Why Flamingo Yoga Products?
Plastic free products and packaging
Free of PVC, Phthalates and harmful chemicals
Eco friendly, sustainable & biodegradable
Hand made
We give back to the weaving community
Natural materials used in our Yoga accessories
Buckwheat Hulls
Buck wheat hulls are our choice of filling the Zafu meditation cushions. The hulls are heat treated with Neem leaves prior to filling. No chemicals are used for the processing.
Buckwheat hulls provides airflow to the cushions and do not retain or emit heat, making it suitable to use in any climate. It conforms to the shape of the body, and provide good support.
Kapok
Kapok, also known as Silk cotton is taken from the pod of a tropical tree. This soft and plush fibers are air dried and used extensively in filling of cushions. The main advantage of kapok is that it is lighter than cotton. They retain the shape being a natural product, it is safe for the environment.
Flax seeds & Lavender
Flax seeds being another natural product is our choice for filling our eye pillows. It is not just useful for shutting out the light, but the gentle pressure it provides on the eyes along with the scent of lavender helps to relieve tension and stress.
Natural Cork
Our blocks are made from 100% cork which is sustainably sourced. They are a natural product taken from the bark of the tree and no trees are cut down in the process. Cork is light, antimicrobial and provides excellent support and are firmer than foam blocks
Natural Cotton
Our mats, straps and bolster covers are made entirely of 100% natural cotton. Each of our bolsters also comes with an inner lining which is once again 100% cotton. Being a natural product, they are completely biodegradable and a pleasure to use and easier on the skin.
When the idea of bringing environmentally friendly yoga mats and accessories started to take shape, there was one thing we were very keen on: giving back to the community which bring us these products.
Our initiative is to donate AED 5/ for every purchase made towards the betterment of the weavers.
Making of the Yoga products
Our mats and blankets are handwoven in India. Handloom weaving is an art which is passed down through generations. No electric power is used throughout the making of the mats.. During weaving, two different types of yarns: warp and weft, are interlaced in the wooden looms. We underestimate the amount of work that goes into the making of the blankets and yoga mats. Each blanket can be woven in half a day, and the yoga mats take around 1-2 days for completion.
Azo free dyes are used for dyeing of cotton. This is done in a small and self contained facility with its own water treatment facility. The water is treated and reused with minimum wastage and no harm to the environment.
All the props that we sell through our website comes through these small artisans. Nothing is automated. Each bolster, meditation cushion and eye pillow are filled individually and the covers are hand stitched by artisans.
Water treatment plant at the Dyeing Centre
The mini water treatment plant . After dyeing, the water is treated here and recycled within the facility so as to cause no harm to the environment.
Dyeing process for the cotton yarns
AZO FREE dyes are used for coloring. The image does not do justice to the beauty of these dyed cotton yarns. You can see me in front of the machines, all smiles about the beauty and simplicity of it all.
Cotton wefts
The cotton wefts move from side to side in the manual Loom. They are inserted over and under the warps to form the final weave. These wefts are also manually made using little hand made wooden Charkas.
A bundle of beautiful yarns ready to be loomed
The warps form the lengthwise aspect of the loom and are stronger than the weft
Bringing the threads together to make the warp
All the threads go through the wooden frames and rolled together to make the warp. The next image is a continuation from here.
All these threads are wound together here to make the warp
The Smiling gentleman here manually rotates this wooden frame to get the threads stronger and longer for the warps.
The warp in the loom ready to be woven
A stationary loom.
Blanket weaving in progress
Cotton blanket weaving. There is continuous movement of the hands and feet during the entire weaving process
Trying a hand at weaving
Weaving is a lot of hard work and requires practice and precision. The artisans work hard day and night to bring forth the beautiful masterpiece which we see and love to own.
With the weavers
Me with the weavers. They were all very happy to click photos with us in spite of being busy at their work. Their smiles and authenticity is genuine.
100% Cotton Yoga mat in the making
You can see that the machinery used for the mats are different when compared to the blankets pictured above. The mats take longer to finish – anywhere between two to three days of work.
Stitching of the bolster covers
This is within the unit of bolster production, The bolsters and cushions are manually filled. Here we see the stitching of the Bolster covers which are done with precision by these youngsters.
Cutting and packing area for the bolsters
The cotton material is manually cut by the workers. This is also the packing area for the bolsters
