Yoga mat
Choosing the right mat for your yoga workout is important. A yoga mat can be your welcoming friend like that first special cup of tea on a cold morning. Or your yoga mat can be the very thing breaking your concentration and taking you off track like a squeaky wheel or a leaky faucet.
Don’t be taken in by the advice about getting a yoga mat with a ‘grip’. You might need to move gently, slide or glide on the mat and one that keeps you in place isn’t doing you any favors. Be mindful of your height, your own need for space, and the need of others around you. You need a mat that’s big enough you can lie flat on it, but not so large other class members wind up joining you.
The most difficult part can be the soft/hard test of the yoga mat. A mat must be comfortable enough to work against the hardness of the floor. You don’t want the yoga mat to be too soft though because that’s almost as bad as having a mat with too much of a grip. You’ll find it difficult to move on a yoga mat that’s too soft and squishy.
A too hard yoga mat will make some positions very difficult to hold for long so you need to test a mat before buying if possible. Like Goldilocks, the yoga mat must be ‘just right’ so you don’t find yoga class too difficult.
The yoga mat needs to be able to absorb sweat. Even if the room where you do yoga is temperature controlled a few minutes of the Sun Salutation at a faster than average pace could be messy if the fabric can’t take the heat and moisture.
You should also look for a yoga mat which is machine washable. It’s so much easier to put the mat in the washer than using a sponge. After a few weeks of use a mat needs to be cleaned or you’ll find yourself in the unpopular section in the back of the class. Take the time to find the right yoga mat. The truth is you’ll be spending more mornings staring at your mat than that cup of tea so make it a good choice.