lucy #MadeByYogis