Photo courtesy MantraDog
MantraDog, a Henrico County-based online yoga mat business, centers around yoga, mindfulness, improving the environment, and sharing quality products and a healthy lifestyle. It’s a mantra that founders Avi Gunzburg and his sister Lisa Rogerson live by.
Prior to relocating to Richmond nearly three years ago, Gunzburg ran a carpet company in Baltimore. One day while he was driving, a woman ran into the street. Gunzburg wasn’t able to stop in time, and he hit her with his car. She suffered a hairline fracture but made a full recovery. The incident left Gunzburg wondering: If he had been more mindful while driving, would he have seen her? It was a wake-up call for him to reconsider his life and purpose.
He stepped away from day-to-day operations at his carpet company and took up yoga, but after a long search for a quality yoga mat that fit his needs, he decided to take matters into his own hands, creating MantraMats, waterproof yoga mats made from eco-friendly materials.
The mats feature a natural rubber foundation and have a thick cork layer on top, which prevents odor from getting trapped in the mat, keeps the yogi from slipping and provides long-term durability. There’s a natural rubber version with the same qualities, minus the cork.
Beyond the mats’ composition, Gunzburg wants to inspire through positive affirmation. Burned into each mat are mantras such as “presence, love, gratitude,” “be real,” “be the change” or the company mantra, “love, loyalty, service.”
The mantra is symbolic of traits a dog embodies, which is fitting, given that Lelo and Anna, the Gunzburg family dogs, influenced the selection of the name MantraDog. “If people were as loyal and loving as dogs, the world would be a different place,” Gunzburg says.
MantraDog products also include travel bags, cleansing mists, yoga blocks, carry straps and slings, and bracelets. Mats and bracelets can be personalized with mantras and messages. “Most of what we do is custom,” Gunzburg says.
MantraDog products range from $10 to $105 and can be found online at mantradog.com and at #LoveYou in Stony Point Fashion Park. Ten percent of proceeds go to charities creating positive change for people, animals and the environment.