How to Find the Best Yoga Mat - Part 1

One of the best things about yoga is that you can practically do it anywhere at anytime. However, using the right equipment can spell the difference between an ordinary yoga session and an excellent yoga session. The yoga mat is an important tool that will help you practice yoga safely and more effectively. Yoga mats provide comfort, balance, and stability to enhance your yoga practice even more. During practice, a specially chosen yoga mat will enable you to create a space to rest and relax. Finding the best yoga mat to meet your needs depends on what kind of yoga you practice and your present physical make up.

Searching for a Quality Yoga Mat

The best yoga mat should have five important qualities. These qualities – stability, support, portability, durability, and eco-friendly - ensure that your yoga mat is the best for your total well-being.

Stability

To begin with, your yoga mat should prevent you from sliding and slipping when you go through your asanas or postures. Buying a sticky yoga mat will solve this problem since it can provide the solidity you need. If you have an opportunity to test drive your yoga mat before purchasing try lying down or sitting on your yoga mat to see how comfortable it feels.

Support

Your yoga mat should provide enough padding to support you and keep you suitably cushioned from the floor. This means that your yoga mat should be the right thickness and length to support your body. The dimensions of your yoga mat should fit your frame accordingly. The type of surface you practice on will also affect the kind of yoga mat you’ll need. For example, thicker mats are better for hard surfaces such as wooden floors.

Portability

Your yoga mat should be portable and easy to clean. Some yoga disciplines such as Power Yoga can result in a lot of sweating during practice; therefore you should consider yoga mats which allow for easy cleaning. Furthermore, portability is an important factor in selecting your mat. Although denser yoga mats may be more durable, it is also much heavier to carry. If you practice yoga at home then this is a non-issue. However, yogis who attend classes should consider lighter yoga mats which are more portable and easy to carry.

Durability

Your yoga mat should be durable enough to withstand many hours of yoga practice. You want to have a yoga mat that lasts longer than just a few yoga sessions. Think about buying a well-crafted yoga mat that is proven to last for several years. Yoga mats made of jute or rubber and are recommended if durability is a factor in your decision-making.

Eco-Friendly

Last but definitely not least, your yoga mat should be made from eco-friendly material such as cork, jute and natural rubber. You may be spending a little more for environment-friendly, recyclable and non-toxic yoga mats, but isn't it worth it?

Caring for Your Yoga Mats

Take care of your yoga mats so that they stay clean and last longer. Using a yoga mat bag to carry your yoga mat around is a good way to protect and maintain its cleanliness. Just roll or fold your yoga mat and place it in your yoga bag whenever you need to go anywhere with it. You can clean your yoga mat by hand washing it or throwing it in the washing machine. Either way, yoga mats are pretty easy to take care of and won’t need a lot of maintenance. Consider your yoga mat as a good investment. Taking care of it will ensure that you’ll be enjoying your yoga sessions for a longer period of time.

Where You Can Find Yoga Mats

There are several yoga mats out in the market today so finding the right yoga mat just takes a bit of time and research. Buying a yoga mat has been made even more convenient with the advent of online shopping. To find good deals, you can search among the items featured in Amazon.com or eBay.com. You can also try going straight to the source, such as manufacturers and direct importers in North America. One example of a manufacturer and direct importer is YogaAccessories.com (http://www.yogaaccessories.com/), which has been in the business of selling yoga equipment for more than a decade. You can also check out BarefootYoga.com (http://barefootyoga.com/), which offers uniquely made yoga equipment designed by Kelly LeFebvre. For pure rubber yoga mats, Harmony is a reputable brand, which you can purchase from DearLilDevas.com.
(http://www.dearlildevas.com/)

The Cost of Yoga Mats

You can expect to spend around fifteen to twenty dollars for an entry-level yoga mat. However, it is highly likely that these mats are not environment-friendly. If you’re looking for something a bit more special – thicker, custom-fit, eco-friendly - your budget should be upwards of around thirty to seventy dollars minimum. The next part in this series will describe these kinds of mats in further detail and will show you how to find the best eco-friendly yoga mat for your yoga sessions.