01 | Overview
Made to Give
Yama is a meditation kit designed for pregnant women, built to support their mental wellbeing.
Yama pairs a sculpted breathwork lamp with 60 illustrated cards and 3 rough journals for reflection. The lamp's LEDs pulse to the rhythm of each card’s breathing technique, while a built-in speaker offers 20 clinically supported audio modes from Tibetan bowls to binaural beats.
Every form decision, material, and interaction traces back to a specific insight from user research.
Role
Product Designer
Timeline
20 weeks
Tools
Fusion 360, Physical Manufacturing, Arduino, PETG/ABS printing
Skills
Product design, research, electronics, fabrication
02| TL;DR
The Challenge
When speaking to expectant mothers, a common complaint rang through:
Their mental health felt like an afterthought.
Gap
There is a lack of accessible resources
focused on a mother’s psychological
wellness, despite pregnancy, labor, and
the aftermath being some of the most psychologically precarious experiences
a person can have.
Goals
Design an effective + beautiful tool
Ground the user in the present moment
Support every stage from early trimester through labor, and beyond
Pregnancy introduces a constant stream of uncertainty, transition, and invisible mental strain, yet the current maternity market focuses mostly on easing physical discomfort, rather than supportingmental wellbeing.
How might we create a simple, repeatable ritual that helps mothers regulate their breath, anchor themselves in the present, and build confidence in their ability to navigate both labor and the moments leading up to it?
The Solution
YAMA: A sculpted breathwork lamp paired with
technique cards and journals.
The lamp's tempo, brightness, and color shift to reinforce the psychological intent of each breathing technique.
60 cards
Light fills and drains in time with inhales and exhales based on the card chosen
Journals
40 breathing techniques (20 everyday, 20 labor prep) and 20 writing cool-down prompts
Arduino-synced lightwork
To answer to the cool-down prompts, intended for free-flowing thought
03| Our Process
Overview
Pivot
Original concept: generic mindfulness lamp
Accidental prenatal yoga class
Reframed for expectant mothers
Research
Aesthetic field visits: MoMA, luxury auto shops, interior designers
Emotional field visits: CAPS, Zen Kannon Do, prenatal yoga
Psychology lectures on light therapy
Design
Surveys, focus groups with mothers
Form sketches & physical study models
Settled on radial teardrop silhouette
Build
CAD in Fusion 360
3D-printed in PETG and ABS
Arduino-controlled LEDs and speaker