What is the difference between Upcycled Yoga rug and Organic Yoga rug?
We are glad you ask!
This is one of the most frequently asked question and we are more than happy to answer you :)
As you might have spotted on our web - there are 2 main collections in our Leela store - Upcycled Yoga rug and Organic Yoga rug.
What is behind it and what are the differences?
The answer is a bit complex but if I would have to answer it in one word, what is the biggest difference, it would be the Quality.
Not in the way that one is better than the other - to understand it - Let's have a closer look and dive into it together!
Process
All of our rugs, well all LEELA goodies, are hand-crafted.
It takes around 3 - 5 hours for the weaver to finish one rug.
There are no machines involved in weaving our Leela Yoga rugs. The only moment machines are stepping in, is when the tags with our logo are stitched onto the rug.
Therefore, both of the collections are done in the same way by using traditional wooden frames and loom systems to make beautiful Yoga rugs - of course with help of local Craftmen and Craftswomen from Tamil Nadu.
Material
Secondly, the material plays a big role - especially in pricemaking.
Just to remind you, both our collections - Upcycled and Organic Rugs are made from Natural Pure Cotton.
Cotton's journey for Every collection has its own special way.
Cotton for Upcycled yoga rug is collected from our partners who are working within the textile industry. They collect excessive cotton looms which were not used for any production.
As in every production process, you count with something extra and you create a buffer to avoid shortage.
Since the looms are already produced, depending on the quantity of looms - it's very rare that those looms will have a potential for further use in other projects.
Therefore, we dont want waste that energy, since its already created - we buy them and make our Upcycled yoga rug s out of it.
Because we never know how much looms from different colors we get - every rug is ''One of a kind''
Everyone is very special - you can see they are ''same design'' and belong to ''one family'' but each of them is different.
By getting rug from this collection - you will be probably the only person on the Earth to have that design :) How cool is that?!
Remember UNITY IN DIVERSITY!
Cotton for Organic Yoga rugs is sourced directly from certified farmers and producers. That is the reason that our purchasing price of this material is way higher compared to ''basic'' cotton on the market.
We are not bleaching our cotton for the rug from many reasons - to captivate the natural properties of cotton, to attain the strength of the fibers (bleaching weakens the strength of looms), bleaching pollutes water sources, has a big impact on plants, animals and people living in the area of those factories. We also like the natural shade color of the cotton and what is the most important - its better for fixing our herbal dyes later on. Therefore, toxic chemicals are not welcomed at all. We prefer to practice as clean as possible.
Dyes
Dyes are the second biggest player when discussing the difference between the two collections.
Organic Yoga rugs are dyed with very special Pure Ayurvedic Herbs.
This process is very rare, ancient and honestly is slowly disappearing.
It's getting harder to source the herbs and plants due to climate changes and farming conditions. People are losing interest to pay a bit extra to preserve this craft - mainly because we live in the World where ''money talks'' and almost everyone is trying to push price down.
Even though, its very challenging, we not planning to give up!
It is still possible thanks to a strong determination of small family businesses that we are privileged to work with!
Thanks to You as a client we can support them and keep them in a game for longer - for how long?
That depends on You and other customers. It's always as proverb says - ''What you will support - that will grow''
Herbs and plants are collected and boiled in huge pots - some herbs are used for colors, others for smell, some as a fixator of dyes, others for special attributes such as calming, skin soothing or antibacterial properties.
Afterwards, the organic cotton looms are dipped in to get required color shade.
As you can see, there is a whole Alchymy behind every rug and it all makes a difference.
We hope that this text gave you a little more clarity to distinguish between our collections of yoga rugs.
In case you have additional questions - dont hesitate to write to us or comment below!
Have a great day, practice clean and remember
''What you will support - that will grow''
See you on the Rug!
big hug
Monika & Martin