After spending six months in the yoga schools of India writing a book called ‘Yoga School Dropout’, Lucy Edge was inspired to help make the world a better place – transforming herself from a burnt out corporate, working eighty hour weeks in advertising to creating her very own website and yoga shop.
The award winning YogaClicks curates the best in ethical yoga clothing and equipment. They only work with makers who place equal value on human and animal welfare, environmental sustainability and financial growth. Plus, on top of this, they are proud to be the first yoga shop to be accredited as an ethical brand by the Good Shopping Guide.
YogaClicks have very kindly produced some beautiful limited edition charity Mala Bracelets especially for us, with the profits generated from all sales going to our Yoga Stops Traffick 2020 campaign.
More details can be found here…
https://yogaclicks.com/products/yoga-stops-traffick-charity-fundraising-bracelet
Why has your company chosen to support our global campaign Yoga Stops Traffick?
During my time in India studying yoga I saw up close the quiet desperation of trafficked and abused women and children. It’s always so hard to know what to do and how to help in these situations so when Jemina approached me, I jumped at the chance to use my online ethical yoga shop, YogaClicks, to help raise money for the victims.
What is your role within the company?
Founder, Creative Director and Chief Janitor (I do like a clean desk).
What does your typical ‘work day’ look like?
There is no typical day at YogaClicks. My role ranges from the ridiculously grand sounding ‘envisioning the future direction of the business’ to writing a product description or curating our collections of yoga clothing, jewellery and equipment. One minute I’m on the phone to a yogi maker, the next I’m designing an eye pillow. And that’s what I love about what I do – it’s such an eclectic mix. While I am often challenged and have to work through a lot of fear and anxiety about doing things I haven’t done before, I am never bored!
How did you come to the practice of yoga?
Like so many other yogis it was a familiar tale of stress and burnout in a corporate job. In fact one of my projects is collecting the stories of people who have been inspired by yoga to change their lives on our Yoga Map. Reading these hundreds of stories, from 45 countries, it’s clear that so many of us share the experience of having been lost in a job we no longer enjoyed. Yoga helps us peel back the layers of self-protection, anchoring ourselves in what’s real for us, and helps to reveal to us our purpose. Check out some of the stories by clicking here. And please do add your own ‘before and after’ story!
What impact has regular yoga had on your mind & body?
When we practice for a while we can no longer ignore the calling of our heart – I think that’s why there are so many yoga inspired businesses around these days. From new yoga studios to yogis creating yoga pants out of recycled coffee grounds or beautiful malas. And the wonderful thing is that everything is sustainable and ethically sourced. David Attenborough would be proud! Out of burn out comes this wonderful alchemy of transformation and ethical businesses that genuinely seek to make the world a better place.
Which is your favourite yoga pose?
It’s always been Downward Facing Dog for me – I feel at home there.
How else do you practice ‘self care’ in your life?
I run three times a week which I find great for stress, and I eat well – allowing myself Fridays as a blow out day – it’s my day off from exercise and I always celebrate the end of the week with a bowl of fries and a large glass of wine! I always make sure I walk at weekends – Norfolk and Suffolk have some amazing beaches and it really puts everything in perspective to see the sea and those huge skies constantly changing. I also love bingeing on a boxed set – Capture (on iPlayer at the moment) was brilliant.
Who/What has been your biggest inspiration?
I love our yogi makers at YogaClicks – they are nearly all women who’ve been inspired by their practice to transform their lives through yoga. Mostly they started work at their kitchen table, and while some of them now have production lines in factories, they have remained ethical businesswomen and I am so proud of that in our community. There is a genuine spirit of helping each other and sharing knowledge and information – this feeling of community is missing in so many other businesses – where it’s all about competition and winning. As yogis we are so much more interested in the social impact of what we do – both locally and abroad.
What do you think is the biggest issue facing the global yoga community?
I think a lot of yoga teachers are amazing – their dedication to their practice, their training and their students is very inspiring. However, there are a lot of newer ‘ teachers’ who aren’t really teachers at all – who are only in it for the Gram. And that gives the wrong impression of what yoga is – putting a lot of people off. They think it’s only for flexible, white skinny 25 year olds, and that is so WRONG!
What’s on the horizon for your company?
We have really enjoyed creating our own collections of jewellery, t-shirts and eye pillows and, following the great feedback we’ve had from happy customers, we are now developing our own range of yoga equipment. Watch this space!
What message would you like to give to everyone taking part in Yoga Stops Traffick 2020?
Enjoy the feeling of collective power! When the yoga community joins together it really can change the world. And we all get to have a lot of fun along the way! Namaste to that.
