A SOMERSET eco-firm is encouraging people to take time to be mindful in the new year with the Taunton trial of its latest handmade environmentally-friendly and durable product.

Somerton-based Tica Lily, which specialises in the manufacture of luxury sustainable linen homewares, has expanded its offering to include meditation cushions in various fabrics for people looking to discover mindfulness and they are being trialled in Taunton by the team at The Sangha House.

Carole Champion, Tica Lily Business Director, says: “We’re excited to be launching more products to transform our customers’ homes into spaces where they can relax and unwind in style.

“We know that mindfulness is becoming a bigger focus in people’s daily lives, and we wanted to reflect that in our product range too.

“It’s also exciting to see our new meditation cushions in use at The Sangha House in Taunton, where the team has been very complimentary about our newest product and were even kind enough to let us photograph the cushions in their space.

“We also had the opportunity to learn even more about the practice of mindfulness from co-owner Andy Spragg, who is an expert in the field and has even written a book introducing readers to the spiritual discipline of mindfulness.”

The Sangha House is a centre for mindfulness-based holistic health and wellbeing. It offers classes for pilates, yoga, mindfulness, and more, in addition to a range of holistic and talking therapies.

Andy Spragg, The Sangha House Co-owner and Meditation Practitioner, says: “It was exciting to be the first person to trial Tica Lily’s new meditation cushions.

“Comfort is incredibly important for meditation and yoga, you can’t get into a mindful headspace if you’re thinking about discomfort, and the new cushions are great at reducing stress on the body.

“Not only are Tica Lily’s cushions incredibly practical for use at home or in a studio setting, because of the durable material they’re made of, but they also look great too.

“Plus, they are made locally and a variety of the cushions are made from recycled materials, so they are very planet-friendly too. I look forward to using them more in the future and introducing more of my students to them.”

Tica Lily’s new meditation cushions come in two styles, with its luxury range being manufactured from contemporary designer fabric and its standard range made from re-purposed fabrics, which include its own production waste fabrics and upholstery remnants.

Carole also said: “We know that our customers appreciate our sustainable ethos, it’s at the heart of everything we do.

“As a business, we are always looking at how we can reduce our commercial waste and by re-using fabric from other projects we can send less to landfill and do our part to protect the planet.

“With our newest product launch, aspiring yogis and meditators can find peace in a hectic modern world without having to worry about how sustainable and planet-friendly the items they are using are.

“Our meditation cushions are an ideal gift for the person in your life who could use some inspiration for taking more ‘me-time’ and would be great when paired with Andy’s insightful book, called ‘The Magic of Noticing’, which can be bought online or from any good book retailer.”

Tica Lily offers a mail-order collection of environmentally sound, bespoke home and clothing textile items made in the UK. It also offers customers the option to collect directly from its factory in Somerton.

Its range of mail-order products includes linen cross-back and garçon aprons, napkins, coasters, tablecloths, placemats, cutlery holders, dressing gowns, and tea towels.

For more information about Tica Lily, which is based in Somerton and offers a national mail order service, please call 01458 272057 or visit www.Ticalily.co.uk.