Yoga Mats: What Makes Them Essential Props
Why do I love yoga? Because it gives me the strength and flexibility of the body, mind, and soul, and even after all this time, it still hasn’t lost its hype. Though there are all kinds of yogis, preferring different styles, I would say what’s universal and the synonym of yoga today is the yoga mat.
Sure, not everyone likes using this prop, or any prop for that matter, I find it essential for many reasons. When you buy yoga mat online, you can come across all types of mats, not just the most common PVC, but natural toxic-free rubber mats, so there’s something for everyone’s preference, even the environmentally conscious practitioners.
You can be sure of finding various ranges, from studio to easy grip yoga mats, differing in sizes, materials and colours, as well as convenient prices. Besides, when you buy yoga mat online, you save up time too, meaning you have more of it to spend on meditating!
Fact is yoga can be done anytime anywhere, but not everyone has the flexibility or stamina to do so and this is where the mat steps in. Hard floor surface (think laminate or wood floor) isn’t ideal but with the help of the mat, you get the necessary support to do the poses without feeling discomfort when you’re sitting or lying, including without the fear of sliding away with the standing poses.
Thanks to the yoga, you can carry on with the practice on grass and sand as well, making the mat perfect for enabling yoga in nature. Speaking of strength further, the mat has provided the chance for more of us yogis, even those who don’t have the strength enough for certain asanas, still to do them properly.
In the case of power yoga where heat is generated, in the likes of Ashtanga (internal heat) and Bikram (external heat) it’s needless to say perspiration of both hands and legs happens, due to the specific poses, and the mat (even the non-skid) may require additional covering to protect you from slipping. For this you can use cotton practice rugs as they are more absorbent. It’s best to have both in combination because relying only on the rug can also result in slipping accidents.
Finally, yoga mats are there to help you personalise the space. You can easily make any spot the ideal yoga spot by simply adding a mat, and when you’re practising in crammed yoga studios it’s there to “reserve your spot”.
