Yoga has become, over the years, a fashionable practice and more and more people are exercising it. For everyone who practices it it is essential to have a good mat, essential for comfort since many of the exercises are on the floor. This piece is basically a thin mattress on which we sit or lie down to perform yoga exercises and although a priori it may seem that it does not matter, it is acquired when yoga enters our day to day.
There are many varieties of yoga mats: non-slip, made of natural rubber, eco-friendly, professional, wide, travel, thin, children’s, padded, microfiber, fabric, with shoulder strap, eco-friendly material, with marking system, made of cork, crease resistant, hypoallergenic, multifunctional, foldable and much more …
To find the one that best suits us, we go to the yoga teacher Xuan Lan. This yoga teacher, with more than 20 years of experience and promoter of the Free Yoga movement (large concentrations in public places to do yoga all together), indicates the different elements to take into account when buying a mat:
1.- The thickness
According to Lan, those that are 1.5 to 2 mm are for travel, they do not take up much space in a suitcase but they are not recommended for regular practice. The standard is 3-4mm thick, but if we choose to do a more dynamic type of yoga (with jumps and vinyasas) we can opt for a 5 mm mat.
2.- The texture
The texture is the touch of the material, it can be more or less rough, smooth, or with a texture created within the material, but the important thing is that it is non-slip.
If the pressure of your hand leaves an imprint on the mat, it is because it lacks density and it is a mat to be comfortable stretched out for gymnastics, Pilates and stretching exercises, but not yoga. If the mat is not non-slip, our hands and feet will slip, which in addition to being uncomfortable will force us to put more tension to hold the position.
3.- The measures
The length of a yoga mat is usually approx. 170-180cm, so if we make an iron, our hands and feet must be inside the mat. There are also longer XL mats of 1.90 or 2m. The standard width is usually 60-65cm, but new wider measurements are coming out recently.
4.- Weight
Weight varies by material, denser heavier. In principle, the higher the weight, the higher the quality, but it is not a rule that is always followed.
5.- The price
It is a very personal criterion, but keep in mind that a good quality mat will last longer and consider it as an investment. There are from 20 euros to 110 euros, it depends on the brand, the material and the quality. For Lan, the very inexpensive mat should be avoided because its quality will match the price and it will spoil quickly.
6.- Maintenance and cleaning
There are different ways to maintain the hygiene of our mat. There are even marks that indicate that they can be washed in a washing machine. Even so, a mixture of soap and water each time we use it will be enough to enjoy this ancient activity.