Wake Up Relaxed and Refreshed with Yoga Wake Up

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‣ Company: Yoga Wake Up
‣ Cofounders: Joaquín Brown and Lizzie Brown
‣ Mission: To make mornings enjoyable and stress-free
‣ App launched: 2015
‣ Team size: 5
‣ Go-to emoji: 🙃

All it took was one transformative yoga class for cofounder Joaquín Brown to discover the profound impact of starting the day with a positive mindset.

“It was early morning, and the instructor guided us to lie down as if we were still in bed. She spoke about mindfulness and relaxation, and then had us rise with our eyes closed,” Brown recalls. “I thought, ‘This could be how we peacefully wake up every single day.’”

Gentler than a traditional alarm clock, Yoga Wake Up helps you wake up naturally with guided breathing exercises, motivational affirmations for gratitude and positivity, and gentle stretches—all while remaining comfortably in bed. We spoke with the app’s innovative Los Angeles–based cofounders, Joaquín and Lizzie Brown, about their mission to build an inclusive wellness community that spans diverse cultures and continents.

What were the early days of Yoga Wake Up like?

Joaquín: There was a prototype I created one weekend, featuring just one meditation by Jen Smith, the instructor whose yoga class sparked this whole idea.

Lizzie: The prototype received some positive media attention and ended up achieving around 700 downloads over a single weekend—much more than we anticipated! After successfully raising funds through a crowdfunding campaign, we hit the ground running to develop our wellness app further.

How do you find yoga instructors to feature in the app?

Lizzie: Currently, we have more than 70 skilled yoga instructors from all over the globe. Many are located near us in California, while others are based in cities like London, Austin, Seattle, New Orleans, and even Mexico. A lot of these teachers were referred to us by other instructors already in our network. During a scouting trip in London, we met Kate Lister, a talented singer and yoga instructor whose “Today Is Yours!” session remains one of my favorite features in the app.

You’ve also expanded to include instructors from Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, and Spain.

Lizzie: Voice is incredibly important in Yoga Wake Up, which is optimized for audio experiences. Therefore, it’s crucial for our app to represent a diverse range of voices that resonate with various audiences. We recorded our first Spanish-language content in the vibrant city of Barcelona, selecting teachers who embody a variety of cultural backgrounds. We aim to expand our global footprint even further as opportunities arise.

How did the decision to include audio in both English and Spanish come about?

Lizzie: Offering Yoga Wake Up in Spanish broadens accessibility to a larger audience, specifically catering to over 490 million native Spanish speakers worldwide. Translating our content into Spanish holds special significance for us due to our Latin heritage. Joaquín’s mom is Mexican, and mine is Cuban.

In the early days, was it challenging to promote the app?

Joaquín: We previously developed another app, which was more challenging to launch because it operated like a social network.

Lizzie: We would stand outside of local yoga studios, handing out kombucha as an incentive for potential users to download our app. We’d spend hours hoping to collect just five downloads—it was not the most effective strategy. Thankfully, we’ve experienced a smoother journey with Yoga Wake Up.

Read more stories celebrating Latin American Heritage Month and wellness through yoga

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