How to Avoid Slipping in Yoga: Tips and Advice

A problem that every yogi frequently encounters: how to avoid slipping in yoga ? Regardless of the type of yoga practiced, your hands and feet slide on the mat when they sweat. Even if it is completely normal, this sweating prevents you from easily linking your asanas . Worse still, slipping on your yoga mat makes the position more difficult to hold.
Here are 6 tips and tricks to help you maintain your posture when you sweat.

1 — Be well anchored in your posture

Of course, it takes some time and practice to understand what it means to be "well anchored in a posture." But it is by acquiring this dexterity that you will avoid slipping even with sweaty hands.

To be well anchored in a posture, focus your attention on your supports, they should be firm and in contact with your mat.

In downward dog pose, spread your fingers and toes on your mat and hold your feet firmly. You can bend your knees if you are not very flexible. The important thing is to distribute your body weight between your feet and hands to relieve your shoulders and find the right balance.

Work this asana trying to eliminate any feeling of pressure on your joints. This strengthens the anchoring areas of the feet and hands that often sweat. The more grip and comfort you get, the less bothersome your sweating will be.

2 — Use your mat

This advice may seem a little strange to you, but using your mat will accentuate its non-slip qualities. If of course, you have taken care to choose a mat that lends itself to this, like the Combo YogaDesignLab mat .

Think of the old saying, “ The best soups come from old pots ,” and it really comes into its own here.

Take runners for example, they are advised not to run an important race with new shoes. With yoga, it's the same! Before achieving good performance and meeting your needs, your equipment must have served a minimum.

So to avoid slipping, wear out your mat by practicing more!

3 — Engage the deep muscles

" Commit yourself, they said, re-commit yourself! " This famous phrase borrowed from Uderzo and Goscinny may make you smile, but it is a truth in Yoga. One of the fundamental principles in the practice of yoga lies in using what are called the deep muscles.

By using your deep muscles, you will become solid as a rock, and this, in any posture! Yoga is all about gentle work that operates in depth. These deep muscles bring you balance in your asanas.

When you try to maintain a position without engaging your muscles, the body compensates by moving. You have difficulty finding good support, you are not comfortable, your body reacts by sweating. Depending on the posture you are looking for, squeezing your glutes or engaging your abdominal belt strengthens your anchoring in it.

4 — Use yoga mat cleaners

Your yoga mat is your support, it brings you comfort and stability thanks to its non-slip functions. To optimize its performance, you must pamper it. Yes, but be careful, not just anyhow!

Household products or body soaps are not at all suitable for cleaning and disinfecting your equipment. Indeed, they can leave a film on the surface of your equipment which will accentuate the slippery effect.

Using a mat cleaner after each session helps maintain and disinfect it, especially if you practice in a studio. Manduka yoga mat cleaners are part of an eco-responsible approach. They are biodegradable, phosphate-free, alcohol-free, they respect your skin and also the surface of your mat.

Delicately scented with essential oils, they spray over the entire surface to provide optimal disinfection.

5 — Avoid cosmetic products on the skin

Before your session, avoid applying body creams and oils. Indeed, when you sweat, the drops of sweat carry your cosmetic products with them. They can make the surface of your mat even more slippery.

Over time, cosmetic products damage your equipment. Oils can leave stains or rings and creams, on the other hand, leave a greasy deposit that damages the grip of your mat.

If possible, try to apply your body care after your yoga session.

6 — Use a yoga towel

However, if, despite all these tips, you still slip during your asana sequence due to intensive sweating, use a yoga towel.

The yoga towel is specially designed to absorb sweat while adding an extra anti-slip function.

Yoga mat towels react to moisture, which is where their anti-slip action is measured. If you practice dynamic yoga or hot yoga, it is advisable to moisten your towel at the very beginning of the class, this will prevent you from slipping in your postures.

To avoid slipping in yoga, apply our tips and advice and above all, practice! Only practice can make you improve your performance. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will feel. The postures will be easier to perform and you will sweat less and less. With practice and the help of good equipment, you will soon master the warrior position without slipping in the splits.