How WiseLife Is Combining Data, Design And Mindfulness To Crack The Indian Yoga And Wellness Market

Remember actor Manoj Bajpayee rolling up a yoga mat after doing his morning wellness rituals? The scene was as ubiquitous across Indian cities as The Family Man himself. Be it on sunbathed rooftops or in patches of green in the middle of housing complexes or at joggers’ parks, yoga has made deep inroads into the life of the urban Indian.

And, as yoga evolved from a fad to a fundamental part of our lifestyle, accessories like mats, blocks and stretch bands have turned a favourite of enthusiasts. 

In fact, a recent study has assessed that India’s market for yoga mats is going to see explosive growth from $1.4 Bn to $2.2 Bn by 2033. Prateek Kedia had realised the potential about to be unleashed and set up Wiselife. He had timed it right in late 2020 when the need for yoga and wellness scaled great highs in a world reeling under the COVID blues. 

“Today, we are known for our superior quality, contemporary and sustainable yoga mats and accessories,” said the founder of the Mumbai-based brand that has just raised INR 8 Cr from Rukam Capital. 

It plans to spend the money on offline expansion, including standalone stores, designed as immersive wellness spaces. “Our retail stores will serve as brand experience hubs, allowing customers to try out our products themselves,” Kedia said. 

This holistic wellness brand garners around 55% of revenue from marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, Cred and Tata Cliq, while its website makes up 25%, and quick commerce apps such as Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto contribute approximately 10%. The remaining 10% comes from Shopify. 

Unlike most brands that try to scale through aggressive digital marketing, WiseLife went for collaborations. It has tied up with apps like FindYourFit, various influencers, and with events that created a pool of more than 500 yogis. These yoga practitioners do not just buy their products, they also endorse them.

Decoding The Core Of The Brand

From modest sales of INR 39,000 to over INR 3 Cr in less than five years – the story of the building WiseLife in the niche market it serves is more philosophical than promotional. 

“We believe in winning from within,” said the founder. “We have positioned ourselves as a holistic wellness brand that focuses on emotional well-being and sustainable living, beyond strength, endurance or body transformation.” 

WiseLife yoga mats are made using sustainable materials such as natural rubber, Eco TPE and cork, they also have alignment lines printed on the mat surface to guide the placement of hand and foot, helping maintain proper posture and improve focus. The company also makes self-love yoga kits, which are curated sets of essential yoga gear. 

Its product categories — including yoga mats, props, apparel, and home fitness equipment — are designed as companions in a user’s wellness journey, not just as random workout tools. 

But convincing Indian consumers – many of whom grew up practising yoga without any gear – that a mat could be more than a piece of foam was an uphill climb. “We focussed on educating how features like anti-slip grip and alignment lines could actually improve focus, posture and safety. Through educational and infotainment content, brand updates and interactive campaigns, we built trust and helped users see the value in something as simple as their yoga mat,” Kedia said.

The company sells around 2 lacs yoga mats a year and aims to raise it to 10 lacs by 2028.

Data Chemistry Behind The Success

WiseLife was woven around Kedia’s personal struggle to find better, more thoughtfully designed yoga gear. Realising that the existing products were either too expensive or lacked thoughtful design, he tried to fill this gap. 

But, what brought success to the brand was the sharp spurt in sales after the Shark Tank Season 3 appearance. WiseLife used consumer data and community engagement to brew its secret sauce for growth. 

After closely tracking purchase behaviour, user reviews and engagement on user-generated content, WiseLife began reading between the lines to understand where the demand comes from, the likes and dislikes of customers, and was able to spot whitespace categories. While the company expected metros like Mumbai and Delhi to make up the biggest chunk of orders, cities like Surat, Chennai and Hyderabad outperformed their bigger peers. 

“It showed strong demand for premium, design-led yoga mats and equipment from beyond the traditional metro markets, and drove us to rethink our targeting, distribution and even content strategy,” Kedia said. 

Product decisions are refined and reshaped based on such insights. WiseLife doesn’t just push new SKUs for expanding the product line, it makes sure that every addition is backed by trend-watching, competitive analysis, and direct feedback from its strong base of wellness influencers and practising yogis. 

While real-time suggestions from on-ground experts help WiseLife track the market trend, they also help it identify the underserved categories. The brand depends on analytics from social media, ecommerce data and post-purchase reviews to confirm its understanding of the customer preferences. 

“Then only we zero in on a product and design it,” explained Kedia. “There are so many things that go into the making of something as simple as a yoga mat.” Each new product then goes into a rigorous six-month trial following R&D, and scrutiny of clicks, comments and user ratings before it hits the market. 

WiseLife yoga mats are typically priced between INR 1,200 and INR 5,500 after discounts. Brands such as Boldfit have mats starting at approximately INR 299, whereas Decathlon’s mats range from INR 399 up to INR 3,500. Proyog offers mats at around INR 5,000, while Kosha Yoga Co.’s mats are priced between INR 6,000 and INR 7,000. 

Funds Breathe More Life Into The Brand 

In the past six months, WiseLife bumped into hurdles like space crunch, working capital deficit, and manpower shortfall, as it tried to scale operations. 

Rukam Capital, an investor in early stage brands, saw potential in WiseLife and pumped INR 8 Cr in fresh capital in July 2025.

“India is in the middle of a wellness shift. Not just more yoga mats, but a full cultural reset around health, purpose, and conscious consumption. WiseLife is building for that India. The brand is functionally smart and emotionally resonant. Not just because it’s biodegradable or beautifully designed, but because it’s built with intent,” Archana Jahagirdar, the founder and managing partner at Rukam Capital, wrote in a LinkedIn post. 

The timing, she wrote, couldn’t be better. “The Indian yoga mat market is expected to hit $2.2 Bn by 2033. Globally, $26.5 Bn by 2030. And consumers aren’t just buying gear. They’re buying into a lifestyle.”

Elucidating further while talking to Inc42 about the brand and the founder, Jahagirdar added, “The founder’s understanding of what a yoga practitioner needs is both unique and refreshing. While the benefits of regular yoga practice are universally recognised, no homegrown brand is addressing those needs. WiseLife identified this gap and is fulfilling this need. We believe that when founders deeply understand consumer needs, impactful outcomes are likely to follow.”

WiseLife plans to use the funds to firm up its supply chain, scale up production capacity and build up its backend infrastructure to prevent stock-outs, ensuring consistent product availability. It will allow WiseLife to deepen its footprint across all channels, making its products more accessible.

It will also fund the expansion of its design and R&D capabilities. “It will speed up product development and upgrade the quality,” Kedia said. 

Measuring Fitness For The Future

Yoga is undoubtedly India’s biggest cultural export to the world. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi observing the Yoga Day on June 21 at Visakhapatnam to the UN Palais lawns in Geneva – millions of people from 175 nations performed yoga on its 11th anniversary since the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga on appeal from the Indian premier. 

“Yoga is not just about staying fit physically. It supports emotional wellbeing as well as forms a bond among people for a lasting peace,” Kedia said. “We’re building a brand that doesn’t just sell products but also inspires emotional health, sustainability and mindful living.” 

WiseLife has thrashed out a game plan that shifts from heavy dependence on online marketplaces and aims to raise direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales to 35%, ramp up quick commerce channels to 15% and expand on lifestyle platforms like Myntra to 10-15%. The idea, according to the founder, is to form deeper, more meaningful relationships with customers.

With the Indian yoga industry expected to touch $20.5 Bn by 2034, averaging a 12.40% annual growth, there’s plenty of room for homegrown brands like WiseLife to go beyond surface wellness trends. 

But, is WiseLife smart enough to walk the tightrope – staying true to its vision for mindful living while adapting to an increasingly competitive landscape where consumers want it all – spirituality, sustainability and smart design – at once.