I had the idea for the brand after experiencing first-hand the incredible effect that meditation and yoga can have on the body and mind. In my twenties I left behind a stressful job in the corporate world when I started suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. I went on to travel in India and Sri Lanka, learning to meditate on silent retreats and found real peace and relief from practising every day.

On returning to London I had a few different jobs but nothing was really satisfying my need to connect with people and make a difference. In the meantime I was still meditating every day and I’d noticed as my own practice developed that there wasn’t much choice when it came to meditation cushions. So, I fired up my sewing machine and created the very first sample right there in my living room. And so basaho was born! Demand grew and I’ve since packed up my sewing machine to work on creating an ethical, sustainable supply chain to get more cushions to the people who need them.

Did you know non-organic cotton is the dirtiest crop on the planet? There’s nothing mindful about that. In fact it’s pretty shocking when you see the statistics. Ponder this: to produce one non-organic tee shirt it takes 2700 litres of water. That’s three years worth of drinking water for one person. Here’s another: for each non-organic tee shirt produced, about 150g of poison is left in the land. The land that feeds the community, the animals and the water source. This means farmers and their families are not only working under terrible conditions with unfair wages, they’re also getting sick.

We knew right from the start that our cushions needed to be sustainably and ethically produced.

We’re proud to have OCS certification (Organic Content Standard) for our organic cotton which is an independent stamp of approval ensuring strict standards across the whole production chain. It’s the only way to confirm an organic cotton product has been truly ethically and sustainably produced.

Organic cotton production is the only process that eliminates toxic chemicals from the environment. It also makes use of rain-fed areas to stop pressure on local water supplies. Plus, it’s a regulated industry so farmers work in better conditions for fairer pay.