Namaste! I am Puja Borker, Owner and founder of Juru Yoga.
I am a certified yoga teacher in Hatha and Power Yoga. I have also learned Kalaripayattu (martial-art) and I am a freelance yoga instructor. With the blessing of my well wishers and supporters I have also written my debut novel “Masterji” (easily available on Amazon).
The quest to find good mats started when I was pursuing my teacher training course in Yoga. I was struggling with PVC mats – facing the same problem that most of the yoga teachers and practitioners experience, flaking, mat smell, slippery surface, etc.
As I advanced in my daily practice the need to find a good mat became the need of the hour; a mat that will not let sweaty feet and palms slip, a mat that can withstand years of practice and provide a comfortable surface to enhance alignment, explore the asana and find balance! I found international options pricey and found it really difficult to find a good mat locally. This lead me to research on what goes into making best mats internationally.
Being a yoga teacher has also helped me get a lot of feedback from students and friends. In fact my very first business partner in JURU and also a good friend, was a yoga teacher too. This helped us work extensively on feedback and launch our first made-in-India natural mat-over.
Though it has been two and a half years since JURU Yoga has been in business, it has been only 6 months since JURU Yoga registered as a private limited company here in Chennai. My husband has been involved in the past couple of months overlooking digital marketing and we launched our online store and expanded reach across India. We will soon be launching internationally.
Taking inspiration from international eco-yoga brands and from make-in-India campaign, I want JURU products to reflect the peaceful principles that Yoga embodies; thus all our products are environmentally friendly and we at JURU are constantly working on innovation and improvisation to give you best yoga mats, props and accessories.
It is a lifestyle brand that draws inspiration from Yoga philosophy, which finds its roots in India but continues to be boundless, inspiring people world over. JURU Yoga mats, props and accessories, though made in India, are designed keeping in mind expectations, feedback and suggestions of yogis from around the world.
STREAMLINING WAREHOUSE AND LOGISTICS OPERATIONS,
INCREASING BRAND PRESENCE ONLINE,
FINDING LIKE-MINDED RETAIL PARTNERS INTERNATIONALLY
– The above are some of the main issues we had to address before expanding operations. Inventory and logistics can easily eat into your profits. We have experienced this before and are addressing this by outsourcing delivery operations to multiple service providers and understanding the zones and mode of transport they are most efficient in. For online presence, we focus strategically with analytics for digital marketing on all platforms. With regard to international sales, we are currently engaging with interested distributor & retail partners in markets like SE Asia, UAE and Europe and then eventually launch in USA.
I am confident that we are on the right track. Having spent close to 8 years in family business, having experienced losses and failures, I completely understand how tough it is to stay motivated and inspire oneself to start all over again. So Yes, I believe in dreams – if by dreams you mean that one should never give up on their goals despite the hurdles. But dreams not necessarily lead to happy endings. A dream can also be completely misleading. Thus one also has be in a state of awareness to actually reap the benefits of one’s dream.
I have experienced how the practice of yoga and meditation has made me more aware of myself. To follow your dreams you need patience and clarity and irrespective of the field you are in, meditation can really help bring clarity to your thoughts. They are interrelated. If you meditate you are so much more aware of what you have to do to make your dream a reality.