Yoga mats that properly support your body are essential for your enjoyment and success with yoga asanas (postures). Yoga mats prevent and decrease injuries that can be caused by slippery surfaces. Yoga mats are used by anyone practicing yoga to help them create a barrier between themselves and the floor. Yoga mats can be purchased for as little as £10 and many studios and yoga classes will let you store your mat with them if you are a regular. Some will even offer you a free mat to use during your sessions. Research has not confirmed the link between unclean yoga mats and fungal, bacterial and viral infections, plantar warts and staph infections.
Yoga mats have 4 requirements: 1.) they need to be safe, 2.) durable, 3.) comfortable, and 4.) environmental friendly.
Good Yoga mats will help you improve your balance and coordination and give you better stability and traction. If you are looking for a natural, eco-friendly alternative to sticky synthetic yoga mats which may be full of chemicals, then consider an organic hemp, bamboo, or cotton variety of yoga mat.
Custom Yoga Mat
Mats come in a variety of custom colors and sizes, with the standard size of 24" x 68". There are also 100% hemp yoga and meditation mats made from certified organic European hemp: processed without chemicals for true purity and environmental sustainability. You'll love an organic hemp yoga or meditation mat if you're looking for something natural, organic, and soft during your yoga session so that you forget about your worries of synthetic or dusty carpets (many yoga studios have carpeted or synthetic and dusty flooring). Rolled up, the yoga mat makes a great pillow and also a lower back support. We've found that mats are also good for the second (mat to lie on) and third (folded up for knee support) of the Five Tibetan Rejuvenation Rites since bare floors can be very hard on your knees.
Yoga Mat Products
There are half a dozen type of yoga-mat wipes available, and new products like hand and foot mitts will protect yoga mat borrowers. Though, you should keep in mind that it has not been proven that you can 'catch' a virus, fungus or other bacteria from another person's yoga mat, you will still probably want to purchase your own, as it will become personal to you, and you will be able to maintain it and know that it is your very own.
Meditation Mats
A hand-woven yoga mat is best if you want to do gentle yoga, meditation or relaxation. A comfortable bamboo meditation bench with rounded leg bottoms is also suitable for long meditations. For complete yoga that includes exercises, meditation, breathing (pranayama) and relaxation, sticky mats should not be used. For a sitting meditation, you may want to fold the mat two or three times so that you have a thicker cushion under you while you sit. Rolled up, the hemp yoga and meditation mats make a great pillow and lower back support too.
Cotton Yoga Mats
Yoga mats are made of cotton, jute, rubber, rug and synthetic materials. A 100% cotton yoga mat rug for your practice may be best if you have allergic reactions to other materials, or just wish a softer, more cushier mat. An all natural zabuton mat is handmade from chemical- free green cotton. A long lasting filler for pillows is organic buckwheat hulls as it conforms to your body's shape and is usually wrapped in a organic cotton twill shell with a hidden zipper carry handle.
Natural Yoga Mats
The original eco yoga mat is made with all-natural rubber and jute fiber and is excellent for any consistent practice of yoga. Its rubber underside grips the floor and the jute fabric/rubber mix on top offers superb traction and a highly durable, tactile and pleasantly natural surface to practice on.
Eco Yoga Mats
Selecting an eco yoga mat is a perfect choice as you pose your way to enlightenment and inner peace in your yoga practice. Even a carpet can potentially become slippery and cause an injury, especially in a more complicated pose. After extensive research, I believe that the ecoYoga mat is currently the greenest option available for those who wish to practice on a sticky mat. Better still, you may want to show a little eco enlightenment at your next yoga class with a PVC-free mat. In the past, we've given you a few options regarding eco-sensitive yoga mats: the Harmony Rubber Yoga Mat, and Eco Mats by Eco Yoga.
Green Yoga Mats
Greenpeace wants all PVC production to cease, because it releases dioxins into the environment. An all natural zabuton mat is handmade from chemical-free green cotton.
Organic Yoga Mats
Organic hemp yoga, meditation mats are eco-friendly, all-natural and sustainably made. What better way to be there than starting with synthetic-free, plastic-free, chemical-free, and toxin-free organic hemp mat on which to perform your asana's. When purchasing new yoga clothes or yoga products, you should consider shopping at a organic clothing store, fair trade business,recycle shop, etc.
Colors
Most retailers offer a wide variety of colors and designs. You should be able to find any color that you like in a yoga mat, I've seen them in everything from bright red to purple to deep aqua to the natural colors of organic cotton and bamboo.
Yoga Mat Essentials
Yoga mats can be purchased for as little as £10, and many studios let you store your mat with them. Yoga mats are handy, safe and comfortable for yoga practice. The standard size of 24" x 68. Yoga mats provide ideal base for practicing yoga safely and comfortably. There are some yoga mats that are not made of PVC, which is considered to be the most toxic of all plastics, and is found in more than 90% of today's sticky mats. Alternative materials such as hemp, cotton, bamboo and other materials can be used instead of PVC when you are looking for a more organic or chemical-free experience, or simply to prevent allergic reactions.