The Yoga Bag That Started Pink Namaste.
Every story has a beginning. Ours started in Mysore, with a friendship, a few sewing machines and a simple idea about what could happen when people created something together.
After years of visiting Mysore, India — the cradle of modern yoga — Kirsten wanted to give something back to the place that had given her so much.
Together with her friend Ravi, a simple idea began to take shape:
“Create something for yogis, whilst creating opportunities for rural women.”
That simple idea became Pink Namaste.
Everything started with a few sewing machines, a local tailoring teacher and a group of women eager to learn. What followed was months of training, learning new skills, building confidence and discovering the pride that comes with creating something by hand.
And then came our very first collection of handcrafted yoga bags.
Each stitch represented a new beginning.
For the women who made them, the bags represented new skills, meaningful work and an opportunity to build something of their own. For the yogis who carried them, they became more than a practical way to carry a yoga mat. They carried stories of empowerment, craftsmanship, hope and connection.
In many ways, those first yoga bags captured the spirit of what Pink Namaste was created to be: bringing people together through thoughtful design while creating opportunities where they are needed most.
It proved that when hands and cultures meet, the borders that separate us can begin to disappear. Something beautiful can emerge when we create together — one stitch, one piece and one story at a time.
Today, our collection has grown, but we will always remember where it began.
Those first yoga bags laid the foundation for everything Pink Namaste has become, but perhaps more importantly, they gave us a way of working that still guides us today: valuing the hands behind what we make, respecting the traditions and places that inspire us, and believing in the connections that can be created through something seemingly simple.
And that story continues with every purchase.
Choosing a Pink Namaste piece helps us continue to create meaningful work, support traditional craftsmanship and provide opportunities for the people and communities we work alongside. It is what allows the original idea behind Pink Namaste to keep growing — one product, one maker and one purchase at a time.
Because Pink Namaste was never really just about making a yoga bag.
It was about what could be carried within it — craftsmanship, opportunity, friendship and a connection back to the place where the story began.