What is Yoga?
Yoga
is a combination of physical, mental and spiritual training. Yoga literary
translates to “union” which is derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj,"
The union of the mind, physical being and the spiritual being. Because of this,
Yoga is practiced for different reason, as a religion, as strength training or
exercise and as mind relaxation technique. During ancient times Yoga was
practiced in many different placed depending on the main objective of practicing
it. Yoga can be practiced in water, on open air and in a closed studio.
Origins of Yoga
Mankind
started practicing more than 5000 years ago. Although we may not have a
specific individual within the population who can be identified as the inventor
of Yoga literature tends to point to Northern India (Indus-Sarasvati
region)
as the origins of yoga. The practice of Yoga allowed ancient Indian hymns to be
played during the Yoga sessions. Aqua Kriya Yoga was type of Yoga which was
practiced in water and is still being practiced by a few population groups,
outdoor Yoga was and is also very common among Indian religions and modern day
practice, hot Yoga which is mostly practiced indoors with temperatures as high
as 105 degrees was introduced in the modern times as excessive exercise aimed
at strength training and weight loss.
The best Yoga Mat
There
are a lot more environments that can be utilised for Yoga and a greater number
of these environments need specialised mats for Yoga to be effective and
efficient. Since a mat is any material or piece of fabric, rubber or leather
that is placed usually on a flat surface, a Yoga Mat is any material or piece
of fabric, rubber or leather that is placed usually on a flat surface for the
purposes of practicing Yoga on it. There various types of Printed Yoga Mats that one
can use but caution should be taken when choosing the best Yoga Mat because it
can help you achieve your desired results or actually harm you. The best Yoga
Mat is the one that is comfortable, fit the purpose conforms to set standards
and mainly the one that achieves your desired results.
Do you need a Yoga Mat?
Do
you practice yoga? If your answer is yes to this question then you definitely
need the right mat. Since Yoga is union of the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing,
the physical wellbeing is affected by your physical heath as an individual and
the tools you are making use of in our case the Yoga Mat. Using the most
suitable Yoga Mat will allow you to achieve best results without putting
applying physical stress to your body and also without putting a too much
strain on your budget. More often than
always individual take any mat and use it as Yoga which can work but the risks
involved in taking just any rag and using it as a Yoga Mat are way too much to
overlook.
Buying a Yoga Mat
Buying a Yoga Mat
Ø The mat must be your companion therefore
considers your style as an individual put as much effort as you would put when
buying anything else, your Yoga Mat is your personal space make it enjoyable.
The reason being that the mat must motivate you and attract you attention
depending on your style try to buy plain light colours.
Ø Consider
where you will be using the mat; acquire a Yoga Mat which is related to the
environment you are in. Yoga Mats used indoors may not best work for open air
practice.
Ø Acquire
the right size, although there is no a hard and fast rule on the size of the Yoga
Mat that one can use, a Yoga Mat can achieve best result if slightly longer or
equal to your height. For an individual who is not more than 1.8m tall the
standard size will be ideal. Again take note of your weight as an individual,
for physically endowed people consider buying natural rubber mats or something
stronger.
Ø Buy the
correct width because this may not be a very challenging feature when it comes
to buying Yoga Mats because as long as your body doesn’t outcrop the sides
while resting on it is a good mat.
Ø However
caution should be practiced when choosing the thickness. You neither need the
mat to be very thick nor to be very thin because using the wrong thickness can
lead to severe long-term back damage. Thick mats a relatively more comfortable
when practicing Yin classes or for restorative Yoga where you spend much of the
time sitting or laying on the mat.
Ø Acquire
the best and suitable material. There are outdoor mats, studio or indoors and
moisture related mate which are mostly used closer to water. When acquiring the
mat it is best to communicate where you will be using the mat and also how
often you intend to use it. Although PVC (or vinyl) provides the perfect
comfort and relatively doesn’t retain too much moisture or odors it may not be
most ecofriendly material. To promote environmental awareness mats made from
rubber, cotton and jute are preferable.
Ø Consider
the texture, this again will depend on where you want to use the mat however
for indoors mats the choice between a smooth and a textured mat largely depends
on your personal preference.
Ø Consider
durability, constantly investing on a new Yoga Mat can put a strain on your
budget therefore try to avoid cheap and plastic form mats that easily tear off
and reduce your comfort. The good part about this is most eco-friendly mats are
durable.
Ø Lastly
to practice Yoga, you need to have a healthy state of mind therefore do not
burst your budget. Before you purchase your Yoga Mat carry out an adequate
market research and commit any funds when all your concerns are satisfied.
Best ways of using your Yoga Mat
Ø Safety
first, before using your mat check if your mat is free from any form damage or
any objects sticking to the mat that may cause bodily harm for example sand and
or glass.
Ø Use
only a Yoga Mat for practicing Yoga not any other mat unless and only unless
prescribed by medical practitioner.
Ø Do
not overuse the Yoga Mat, relatively for a Yoga Mat that is used twice in a
week you should replace it every six
to 12 months depending on how careful or careless you use your mat. Avoid using
a tone mat and take note of the warning
signs written on the packaging of the mat or on the mat.
Ø If the Yoga Mat is very slippery either it’s
the wrong mat or you are using wrongly. Yoga Mats must have some degree of
slippery but only to the extent that it doesn’t became a danger to the owner.
Make sure it’s clean and there are no liquids that may be causing the mat to be
excessively slippery.
Ø Use your Yoga Mat with necessary accessories
this may include the carrying bag or slings, cleaning cloth, Yoga towels and
many other accessories that come with mat. Best way is to buy the entire
package.
Types of Yoga Mats
Standard or Traditional Yoga Mat
This is
the most basic Yoga Mat and has stood the test of time. For every stage of
practice this type of mat can be very useful. For beginners, intermediate users
and expert users, this type of Yoga Mat will suit almost every situation. Using
this type of mat will not burst your budget because they are a range of mays
which fall under this type and the prices may vary depending on the size and
the supplier. You will need not to worry about the thickness because it also
comes in various thicknesses, this mat is idea is you have limited knowledge
about Yoga Mats and also if you are a beginner.
Rubber Yoga Mats
This
type of Yoga Mat has also been around for quite some time now and has proved to
be quite formidable force to reckon. Because it is made from natural rubber
most people prefer it just for the love of Mother Nature, that is, it is one of
the eco-friendly Yoga mats for sale. The natural rubber mat is bio degradable and is
very durable. This mat is also very useful when the individual is physical
endowed because it is very strong. This mat is slip resistant.
Synthetic polymer Yoga Mats
This type of mat is made from plastic elastomer
which is an example of an environmentally friendly material. The other
important characteristic of this mat is that it doesn’t contain PVC latex and
other toxic materials which environmentalist are trying to phase out. Over the
years individual who are worried about their skin reacting to Yoga Mat material
have been using this type of Yoga Mat. However it is made from natural material
so the owner should try as much as possible to void harsh weather conditions
especially direct sunlight. When used in a dry environment it is slip
resistant.
Natural Cotton Yoga Mats
This type of mat offers the most natural feel
when practicing Yoga and because of its nature it is very soft, comfortable and
a healthy mat to make use of. Cotton absorbs sweat easily so users will need
not to worry about it being slippery even in a wet environment the cotton Yoga
Mat can be safe to use. Further to that cleaning is very easy since it can be
washed exactly the same way as clothes through the washing machine or hand
washed therefore it is ideal for individual who are particular about their
hygiene. The only disadvantage is that cotton is not very strong especially is
subjected to continuous use and cleaning. Purchasing a one-time time Yoga Mat
will not put a strain on your budget.
Hemp Yoga
Mats
Hemp Yoga Mat is a cut above the rest because
it came in as an improvement to the cotton Yoga Mat and the rubber and
synthetic mat. Because it is made from densely weaved hemp yarns and sometimes
it can have some natural fibre within them. This Yoga Mat offers more
advantages over its counter party the cotton Yoga Mat because on top of being
easy to clean it is very strong, absorbs water and is very elastic since it has
a great tensile strength. As compare to the plastic and natural rubber Yoga Mats
this mat is better because it is warm and doesn’t retain cold as other material
do. If you are worried about your health and value quality more than anything
else this is your ideal Yoga Mat.
Portable Yoga
Mat
Although most of the Yoga Mats are portable and
can be moved around with, this type of Yoga Mat was made specifically for
people who are constantly travelling and may need their Yoga Mat where ever
they go. It has characteristics of all other mats but it is relatively lighter
and small to fit in it carrying bag. Because it is small and the user will have
to work on a small space, they have been made in such a way that they are
non-slippery and easily foldable. You can find this mat on all mentioned
materials. Unfortunately they are not equally strong because they we made for
portability not strength.
Round or
Oval Yoga Mat
This type of mat can be found in any material
the only unique aspect of this mat is the shape. The oval shape gives the yogi
or the yogini more space to move around depending on the type of Yoga being
practiced. The mat is more comfortable in the middle and can be suitable when
much of the practice is done while sitting.
Conclusion
Always remember a Yoga Mat is your
personal sacred space, make use of the one that brings out the best in you. For
beginners it is best to start with standard Yoga Mats and as you grow into a
seasoned yogi or yogini you will find your life time companion.
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