Your yoga mat is your best friend. The one you can always lean on and that you put at your feet. A key element of your practice, so that it is comfortable and successful. Thickness, density, cushioning, grip, material, weight, size, texture, manufacturing process…
Take the time to choose the ideal yoga mat, adapted to your needs as well as your desires. And make your “soul mat” a true soul mate.
There you go, you're hooked. Hatha yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Vinyasa yoga, Anusara yoga, Kundalini yoga, Yin yoga, Bikram yoga... No matter the bottle, you're hooked on yoga and its many benefits.
With this in mind, you might be wondering if it might be worth buying your own yoga mat, and you're right!
Because let anyone who has never complained about a studio yoga mat that doesn't smell like flowers, that slips, or deforms during postures throw the first zafu at us!
For reasons of overall cost to contain, studio yoga mats are generally lower quality items, which also suffer from maintenance that is often carried out hastily after a session.
They are also often made slippery by the residue of sweat from the hands and feet and too "elastic" by the many hours of classes that they see pass by. A discomfort that can also become a cause of injury when holding high amplitude postures such as "The Wild Thing", for example, in which the good hold of the yoga mat in terms of rigidity is a guarantee of safety.
You might also be tempted to practice on a beach mat, a floor mat or even a towel. But it's better to put this idea aside, because the yoga mat is a technical product, which combines qualities essential to the activity: grip on the ground, a texture and material designed to prevent your feet and hands from slipping in the asanas, a variable thickness (ranging from 1.5 to 6 mm or even more depending on your needs) to absorb pressure and protect against the hardness of the ground, a contained weight...
Define your needs according to your practice to choose your yoga mat well
While fifteen years ago, the offer was limited to a single pink or purple PVC yoga mat known for its rigidity, today, the choice of soul mat is vast; and the price ranges, extended. Of course, you can choose to purchase a cheap fitness mat in a large sports store, but the technical characteristics of this one (often too thick and with too much elasticity) do not correspond to the needs of yoga.
After a few sessions, you will feel the need to invest again, so you might as well save on this first unnecessary expense and invest straight away in a relevant item that will give you satisfaction.
Because far from being a secondary accessory, the yoga mat is THE basis for a pleasant and efficient practice. Symbolically, it is your yogic "backyard", your home, this dwelling in which you enter before going within yourself, putting the listening of your body in tune with your mind, for a fulfilling practice. It will therefore deserve that you lean with flexibility - of course - but interest on its case, because it is the foundation on which you will come to rest during your entire session
In order to see more clearly among the ranges offered, to choose your yoga mat carefully, you will have to start by asking yourself what your needs are.
Are you going to practice regularly? Once, twice, three times a week or even daily? In this case, robustness and resistance will be the priority, and the advantage of a lifetime guarantee like the one offered by the Californian brand Manduka with its Mat PRO model, a historic reference in the soul mat category, will be an undeniable asset.
Will you be practicing at home? Weight consideration will be less of a factor and you can opt for a thicker model than if you want to carry it around often (to go to your classes or take it on a trip). In this case, you will opt for a lightweight, even foldable model, such as the EKO SuperLite , also from Manduka.
Grip, thickness, material and aesthetics, establish your scale of values between these 4 cardinal points so as not to lose your bearings when choosing your yoga mat.
A quality yoga mat: we love it!
In order to allow you to practice comfortably and safely, a yoga mat must combine 2 types of grip: non-slip, it must stay in place on the floor, including on smooth surfaces such as tiles, and have a grippy upper side, so as not to slip off your hands and feet during the sequence of postures and maintaining their alignment. Choose models with 2 distinct lower and upper structures, in order to combine these 2 aspects.
PVC yoga mats are known for their grip, but their anti-slip qualities are optimized when they are clean. So you will need to wash them regularly, as soon as your hands and feet start to slip. There are cleaning sprays specially designed for mats for this. Or opt for a homemade solution based on vinegar and essential oil.
If you don't want to practice on a PVC yoga mat, soul mats made of natural materials (rubber, jute, cotton) are plentiful! Their grip qualities are often reinforced by special work on the upper surface. Their texture generally includes non-slip relief (braiding, weaving, alveoli, etc.), which allows you to hold your asanas comfortably. You have the choice between the EcoYoga mat in natural jute and rubber , or the Eko Lite mat from Manduka or the Jade Harmony mat , which perfectly meet this expectation.
Thick? Yes, but not too much!
The question of the thickness of your yoga mat will depend on your practice (depending on whether you hold postures for a long time, as in Yin yoga, for example, or whether you chain them together more dynamically, like Kundalini yoga in particular), your desire for comfort and your proprioceptive sensitivity.
The thinnest models (1.5 mm), which can often be folded rather than rolled and therefore take up less space in a travel bag, are ideal for transport because they are also synonymous with lightness. However, they generally offer limited cushioning and protection against the hardness of the ground, which can be painful and uncomfortable (in kneeling or headstand postures, for example) depending on your sensitivity. It is advisable to use them on a floor that is not too hard or as an overlay. In this range, you have the eKO Superlite from Manduka, the Combo travel mat from YogaDesignLab and the Yuj mats.
For a yoga mat, the most common thickness ranges from 3 to 5 mm, which ensures both comfort in practice and a contained weight that will allow you to carry it without sweating too much when you move (to go to class or practice outdoors, in the park, on the beach, on a terrace, for example). Even, your soul mat can be a back support or a cozy head support on public transport!
If you practice at home, storage space is not an issue and you prefer cushioning to protect you from pressure on the floor, you can opt for a 5 mm or more yoga mat (some models go up to 1 cm or more), but you then risk losing proprioceptive sensitivity.
The thicker your yoga mat, the more insulated you are from the ground, which can disrupt the exchange of information at the proprioceptive level and make balancing (like in tree pose, for example) more difficult.
Introduction: PVC or natural?
PVC, jute, organic or natural cotton, natural and recycled rubber… Behind the choice of material for your yoga mat also comes the question of its manufacturing process. Like the first yoga mats on the market, most entry-level and mid-range mats are made of plastic and come directly from China, with no respect for the environment.
But these PVC models (for "polyvinyl chlorides", also called "vinyls") tend to give way to products made from more environmentally friendly materials, which correspond as much to growing ecological aspirations as to the environmental objectives set by international bodies.
And while most of the production plants are in Asia, this does not necessarily mean lower quality: the strengthening of standards and the improvement of more regulated working conditions play a large part in this. However, there are also production sites in Europe (in Germany, as for Bodhi, or in Scotland for EcoYoga, for example).
Often, "eco-friendly" rugs are a little more expensive than plastic models and their durability changes over time, they are in a way "alive". This is evidenced, for example, by the smell of rubber that comes from natural rubber rugs and fades over the years.
These environmentally friendly models do not use chemical additives, so they do not use toxic glues, and some are completely biodegradable, are associated with environmental initiatives to avoid deforestation (when they are made of rubber, in particular) or support local economies in developing countries... Selecting your yoga mat according to its material is therefore also an ethical choice.
In your practice, be aware that a mat made of natural material tends to slip more than a PVC model (this is what earned the latter a certain success in the 1980s, thanks to the use of phthalates in particular, but it is still necessary for the latter to be clean and well maintained!). However, progress made in research and development now makes it possible to find natural yoga mats on the market with optimal grip thanks to specific superior coatings (in natural rubber, for example, or with studied weaves and textured effects). The EkoLite range from Manduka is the result of this research. Its optimal grip is recognized by the entire Yogi community.
The only thing to be careful about is that if you are allergic to latex, natural rubber models are not recommended for you. So, take a close look at the structure of the yoga mat you are considering to make sure that there are no components that could cause allergies for you.
The big bad look: a subjective… but crucial fact!
Last but not least, the aesthetics of your yoga mat. Aware of the growing appeal of the practice and the importance of attractive marketing, brands are increasingly working on the design, colors and graphics of their yoga mats.
Yoga does not escape the "fashionista" dimension, and that's a good thing. All Yoga clothing brands offer their practice accessories according to their collection. But often aesthetics take precedence over technicality.
Everyone will thus be able to find a mat to suit them for a fulfilling practice, which suits them. Be aware, however, that you will sometimes pay more for the brand and a "trendy" screen print than for the technical product it covers.
And the price, precisely?
You will of course find entry-level models, around ten euros. These offer quality in relation to their price: limited. Their often short lifespan and their limited technical performance will push you to reinvest quickly.
So it is better to take the time to choose your yoga mat carefully and consider it as a relevant investment, in order to practice in the best possible conditions.
And now, to your mats, for a fulfilling practice!
If you need tailor-made advice in your choice of carpet, do not hesitate to contact us. Our experts will answer you very quickly. Livraison@tayraonalife.com
