This Mom-To-Be Almost Closed Down Her Yoga Mat Business, But The Pandemic Happened

Jess Arnaldo-de los Santos began her yoga journey in 2016, first as an on-and-off affair. She enjoyed practicing the yoga styles Vinyasa, Yin, and Inside Flow. She became "more consistent" with her practice when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020.

"Which I think happened to a lot of people as well," she tells Smart Parenting in an email interview.

"We were all of a sudden stuck at home with not much to do, trying to ease off worries and anxieties about the lockdown. Doing yoga during this time really helped my mental state during those stressful times."

At that time, Jess and her now-husband of two years, Rhon de los Santos, were just coming off from a rocky start with their business, Natura Yoga. It sells "premium grippy" and "Filipina-designed" yoga mats.

Jess recalls how she and Rhon put up Natura Yoga: "We both were doing yoga even prior to us meeting. One day, we Google-d 'top trend,' and these beautiful-looking microfiber yoga mats with different designs popped up.

"Up until that point, the only yoga mats we knew were plain ones. We explored these types of mats and wanted to bring that to the Philippines. Soonafter, our first batch of mats arrived and they were in designs our supplier had on hand.

"Our business started off very slooow. We introduced our mats to yoga teachers, brought them to yoga studios, and joined bazaars to get our products seen. It seemed like we were putting in so much effort but we still weren't breaking even."

Jess, speaking on behalf of Rhon, admitted to them getting disheartened to the point of considering closing down their business. But not until a mutual close friend, who "needed a creative output," volunteered to make some designs for their yoga mats and gave a new look to their products.

She continues her story: "We took a risk and ordered a fresh batch of yoga mats with her designs. We started to gain more traction, but it will still considerably slow."

Fast-forward to the early stage of the pandemic, when they received a pleasant surprise: "That's when our business boomed. People now needed their own yoga mats so they could workout at home. It was during those months that we sold out and had to reorder mats consistently."

Today, as the pandemic is, hopefully, nearing its end and the world tries to return to normalcy, Jess says "the challenge is that there are more local businesses that sell yoga mats as well."

She points out, "We have to be creative in finding ways for Natura Yoga to stay known to the yoga community and making our products known to more people."

Tips in buying a yoga mat

"When choosing a yoga mat that will best suit you and your lifestyle, you need to be very intentional," says Jess. Here are some pointers to consider:

Take note of your budget

"You have to consider that getting an affordable mat isn't the most cost-efficient. It is possible that the cheaper a mat is, the shorter its lifespan. Therefore, you would need to buy a new one every so often.

"It is important to keep in mind that it actually is more 'sulit' if you buy a mat that is built to last for years because it is made of high-quality materials. You'll only need to buy one mat for many years and lessen waste to Mother Earth. This becomes a more sustainable choice in the long-run."

Consider the materials used

"For safety reasons, it should be anti-slip. Just like our mat, the surface is made out of microfiber, which increases grip as you sweat; and the base is made out of natural tree rubber, which keeps it steady on the ground."

Think about how it looks and makes you feel

"Our mats come in various designs, created by Filipina artists and inspired by nature. By just looking at it, your mat should motivate and inspire you to workout."

Read also: Pambabae Lang Ang Yoga And Other Misconceptions