Skip to content
May 10, 2026
The Story of YogaTribe
YogaTribe was born in 2016 from a simple feeling,
a desire to create a mat I truly loved.
a desire to create a mat I truly loved.
Something beautiful, grounding, and conscious.
At the time, it was the first eco-friendly yoga mat in
New Zealand, I just couldn’t believe we were practicing on plastic full of toxins all along.
Back then, I didn’t have a plan.
My English was limited, I had no business experience,
I was a solo mum with my little girl, living in a beautiful
beach town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
My English was limited, I had no business experience,
I was a solo mum with my little girl, living in a beautiful
beach town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
I was just following something I couldn’t ignore.
My background back home is in design, and I was teaching yoga every day with a small local community, we loved practicing at the beach at sunset time. I had done my YTT a few years back, and I was looking down at a “white canvas” every time I taught, genuinely struggling with the smell and the toxic plastic element of it.
I wanted my sacred space… I was stepping in my mat every single day so my question was,
“what would I like to receive from my mat when I’m practicing?”
“what would I like to receive from my mat when I’m practicing?”
And from that place, the first design was born…
not to make something pretty, sellable, or popular,
but truly special.
And somehow, it worked.
After so many miracles, and moving more from my
WHY than my HOW, it happened…
YogaTribe was born.
The response was instant and global.
YogaTribe began to grow faster than I could understand,
and I found myself learning everything on the go, exporting, pricing, building… becoming.
But growth doesn’t come without lessons.
After so many ups and downs, massive health challenges, but also many “miracles”, YogaTribe grew internationally. We opened in Chile (home) and Europe; everything was big, expansive, and proportionally scary.
Just before Covid, a full production arrived faulty, and I guess that was the beginning of the end.
The supplier disappeared with all our money, and I had to choose what mattered most.
I chose integrity.
Always.
Always.
Then life asked me to pause, I just couldn't do it anymore.
Burnout, health, and the need to slow down
created space for something deeper to emerge.
Burnout, health, and the need to slow down
created space for something deeper to emerge.
Honoring that was probably one of the hardest decision ever.
For a long time, I didn’t share this.
I thought, who cares? It’s just another story.
I thought, who cares? It’s just another story.
There are people going through so much more…why would I bother anyone with mine?
But today, I feel something different.
We need to share the hard times
as much as the beautiful ones.
We need to share the hard times
as much as the beautiful ones.
Maybe if I had reached out back then,
things would have felt lighter.
things would have felt lighter.
So for those who are curious, here it is,
a small glimpse of the journey.
a small glimpse of the journey.
Because the truth is,
YogaTribe was never just about a mat.
It was always about the people,
the Tribe.
YogaTribe was never just about a mat.
It was always about the people,
the Tribe.
Even in the quiet, your love stayed.
And I realised this was never mine alone.
Today, I return with a softer, clearer vision,
to live yoga beyond the mat,
with balance, presence, and intention.
to live yoga beyond the mat,
with balance, presence, and intention.
And the understanding that we can "declare all perfect" not because is perfect but becasue we can DECLARE IT.
This is a new chapter,
and we are creating it together,
because nothing in nature grows alone, and we need each other.
and we are creating it together,
because nothing in nature grows alone, and we need each other.
With love,
Coka
Coka