The Ultimate Guide To A Yoga mat

What Is A Yoga Mat?

A yoga mat is a piece of material to provide extra cushioning and traction whilst practising yoga. It is a relatively modern invention in terms of the centuries old practise.

Yoga mats (also referred to as sticky mats) first came about in 1982 when a yoga teacher named Angela Farmer first pioneered rubber carpet underlay in order to practise yoga on. The trend caught on and has since developed to become a staple of most people’s yoga practise.

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What Is A Yoga Mat Used For?

A yoga mat first and foremost is not essential to your yoga practise. You can still practise yoga without a yoga mat or indeed replace a yoga mat with something similar.

There are many benefits to a yoga mat however – yoga mats are essentially used for added comfort and grip.

As yogi’s practised yoga over the years some preferred to have padding (this can be for a variety of reasons) as this trend caught on in the 1980s yoga mats eventually became the norm in most yoga classes and practises around the world.

However, the yoga mat to put it most simply is used for padding whether that’ll be for comfort, grip or hygiene reasons.

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What Is A Yoga Mat Made Of?

A yoga mat is primarily made from 1 of 3 different types of material: PVC, Rubber and Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE).

• PVC – Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is a common, super strong, but super lightweight plastic. It is a man-made material which does not biodegrade and therefore does not have the best eco-friendly credentials.

However, as it is a relatively cheap material, which is durable and lightweight, it has become popular with yoga mat manufacturers, particularly at the lower priced end of the market.

• Rubber – A natural and biodegradable material rubber is fairly eco-friendly. Rubber has good grip and absorbs moisture which has made it ideal for yoga mats.

Rubber yoga mats are not the softest to practise on. They are also not the lightest to carry. Rubber yoga mats will generally be in the mid to high priced end of the yoga mat market.

• TPE – Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) is a relatively new type of material that is being used in yoga mats. TPE is light, soft, odourless and above all not slippery. In other words, the almost perfect material for a yoga mat.

There is one flaw TPE has. It is not very durable. TPE yoga mats generally speaking will wear down and need replacing more quickly than say a rubber or PVC yoga mat.

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Why Do You Need A Yoga Mat?

Short answer is you don’t need a yoga mat. It really does come down to personal preference even when choosing a yoga mat.

Many choose to practise with a yoga mat as it provides a better overall yoga practise in terms of grip and comfort. However, for centuries people practised yoga without a yoga mat, so it is certainly not a necessity to practise on a yoga mat.

If you would like a yoga mat comparison, we have compiled a list of the top ten yoga mats on the market at the moment.

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How Much Is A Yoga Mat?

It depends. Prices can range from as low as £25 to upwards of £500+ for a single yoga mat in the UK. The huge difference in price is down to two main factors: type of material and the eco friendliness of a yoga mat.

For example, PVC yoga mats are usually at the cheaper end of the market whereas rubber or TPE mats are usually at the higher end of the market.

Once you start reaching the £500 bracket your usually finding yoga mats made from silk.

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How To Clean Your Yoga Mat?

Cleaning your Yoga mat on a weekly or monthly basis will ensure your mat stays clean and hygenic to use. Below are 3 easy steps to use when cleaning your Yoga mat.

Materials needed: Spray bottle, dry towel, water, tea tree oil, lavender oil

Step One – Prepare the spray bottle by adding 4 drops of tea tree oil, 8 drops of lavender oil and around 250ml – 500ml of water.

Step Two – Using the spray bottle, spray the length of your mat. Make sure the liquid reaches all the crevices of the mat. Bacteria can particularly breed within these crevices so it’s important to throughly clean here.

Step Three – Using a dry towel gentle rub your mat from top to bottom. If the mat is still slightly wet then leave it out to air for a hour or two.

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