|
Yoga mat - is the single most important piece of Yoga equipment. Yet by the end of this article you may decide not to buy any. Or you'll consider to buy a few... Below I review some of the factors to consider and features of Yoga mats.
Thickness and Softness
When beginning Yoga many people complain that mat they have is to thin. Why? - Because many of the postures, Yoga asanas, you will do in the beginning will be unusual to your body. You used to use feet to stand on. Try to put yourself on your knees (like a dog), on your shoulders (in inverted posture) or on your head - you will immediately want your mat to be thicker. It's not a problem though. After some practice - you will be fine even with quite thin mats. You train your body. I personally prefer thin mats. Because...
Balancing
Thin mats are better for balancing postures. You would want to have
firm ground under you feet, or your arms, or whatever else part of
your body touches the ground while balancing. The softer (thicker) the
mat is, the harder it is to keep balance.
Sticky Yoga Mat
You may want to find one, which prevent you from sliding back and
force. Will you succeed? To some degree - yes. There are so many gym
mats, Yoga mats, Pilates mats out there, it is easy to get lost. Many
of them are positioned as sticky ones...
They are sometimes more sticky indeed. Truth is - it's your sweeting
body, your wet arms which would slide and hardly any mat can help with
that. What could help is a towel you may use between poses if you
wish.
My experience tells me that after some time, as Yoga mats become older
and a bit worn out - they are not that slippery anymore.
Practicing at Home or in a Studio
If you practice at home - it's useful to have a mat handy. Of course
you can practice using a thick long towel too or a small carpet.
If you practice in Yoga studious - they often offer a mat for free
during a lesson. Just keep in mind that if it's a big studio - it's
likely that since mat was washed last time (if at all!) many people
before you sweet on it. Of course, in small private classes mats
usually cleaner.
Practicing on a Trip
Consider going to a local Yoga studio. Use Google. Most likely it will
find Yoga sessions of different kinds wherever your trip will take
you. Yoga is popular nowadays!
There are options for a mat for your travel of course. If you are
limited by the size of the luggage you can take with you - I saw
really thin, more a film of plastic than a mat, substitutes. And the
simplest thing you can do is to use a large hotel towel on a often
carpeted floor of your hotel room. - No reason to miss your practice
just because you couldn't fit your mat into the bag!
Practicing Outdoors
This one is definitely a reason to opt for a thicker mat if
possible. At the stops in your hiking, walking, etc. trips you won't
find luxury of even (and carpeted?) floors of a studio or your
apartment. Instead you will have stones, tree pieces, grass, uneven
surface, etc.
Help yourself - bring a thicker mat. And you can use it for other
needs to - as an insulation when sleeping on a long trip, as something
to sit on around a fire when ground is wet and inhospitable... ;-)
Color?!
Sure, color matters too. There are studies suggesting difference in
how different colors affect our mood, our thoughts... You may not want
to practice on screaming-red mat if you want to relax and calm down
your mind. - That's another point by the way to keep in mind when you
decide to buy and use your mats even in Yoga studious - where you
likely will be offered a wide variety of colors.
Summary
Depending on your needs - you may not need any mat at all (practicing
in studios) or you may want to buy a few different ones if you an
active regular practitioner and don't want to miss joy of Yoga
wherever you are, at home, in a studio, in a forest, or on a
trip...
There are pros and cons, and more considerations to keep in
mind. I'll add more materials on Yoga mats, update and extend this
article with time. Stay tuned!
LINKS:
Back to the top of the "Choosing Yoga mat" page
Return to Homepage
Go to Table of Content
|
