Research
The five principles of yoga are beneficial exercise, correct breathing, complete relaxation, balanced diet, and positive thinking. These are achieved with focus, dedication, and space. A central theme of yoga and meditation is balance— spiritual, physical, and mental.
I observed 4 different yoga studios in the Atlanta area and found they all featured walls of mirrors to help practicers watch their form, ambient lighting, exposed wood, and a soft smell of incense. Some also featured posters with different poses, scrolls, burning incense, gongs, and other traditional decorative elements. All had some greenery and plants near the windows. Some of the studios were empty aside from a speaker the yoga instructor brought and the supplies each yoga practicer had with them. These more empty rooms were sometimes used for hot yoga while the more decorated ones were not.
Hot yoga has grown in popularity and there is a variety of types that require different environments, the first of which being Bikram yoga, where the yogis practice in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity level at 40%. This is not an ideal environment for most products to live in.
After interviewing yoga instructors and yoga learners, I found that the most desired environments to practice yoga are those in nature, quiet environments where the world seems to go still, and anywhere that the user feels like they are not distracted. All said they needed a dedicated space to get into the mind set and some had a hard time pin pointing what it was about the yoga studio that felt so calming, but all agreed they felt comfortable.
General supplies brought into a yoga studio include water bottles, yoga mats, towels, straps, yoga blocks, and proper attire. Most studios had plenty of supplies for guests to borrow. The studios also had lavender scented eye pillows, incense or oil diffusers, calming lights, and tranquil music.
Ideation
After analyzing the elements that add to the ambiance of a yoga studio, I began brainstorming ideas about what kind of lighting would enhance the environment.
Concept Refinement
Prototyping
Once I decided on a rough idea, I began prototyping. I used foam core, PVC pipes, tape, fishing line, and beads to create the prototypes, trying to finalize shape, size, proportions, and features. I toyed with having an area where incense could be lit on the lap itself, letting the smoke entangle itself with the hanging beads. Unfortunately, there wasn't a safe enough way to test this idea so I had to abandon that feature.
Creating the Final Model
After lots of prototyping, I settled on a form. For the final lamp, I used a hollow steal rod for the base, stained poplar wood at the base and for the shade, aluminum rods to support the shade, a laser cut acrylic top with stones hanging from jewelry wire, and a hand sewn shade made of a heat resistant white fabric. The white fabric allows for the chakra colors of the stones to shine through and as this lamp features a color changing light bulb, the white shade also allows for the colored lights to show.
The Final Model
Thank you!