Expanding horizons
THE founder of Sahaja Yoga Mats has branched out to open her own yoga studio with the backing of Sunland chairman Soheil Abedian.
Judes Yang started Sahaja Yoga Mats in early 2017 after working as a yoga instructor for 12 years.
Sahaja Yoga Mats was launched as a social enterprise with the aim of funding solar lights for families in Mozambique.
The company sells brightly coloured yoga mats inspired by geometry and yoga philosophy and which are designed to help foster natural alignment for students during practice.
Ms Yang said the idea behind the studio, located at the commercial area of Sunland’s Marina Concourse development, was to build her yoga brand so she could support more of the causes she is passionate about.
To that end, she plans on donating five per cent of earnings from workshops and training at the studio to notfor-profit organisations A Sound Life, RizeUp Australia and Marine Megafauna Foundation. A portion of the fees paid for yoga classes will also be used to buy disposable menstrual products to donate to domestic violence shelters on the Gold Coast.
“I do feel people want to do more but they do not know how to,” she said. “We take the thinking out of it: you take one of our classes and you help because we donate a share of the profit.”
Sunland assisted with the fit-out of the 105sq m studio and Ms Yang said Mr Abedian had been very supportive of her ideas.
The studio is able to use a deck overlooking the water for outdoor classes.
“I’m very blessed because Soheil Abedian is my mentor,” she said. “He has given me such a framework in all aspects of my life.”
She said since launching the mats in 2017, she has been able to sell 700 units.
The mats, which are made from recyclable rubber and printed with water-based ink, are manufactured in China.
“I went over the to the factory in China because I wanted to make sure everything was done above board,” she said.
“They showed me all the paperwork and I got to meet the staff and I was happy with the environment.”
Ms Yang runs classes seven days a week from the studio at 1 Concourse, Benowa.
She completed the Bond Business Accelerator program in 2017 and was the recipient of $5000 of seed funding for her start-up.
JUDES YANG
YOU TAKE ONE OF OUR CLASSES AND YOU HELP BECAUSE WE DONATE A SHARE OF THE PROFIT.