On Scarves, Embroidery, Friends, and Yoga

Meet Laura and Hope.

I have now sat at my computer for a full five minutes writing and deleting and re-writing and re-deleting a second sentence to follow up that first one. The problem is there is so much to say and so much good to say about these two incredible women that I don't know where to start and fear I will not do them justice.

Laura and Hope are committed yoga instructors and entrepreneurs, and they are remarkable friends. Our paths crossed several years ago when I decided to renew my own commitment to a regular yoga practice. I have gone from admiring them at a distance to being a casual acquaintance (and secretly wishing we were besties). From there, we found ourselves in similar social and business circles; it turns out we have a lot in common. And then, when they took a leap of faith and opened their own studio this summer, we became fast friends.

I could relate to the fear and joy and exhaustion that are all tangled up in the beautiful mess that is owning your own business. I am so incredibly proud of what they have accomplished in such a short period of time and believe in them emphatically. Their approach to business is simple--to care for their clients; they believe in building real community, mutual support, and acting from a place of abundance, never scarcity. Knowing them makes me a better person.

I have tried to dream up as many ways as possible to get the word out about the incredible work they're doing, and having them model our new embroidered scarves is one of them. I felt our newest black and white cotton scarves reflected Hope and Laura's similarities and differences particularly well. The photo shoot took place just a few days ago in temperatures that had long surpassed 90 degrees, and still they smiled their way through thirty minutes of wearing a scarf!!

I am so happy with how these photos turned out. They capture so perfectly my two beautiful friends and their beautiful spirits. Of course, I have another friend and talented photographer Brittany Lesser of Lesser Is More to thank for that. While she prefers portraits and the documentation of family life to product shots, she did me this favor and I think we can all agree she is a total genius. (You should hire her.)

So, on that note, if you live in Alexandria, please pay Laura and Hope a visit at Vikriya Lab where they offer non-traditional yoga, pilates, and barre classes. If you don't live in Alexandria, you can take online yoga classes with Laura right here. And if none of that floats your boat, then consider purchasing one of our lightweight cotton hand-embroidered scarves made by our friend Atia, a mother of 6 children from Afghanistan.

We are all in this together, friends. Together, we rise.