Two B.C. brands, Sḵwálwen Botanicals and Supported Soul, have collaborated on a range of yoga mats that invites Indigenous cultural context and representation into spaces where we connect to ourselves through yoga, movement and breath.
The Resurgence Collection yoga mats are made with eco-friendly materials and feature three designs from Coast Salish artist Ocean Hyland/ shḵwen̓/ ts;simtelot.
The Speném (Plant; an expression of gratitude for all that plants teach us), Míx̱alh (Bear; an expression of the strength to find inner peace) and Tḵáya (Wolf; an expression of balance) mats incorporate Indigenous plant knowledge and the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh snichim (Squamish language).
Leigh Joseph, founder of Sḵwálwen Botanicals and Nicole Lawson, founder of Supported Soul, hope to encourage more Indigenous people to discover yoga as a supportive and healing practice with their partnership.
“I love my personal yoga practice and I know many young Indigenous women are finding yoga a very helpful and supportive practice to have in life,” says Joseph.
Adds Lawson, “Everyone deserves to experience the transformative powers of yoga and to be represented in the wellness industry. By sharing Indigenous knowledge, language, artwork, strength and resilience with this project, my hope is to inspire both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to practice more.”
Pre-orders of the mats can be placed online starting July 29; they retail from $128. A portion of sales from each mat will be donated to The hiýám Project, a collaboration between Saanich Native Plants and Sḵwálwen Botanicals that facilitates thousands of seeds planted on the lands of Indigenous communities.
