Our Story

Hi there!

Thanks for taking time to getting to know the story behind the brand of PIYOGA.

My name is Larissa and I am the founder of PIYOGA, a brand that started on a dream to "continue infinitely in the direction of your dreams".

It all started back in 2015 when I quit my job to live my dream of traveling the world. I was uncertain of what I might discover but I knew that what ever it was - it was going to be great.

I first had the idea for PIYOGA when I was in Pai, Thailand. I thought PI would be the perfect name since it has such a magical meaning. The Global Marketing geek in me though it would also be perfect because no matter what language you speak, PI is universally understood.

Fast forward a few month and I'm living in Bali!

Bali is a beautiful gem with so much to offer, and with me being from California I was naturally drawn to the ocean. I picked up diving and fell in love when I swam with a sea turtle for my very first time!

However, diving also showed me a closer look into the harsh reality of what life is like under the sea. With coral bleaching, dynamite fishing, and pollution visibly causing a problem in the ocean it was obvious that this was where I needed to help.

After swimming in the ocean I went looking for a seamstress to create some magical yoga pants.

Believe it or not, it was a taxi driver who introduced me to my seamstress! I was inspired by how she had started her business from scratch. She was very ambitious and showed me it was possible to start a business of my own and to empower other women by working together. Since then, the message of women empowerment has become deeply rooted in the PI mission and to this day we still work together!

At this point, the idea of starting a business seemed like an unattainable dream, but I asked myself this question. "If I could start any business, what would my intentions be?"

I knew that if I was going to start a business I wanted to create a brand with a strong support and foundation. I wanted it to have morals, a mission, an intention.

My intentions were clear. To create a conscious brand that would empower women, contribute to conservation, and inspire myself and others to pursue our dreams. These morals have become infused into our missions of:

1. Body Positivity. To empower women, men and kids of all shapes and sizes to feel comfortable and confident on and off their yoga mat. 

2. Saving the Sea Turtles! We proudly donate 10% of net profits back to sea turtle conservation efforts and sustainable practices.

After that, it all happened so fast. Within 2 days we had a sample made and within a month I was on way home with 100 pairs of yoga pants and thinking to myself "How on earth am I going to sell this many pants?!"

I decided to end my year long journey and made it back home to San Diego, California (the land of good wifi) to upload the photos and create a website. Shortly there after the website was launched and PIYOGA was officially online!

The following year I launched our Crowd Funding Campaign with the hopes and dreams to be an international brand. Today, PIYOGA can be purchased around the world in the USA, Canada, UK, Bali, Australia, Mexico and continues to infinitely expand... thanks to you. 😊

 

With Gratitude,

Namaste

Larissa