San Francisco based company I AM. recently launched with Soulwears, a line of Yoga bags & straps made of  back-strap woven textiles: the traditional craft of Maya women in Guatemala. I AM.’s mission is to develop commercial solutions to social problems.

The idea: conscious consumption can unite the world, empower consumers & artisans simultaneously and alleviate poverty.  Soulwears yoga products are reinvigorating an otherwise abandoned market for backstrap woven textiles, which were replaced long ago with cheap, machine made fabrics. Practicing this craft allows Maya mothers to stay home with their families, while making a sustainable income.

I AM.’s commitment extends beyond providing well-paying jobs, as the company donates half of all profits to infrastructure projects in their weavers’ communities. 

With 1 week left – and $27,000 still needed in an ambitious Kickstarter campaign, I AM. seeks the support of the mindful community.  Visit the I AM. Kickstarter page to learn more about the project, and pre-order socially responsible yoga products.

I love what these yoga studios are doing.  They are making yoga accessible through a pay-it-forward system similar to what we're doing with our Grateful Bowl Program.  I'm calling these types of programs "grateful programs":  where there is no obligation and purely a by-donation service or product that helps to heal the body & planet.  If you know of one near you, let us know at blog@cafegratitude.com!  As we learn of more by-donation yoga programs, we'll announce them here!

Yoga to the People in New York, Berkeley, San Francisco

This week I invite you to feel the burn.  Consider that if you aren't stretching yourself and feeling discomfort, that you are sedated and content... moving with the flow of how things already are.  

I've taken on several new commitments to myself these last few days in areas of my life that I've been feeling comfortable.  I've taken on fuller honesty in my relationships, giving up addictions, and exploring yoga.  It's allowed me to feel the borders that I've set up in my life to keep myself small-- boundaries that keep me safe from my imagined fears of judgement and failure.  By stretching outside of my comfort zone I get to explore my actual freedoms and choice that I have in my life.  It has me feel like I'm traveling:  exploring other ways of being and trying them on to see if that's more so what I want in my life.

This week I invite you to try on getting uncomfortable around something.  Matthew Engelhart always says that safety is a sedative.  What are you missing out on by playing a small game and hiding out in comfort?

Yogaworks is not your average yoga studio.  YogaWorks is a school for the rest of your life. When you walk through their doors you will not only find all styles and levels of yoga, but also a wonderfully diverse, warm and welcoming community of students, staff and teachers. Their goal is to guide students to greater self-awareness, focus, and health through their full spectrum of yoga programs.

As their mission states,