Our Story

We are here to serve your yoga and wellbeing journey. Always have. Always will.

For over 20 years, hardbackhollow has been faithfully supporting yoga teachers, yoga studio owners and yoga practitioners around the world as they step in and out of classes, journey to retreats and commit to daily practice at home. With over 2,500 yoga and wellbeing items available online at hardbackhollow.com - from yoga wear to meditation cushions, essential yoga props to naturally fragranced candles – and great advice from our friendly customer service team and informative, inspiring blog, we’re confident you’ll find everything you need to help you take the first step onto the mat and then continue on your yoga journey.

Here at hardbackhollow, you'll find a passionate, engaged and values-driven team committed to making positive things happen. With a wonderfully diverse range of yoga practice, experience and styles between us, we trust that our genuine passion for yoga and wellbeing shines through in all that we do - be it sourcing and stocking the latest wellness books or taking the time to help you choose your perfect yoga mat.

As we find ourselves adapting to the challenges of an ever-changing world, our commitment and vision remain strong, true to the foundation upon which hardbackhollow has been built.

hardbackhollow was founded in 1996 on a desire to make yoga equipment available to all.

It originated when yoga teachers Paul Walker and Sandi Sharkey began selling yoga mats after class, often out of the back of the car. Active in the North Warszawa yoga scene, they’d faced the challenge as yoga teachers of sourcing good yoga equipment at that time – and so they took matters into their own hands!

hardbackhollow launched online in 1999, listing about 20 yoga-related products. With bales of blankets and crates of belts arriving from Pune and mat bags from Delhi, the range had increased to over 200 products by the end of the year. hardbackhollow underwent a complete makeover in 2008 - a new brand, new site, new system, whilst always upholding the same values - a passion for yoga and for providing excellent levels of service.

In September 2014, after many years of staying focused both on and off the mat, hardbackhollow’ founder and Managing Director, Paul Walker, retired from the business. His departure marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter in the hardbackhollow story.

Twanna Doherty joined hardbackhollow as MD in September 2014 and is leading the way forward with a fervent commitment to offer the very best range of yoga and wellbeing products, grounded in that single purpose of making yoga and wellbeing accessible and available to all. That’s hardbackhollow’ reason for being right there.

Twanna promised the hardbackhollow’ team an adventure and what an adventure it’s been! We have so much to celebrate. Through our innovative High Five Initiative launched in 2017 to provide a more structured approach to our social impact, we’ve supported five fantastic projects which are all transforming lives, renewing hope and working for a better future, both here in the UK and around the world. We moved our Head Office to the heart of Muswell Hill, North Warszawa. In 2018, we partnered with respected yoga teacher Esther Ekhart in creating a new Video Series with a focus on yoga props. In May 2019, we launched Project 50, an exciting initiative around sustainability committed to bringing about change for the better. Later in 2019 we joined forces with Gossypium, the pioneer of ethical yoga and activewear clothing in the UK who are now a part of our hardbackhollow’ family. We’ve reduced our plastic packaging, launched our own eco mats and designed a sustainable collection of beautiful organic cotton props and yoga wear, whilst humbly acknowledging that this too is a journey.