5 Diverse and Ethical Yoga Brands You Need to Check Out

It’s no secret that there’s a lack of diversity and inclusivity within the yoga community. This post discusses the lack of diversity in yoga, the popularity of yoga as a business, and five diverse and ethical yoga brands you need to support. Find out where to get the best ethical yoga clothes (including ethical leggings, ethical yoga & activewear, and the best eco yoga clothing that promotes diversity! 

It’s been interesting to watch the events of Kino McGregor’s blog post about Alo Yoga suing a yoga teacher, Dana Falsetti, unfold on social media over the past couple of days – as a fellow yoga teacher and yoga practitioner, I have noticed the apparent lack of diversity and inclusivity that exists within the yoga community.

Just take a look at the clothing brand’s instagram feed, or any other big company promoting ‘yoga’. If you’re a person of color or bigger than a size 2, do you feel represented?

 Diversity in Yoga…or the Lack Thereof

As a brown curvy Indian woman, who is a Hatha yoga teacher and daily practitioner, I certainly do not. The irony that I see yoga being promoted by white men and women is not lost on me.

I’ve heard statements from fellow practitioners about how they wouldn’t take a plus-size yoga teacher seriously because it doesn’t fit the stereotype they have in their minds about what a yoga teacher should be. We’ve become so conditioned to what we see in the media that this thinking has become second nature to us. Yoga is so much more than just the physical – asana is just one aspect of what it means to practice yoga.

I remember back in 2014 visiting the American Art Museum in San Francisco when they had the Yoga: The Art of Transformation exhibit on display. There was a special exhibit by *Pardon My Hindi called #WhitePeopleDoingYoga that curated various yoga covers and collectibles from the 60s-80’s when yoga was just beginning to gain traction in the West. It was eye-opening and disheartening to see the faces of South Asians being removed from branding and instead being replaced by that of white people.

Almost four decades later, not much has changed when you google the word yoga. *Pardon My Hindi also mentions a study of Yoga Journal, a popular yoga and wellness magazine, that found over the course of two years “there was never a South Asian person on the cover, and less than 1% of content contributors were South Asian.” [by Roopa Singh, Esq., Archival study for the South Asian American Perspectives on Yoga in America, SAAPYA]

It’s now 2018, and you need to ask yourself this:

How much importance your favorite yoga brands are placing on diversity in their campaigns and sponsorships? 

The Business of Yoga

I felt this part of Kino’s article to be extremely relevant for my fellow yogis.

“When brands aiming to maximize their bottom line come into the yoga world, it starts to become a world of business first—and the yoga becomes merely a secondary tool to achieve economic gains. Yoga is an internal practice, but more and more it is sold as a material standard of an idealized life.

But, no matter how it gets commodified, yoga is not a commodity. Make no mistake, yoga is currently being commodified by many big brands who talk the talk of yoga, but don’t always walk the walk.”

In the age of social media, a lot of change can come from speaking up and refusing to remain silent. And, consumers have buying power. Your actions, no matter how small you think them to be, do matter.

This is something that hits very close to home for me – discovering yoga and the power of meditation and mindfulness really helped me ground myself and become a better person. As a third-culture woman who has grown up and lived all over the world, I’ve always had a hard time figuring out my sense of identity, where I come from, who I am. You know the general existentialist questions that seem to plague TCKs. I can say that yoga has helped me to figure that out – at the very least it helps me calm down during moments of crises! Read my 5 tips that help me keep a regular yoga practice when traveling. 

It’s not ok for Western brands and individuals to come in and pick and choose what they want to get out of yoga, all while stripping it off its South Asian-ness and history.

5 Diverse & Ethical Yoga Brands You Need to Check Out

I’m not going to lie – finding ethical yoga brands was relatively easy. It was, however, quite the challenge to find yoga brands representing diversity on the social media channels.

1. Yema

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgb1E6Uhszw/?taken-by=yemacalif

Pronounced like Yeah, Ma!, YEMA, is a SF Bay Area athletic and lifestyle clothing brand created by Kenyan-born designer Yema Khalif. The brand represents diversity and one of its lines, Jambo by YEMA is 100% handmade from recycling. Their colors are bold and each one represents a certain characteristic, like green for growth, and purple for passion. While promoting diversity, the brand is also environmentally-friendly, the clothing’s ethically produced in LA’s Fashion District, and they place importance on being socially-responsible. Shop YEMA here.

2. Rumi Earth

Started by my friend and fellow yoga practitioner, Ritesh, Rumi Earth is a collection of yoga mats and accessories made from natural or consciously-sourced materials. The company gives importance to both biodegradability and the eco-conscious nature of each of their products.

3. Beyond Yoga

I am all about their mission –

Our goal is to empower people to live peacefully and healthfully in their bodies. We reflect this by never retouching the shape of a woman’s body, offering a range of sizes from XXS to 3X and featuring amazing women doing amazing things.

A female-founded, size-inclusive athleisure brand…now that’s what I’m talking about! I think of all the Insta’s I scoured, there’s is the most diverse. Click to shop Beyond Yoga – Use code U1iqqN to get 15% off your next order.

4. Proyog

Indian yoga brand, Proyog, focuses on developing yoga clothing that’s non-restrictive, making it easy to move from one asana to the next. The brand, founded by Malika Baruah, also stays away from synthetic fabrics, and instead is eco-conscious and uses a specially developed and trademarked organic cotton called Hyperbreath that allows for breathability and comfort in your yoga practice. Shop the latest designs in organic cotton yoga pants and more from Proyog via Amazon.

5. Superfit Hero

I discovered this brand after going through Dana’s instagram page. And, honestly, what’s not to love? Peep their mission:

For too long, women’s fitness has been dominated by false promises, unrealistic ideals, and demands that we punish ourselves in the hopes of joining this exclusive club. Fitness is not exclusive. All you need to participate in fitness is a body. Any body. YOUR body.

Their line of inclusive activewear made by athletes fits anyone from a Size XS – 4XL, and not just for yoga, but a variety of other sports including CrossFit, and running. Aaaaand, they also promote ethical manufacturing. Click here to shop their latest collection. 

What are some of your favorite ethical and diverse yoga brands? Let me know in the comments below – I want to expand my options!  

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