Handloom unit in Tamil Nadu to make smart yoga mats

Handwoven yoga mats with natural dyes soon to turn smart, tracking postures, time, and calories burnt.

Yoga mats that are handwoven and coloured with natural dyes by a weaving unit in Salem district will soon turn smart, alerting the users if the yoga postures are not right, the time spent doing yoga, the calories burnt, etc.

This is based on a suggestion given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ashok Jegadeesan, director at Yaazh Naturals Private Limited (which makes handwoven yoga mats, yoga towels, meditation mats, etc.) at the recently concluded Bharat Tex 2025 expo held in New Delhi.

Ashok Jegadeesan was among the select few who explained to the Prime Minister at Bharat Tex about the handwoven products that they make. Ashok and his relative Prem Selvaraj, who is also a director at Yaazh, started making handwoven yoga mats in 2014 and Yaazh is looking at exports worth about ₹8 crore this financial year.

Based on the guidance given regularly from the Ministry of Textiles, the unit at Pullagoundampatty in Salem district in Tamil Nadu will work with a team in Bengaluru that is engaged in developing smart yoga mats.

The plan is to develop the smart mat at the earliest, said Mr. Jegadeesan.

The company also put up a stall at the handloom expo held as a concurrent event. “We got useful contacts and enquiries for the handmade yoga and meditation products,” he added.