Move
An Interview with the Founders of Beyond Yoga
We adore Beyond Yoga because their workout clothes are super comfortable and stylish, but we love them even more because of their commitment to celebrate real women. Recently, we sat down with Beyond Yoga founders Jodi Gruber Brufsky and Michelle Wahler about the inspiration behind their body-positive brand. Here they are in their own words:
1. What inspired you to start Beyond Yoga?
Jodi: My own personal struggles coupled with what I saw was missing in the market inspired me to start Beyond Yoga. I grew up in Hollywood and felt very much in the spotlight as I struggled with my weight. Over the years, I mastered the art of dressing to flatter your body and fit your lifestyle; that’s what greatly inspired Beyond Yoga.
2. Is there a story behind the name for the line?
Jodi: I wanted something that was inspired by yoga, because it greatly changed my life. But I also wanted something that was more than just yoga – hence Beyond Yoga. It represents that there is more to yoga than just the physical aspect – when someone asks me what is Beyond Yoga, I reply, “Beyond Yoga is falling in love with yourself.”
3. Do you have a specific type of person in mind when you design your clothes?
J+M: The woman we design for values fit, quality and clothing that can take them from street to studio. We look to be inclusive rather than exclusive with our collection and fit test with recent college graduates all the way up to our own mothers. Beyond Yoga is body positive so we truly design for women of all shapes and sizes.
4. What’s your go-to Beyond Yoga piece?
Michelle: Having just given birth last month to my first baby boy, I’m still partial to the maternity Grow and Glow Cami which is flexible for nursing and so soft against his skin. My favorite piece pre-pregnancy is a tough one but I guess most often I wear the High Waisted Leggings, which keep me covered for floor work and inversions. Best of all, every one of our pieces are machine wash and dry, which I never appreciated as much as I do now with a little one!
5. We love that you use non-retouched photography! What led to this decision?
Michelle: Body image, and the unrealistic expectations women put on themselves has always been important to me. I watched family members and close friends struggle with body acceptance and eating disorders throughout my life. I was shocked to witness my friends develop eating disorders as early as the 3rd grade. I take self-esteem and self-acceptance very seriously and know how dangerous setting unrealistic expectations can be for young women. I’m proud that we show real women in our campaigns, and hold ourselves to a strict no body photo shopping policy.
6. You put a big emphasis on helping women celebrate who they are rather than trying to become someone else. Can you talk about this philosophy?
J+M: We hear beautiful women talk so disparagingly about their appearance and we wish they could see themselves as they really are.. Sometimes it seems we have become our own worst enemies instead of being our own best friends. We believe it’s so important for women to celebrate themselves, and their accomplishments, to believe in themselves and be kind to themselves.
7. Negative body image keeps so many people from buying workout gear—let alone working out. How does BY help alleviate this anxiety?
J+M: At Beyond Yoga we make clothing that will fit and flatter your body, and make you feel your best the minute you put it on. We select fabrics that are soft and luxurious, that hug and smooth your curves, but never make you feel like you’ve been crammed into something you don’t fit in. We believe that having clothing that you know will make you look great is the best way to face the day.
8. What kind of feedback have you received from your customers?
J+M: We’re constantly getting great feedback from our customers thanking us for making clothing that is true to size and for offering sizes that range from XXS – XXL. Our customers also really love our photography and how we shoot our product on various sized models to show how the clothing will really fit real women.
9. Every piece in the BY line is designed and made in LA. Why did you decide to keep the line local?
J+M: It’s very important to us to keep our clothing made locally. Not only are we helping support our community by creating jobs, we also have greater control over the quality of our products because we’re right there as they’re being made.
10. We’re so inspired by your commitment to helping underprivileged moms and babies around the world. Tell us a bit about your decision to launch your charity initiative Moms for Moms and your partnership with Midwives for Haiti?
J+M: We are always looking for ways to be involved in our community and give back. When we launched our maternity line Beyond the Bump, we thought it was a great opportunity to create a new charity component that really resonated with our mission of empowering women. We created our Moms for Mom charity, and for our first initiative Moms for Moms donated over $10,000 towards prenatal care through our partnership with midwives for Haiti.
If you recently participated in the barre3 Anywhere Challenge, you could win a $500 gift card from Beyond Yoga just for telling us about your experience—learn more here.
We adore Beyond Yoga because their workout clothes are super comfortable and stylish, but we love them even more because of their commitment to celebrate real women. Recently, we sat down with Beyond Yoga founders Jodi Gruber Brufsky and Michelle Wahler about the inspiration behind their body-positive brand. Here they are in their own words:
1. What inspired you to start Beyond Yoga?
Jodi: My own personal struggles coupled with what I saw was missing in the market inspired me to start Beyond Yoga. I grew up in Hollywood and felt very much in the spotlight as I struggled with my weight. Over the years, I mastered the art of dressing to flatter your body and fit your lifestyle; that’s what greatly inspired Beyond Yoga.
2. Is there a story behind the name for the line?
Jodi: I wanted something that was inspired by yoga, because it greatly changed my life. But I also wanted something that was more than just yoga – hence Beyond Yoga. It represents that there is more to yoga than just the physical aspect – when someone asks me what is Beyond Yoga, I reply, “Beyond Yoga is falling in love with yourself.”
3. Do you have a specific type of person in mind when you design your clothes?
J+M: The woman we design for values fit, quality and clothing that can take them from street to studio. We look to be inclusive rather than exclusive with our collection and fit test with recent college graduates all the way up to our own mothers. Beyond Yoga is body positive so we truly design for women of all shapes and sizes.
4. What’s your go-to Beyond Yoga piece?
Michelle: Having just given birth last month to my first baby boy, I’m still partial to the maternity Grow and Glow Cami which is flexible for nursing and so soft against his skin. My favorite piece pre-pregnancy is a tough one but I guess most often I wear the High Waisted Leggings, which keep me covered for floor work and inversions. Best of all, every one of our pieces are machine wash and dry, which I never appreciated as much as I do now with a little one!
5. We love that you use non-retouched photography! What led to this decision?
Michelle: Body image, and the unrealistic expectations women put on themselves has always been important to me. I watched family members and close friends struggle with body acceptance and eating disorders throughout my life. I was shocked to witness my friends develop eating disorders as early as the 3rd grade. I take self-esteem and self-acceptance very seriously and know how dangerous setting unrealistic expectations can be for young women. I’m proud that we show real women in our campaigns, and hold ourselves to a strict no body photo shopping policy.
6. You put a big emphasis on helping women celebrate who they are rather than trying to become someone else. Can you talk about this philosophy?
J+M: We hear beautiful women talk so disparagingly about their appearance and we wish they could see themselves as they really are.. Sometimes it seems we have become our own worst enemies instead of being our own best friends. We believe it’s so important for women to celebrate themselves, and their accomplishments, to believe in themselves and be kind to themselves.
7. Negative body image keeps so many people from buying workout gear—let alone working out. How does BY help alleviate this anxiety?
J+M: At Beyond Yoga we make clothing that will fit and flatter your body, and make you feel your best the minute you put it on. We select fabrics that are soft and luxurious, that hug and smooth your curves, but never make you feel like you’ve been crammed into something you don’t fit in. We believe that having clothing that you know will make you look great is the best way to face the day.
8. What kind of feedback have you received from your customers?
J+M: We’re constantly getting great feedback from our customers thanking us for making clothing that is true to size and for offering sizes that range from XXS – XXL. Our customers also really love our photography and how we shoot our product on various sized models to show how the clothing will really fit real women.
9. Every piece in the BY line is designed and made in LA. Why did you decide to keep the line local?
J+M: It’s very important to us to keep our clothing made locally. Not only are we helping support our community by creating jobs, we also have greater control over the quality of our products because we’re right there as they’re being made.
10. We’re so inspired by your commitment to helping underprivileged moms and babies around the world. Tell us a bit about your decision to launch your charity initiative Moms for Moms and your partnership with Midwives for Haiti?
J+M: We are always looking for ways to be involved in our community and give back. When we launched our maternity line Beyond the Bump, we thought it was a great opportunity to create a new charity component that really resonated with our mission of empowering women. We created our Moms for Mom charity, and for our first initiative Moms for Moms donated over $10,000 towards prenatal care through our partnership with midwives for Haiti.
If you recently participated in the barre3 Anywhere Challenge, you could win a $500 gift card from Beyond Yoga just for telling us about your experience—learn more here.
