5 types of yoga mats to use

A yoga mat should be comfortable and supportive, provide sufficient grip to keep you from slipping, and be easy to clean and carry.

These are some of our recommendations and qualities that a yoga mat should have;

1. Thickness- A yoga mat should be adequately thick, neither too thin nor too thick. About 1/4 inch of thickness is the ideal fitness a yoga mat should have.?Depending upon the storage space and room one person has for exercising, one should decide the length and thickness of the mat.

2. Material- The material your yoga mat is made of dictates its texture, stickiness, eco-friendliness, and sponginess, and how it wears over time. Generally, yoga mats are made of materials like PVC which are not very safe for the environment. A healthy and more sustainable alternative can be natural and recycled rubber, organic cotton, etc. But remember if you’re allergic to rubber, PVC can be the go-to option for you as it provides the most grip and stands true to the test of time.

3. Texture- The texture of a yoga mat has to be decided based on how slippery or sticky a mat is generally expected to get. A normal vinyl or PVC mat has a smooth texture to it but at the same time is more sticky and slippery. Whereas, if one goes for cotton or natural rubber mat or a jute mat for that matter, these mats are slightly rough and rigid in texture avoiding any kind of stickiness or slipperiness. One based on their kind of exercise can go for whichever mat floats their boat.

4. Sustainability- As a yoga practitioner, one is expected to care about the environment and feel for it. When we talk about what we invest in, we need to be very mindful that the products we use are eco-friendly and think about the future at the same time. Plastic in this sense is a very harmful substance that can jeopardize the future of the coming generations.

When we talk about the most used material i.e PVC in yoga mats, it has a very smooth texture to it and is more durable than other eco-friendly options, but, it is very difficult to recycle and reuse. Materials like cotton and jute can be easily recycled and are harmless to the environment.

5. Price range- Traditional mats are cost-effective and easily available but they also wreck the environment. Eco-friendly and sustainable yoga mats although a little heavy on the pocket is a great investment for the one practicing yoga and the environment too.