Strike A Yoga Pose With Lotuspad

Kerri — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0400

When Katy Downey’s toddler started creating poses of her own on a yoga mat, the Boston native got to thinking. What exactly are those mats made of? Katy did some research and found that many conventional yoga mats are manufactured with PVC, a potentially hazardous plastic.

To solve the problem, Katy created her own line of mats under the brand name Lotuspad. They’re earth-friendly, biodegradable and come in a variety of sizes and colors.

We wanted to get the scoop on this “green” line from the fabulous yogi herself. Check out our exclusive interview with Lotuspad owner Katy Downey. Then, head to her Web site to check out the offerings. You can also follow Katy on Twitter @lotuspad. How Zen!

What first drew you to yoga?

I had been trying different yoga classes since college – hatha, iyengar, kundalini, but none of them really resonated with me. Then I tried a class at Baptiste power yoga in Cambridge when I was about 30, and that was IT! There was something about the heat and the flow that really spoke to me, and I’ve been hooked ever since. The best way I can describe the feeling that yoga brings me is a wave of cool, clear water flowing through my body. Once you have that, it’s very difficult to live without it!

What was it about the yoga mats on the market that inspired you to create your own line?

Like most people, I never thought twice about what my yoga mat was made of. I went through a bunch of those cheap blue yoga mats that you can get at Wholefoods or anywhere else before I learned what made them so cheap. PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is one of the most widespread and toxic consumer products available. Its use has been banned in Europe and phased out in companies such as Ikea, but most companies are still using it in yoga mats! It’s scary that the manufacturing, using, and disposing of PVC is a hazordous to human health, and here these big yoga “lifestyle” companies are still using it in yoga mats. I was inspired to start my own line when my daughter started crawling, and decided she loved to crawl and play on my yoga mat. I started researching yoga mat material and decided to create a kids eco yoga mat, the first to the market. I had so many parents request their own mats that soon I decided to introduce a dedicated adult eco yoga mat, and the response has been phenomenal.

What are yogis going to love about your mats? What makes them unique?

Yogis are going to love the quality and beauty of the mats. What makes them unique is the love and quality imbued in each one. There’s a big difference between my mats and the mass produced mats available other places, and you can tell right away that this is a very special place to practice. One of the first things that people say when they feel one of my mats is – “this is so much nicer than any other mat I’ve tried!”

Another thing that makes them unique is my careful attention to color and patterns. Each mat has a unique dual-sided color and pattern combination that makes them different from any other mat on the market. My colorful carry straps are also completely unique, and let yogis not only carry their mats with ease, but also dress up their yoga mats with fun mix and match styles. My mat makes me happy every time I unroll it, and I hope that others feel the same way.

OK. We know you make fab adult yoga mats…What other products do you carry?

I make the only stylish, US-made yoga mat carry straps in a ton of fun colors and patterns, and I am slowly introducing other eco-fab products as well. I also make a great eco hemp practice strap crafted with the same high attention to detail as my carry straps. And of course I also carry the Little Lotuspad, a lightweight eco-friendly kids yoga mat.

Any plans for the future you can tell us about? New products? Designs? Colors?

I’m very excited to announce the Lotuspad Laya Yoga Bag, a stylish and streamlined yoga mat cargo bag that will be customizable with customer’s choice of detailing. The bag is subperbly crafted from a gorgeous blend of hemp/organic cotton suede – I can’t tell you how excited I am to introduce it later this June! We are always adding and subtracting yoga mat colors, and have a few new styles up our sleeves for later this year.

Get Plastered

Kerri — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0400

What do Adrian Grenier, Michelle Pfeiffer, Phil Mickelson and Barbara Streisand have in common? They’ve all decorated their walls with American Clay Earth Plasters.

Do you want to get plastered? American Clay Earth Plasters are created from natural, non-toxic clays and minerals. They come in 43 different shades, or you can custom match your color.

And they’re an eco-friendly alternative to things like paint, stucco and cement or acrylic plasters. Here are just a few reasons why:

Zero VOC’s
No off-gassing / Non-toxic / Non-chemical
Inhibits Mold (tested and proven)
The manufacturing uses low inherent energy to produce their products. i.e. 250 tons of material costs $45 in electricity
No water used in manufacturing, and is shipped dry (saving on energy costs)
All packaging is biodegradable, recyclable, reusable in one form or another; American Clay also has a recycling program for the bags

Here’s the fun part. You can totally go the DIY route and have a “plaster party”! Invite friends over and decorate your house in style. If you’re feeling crafty, you can stencil your plaster. Or, add in things like mica, leaves and shells for some added texture. And because AC is non-toxic, even kids can give it a go. A Try It can be purchased American Clay’s site for $36.

This wall finish is award winning, having been featured everywhere from the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, to HGTV and ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition. To learn more, log on to American Clay.com.

And check out this video of American Clay being applied: