Medicinal Yoga Mats and Ayurvedic Textiles

Today’s guest opened up our minds and our mats to the massive impact of textiles. Heather Parkin is the founder of Bennd, an Ayurvedic and medicinal yoga mat and textile brand. LIke us, you’ve probably heard about the issues toxic textiles can have on the earth and have already started to make the switch to cleaner alternatives in a bid to help heal the planet. However, in this episode we were amazed to learn the power of textiles to also heal the human body.Heather introduces us to a new concept called Ayurvastra. As you may have guessed, Ayurvastra is a branch of Ayurveda. Essentially, this arm of the ancient healing lineage uses cotton as a medium for absorbing herb preparations that can then be transferred to the body when worn or bandaged. In  discovering this practice, Heather was inspired to solve a problem she’d been trying to unlock for years.As a long-time yogi, Heather had been looking for a cleaner alternative to most yoga mats on the market. However, she discovered even those made from recycled materials were releasing toxic gases into the yoga studio, especially in her hot yoga classes. After learning about Ayurvastra, she knew she had found the perfect production technique and philosophical approach to create a line of truly clean and holistic yoga mats and textiles.Bennd mats are 100% organic and infused with natural plant-based dyes and Ayurvedic herbs that specifically focus on immune, skin, and digestive health. The hands and feet are the most porous parts of the skin and as they connect with the mat throughout a yoga flow, the mat’s herbal healing properties easily absorb into the body.We loved understanding more about this beautiful transmission of  organic materials from  our mats to our bodies. Equally, it was wonderful to speak to Heather and learn about her own story and healing journey. She is truly a grounded and generous individual with a heartfelt intention to help people achieve a stronger yoga practice and a deeper sense of personal wellness. For $20 off your Bennd order, use code THEFULLEST at checkout.This week’s episode is sponsored by Prima. Get 20% off your order when you use code "THEFULLEST". [itunes_spotify_urls itunes="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/medicinal-yoga-mats-and-ayurvedic-textiles/id1200321554?i=1000523737778" spotify="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5sDBEkKbqteD1Ka51NNYPl?si=ec1dccf2ddaa465c"]

[soundcloud id='1059499855' height='false'][embed]https://youtu.be/7ic1TjEyTHQ[/embed]