Mats & Props

Travel Yoga Mats Review
An ideal Travel Yoga Mat requires a really magical combination of properties: on the one hand, it should be light and take up only a little space in your bag, while on the other hand, is should provide sufficient elasticity to protect your knees and other body parts during practice sessions. We have brought together several worthy examples in a summary table which will help you make the right choice when purchasing your Travel Yoga Mat, taking into account your particular body type and style of travelling.
Top 5 Yoga Mats for Hot Yoga
When I first started practicing heated yoga, I slipped all over the place on my $10 Target mat. It was incredibly tough to maintain my hand and foot placement and my practice suffered, even though my teacher told me that over time I would slip less as I became stronger. I tried for a while, but it didn’t get any better. I decided to check out some of my options, and since then I have loved using my favorite mats for hot yoga classes. Below are my favorites from the last 10 years:
The Four “B’s” of Yoga Props
A good yoga teacher will tell you: The only requirement of practice is the ability to breathe. Yoga props are a tool to make that possible. The purpose of a yoga prop is to support and enrich your practice, full stop. This is true of seasoned yogis using belts to free-balance handstand as much as it is the brand new yogi who sits on a bolster to make Easy Pose (Sukhasana) comfortable for tender knees. A misconception about using props is that they’re somehow a cop-out—that a “real yogi” doesn’t use props. Since they were first introduced by B.K.S. Iyengar who is, inarguably, a “real yogi” in the modern day practice, this just isn’t true. Young and old, seasoned or new, Yin or Ashtanga, props can further anyone’s practice. Read on to learn how the Four B’s—blocks, belts, bolsters and blankets—can be used to bring the best of you to your yoga practice.
Five of My Favorite Yoga Mats
Your yoga mat makes the difference between losing yourself in the ecstasy of movement and the frustration of struggle to keep your hands from sliding off your mat for the millionth time and we haven’t even started Sun Salutations yet! Your favorite yoga mat should be like your favorite pair of jeans: it fits you perfectly, it makes you feel confident, and it suits your style. The best yoga mat for you depends on a few variables: the type of yoga you practice your size your personal style, including favorite colors and patterns your budget your reaction to textures the sensitivity of your knees and wrists With this in mind, here are five of my favo
Top 5 Yoga Mat Brands
As a Yoga teacher one of the most common questions I get presented with is “What is the best Yoga mat for me?”. Whether you’re a beginner student, or wanting to dive deeper into yoga, it’s wise to know the different types of mats out there and how they can revolutionize your practice. In my experience a Yoga mat can make or break your practice. I remember the first mat I owned, a PVC, no name Yoga mat (relatively cheap $30 and ineffective). I used it for a little less than a year, and almost every class my mat would bunch up or slide. Not to mention it wouldn’t provide the support I needed for my knees. I know I’m not alone with my Yoga mat issues. Yoga by itself can be physically uncomfortable and it is important to receive all the support we can through our mats!
How to Choose a Yoga Mat
Selecting your Yoga mat is a serious responsibility. The mat is your personal space and a matter of hygiene. It will have contact it all parts of your body every day. It is your foundation, your support and encouragement during the difficulties of practice. A good Yoga mat should: - correspond to your size - be of suitable thickness - have sufficient slip resistance (stickiness) on both sides - be durable - exhibit no persistent unpleasant smell - have a design that pleases you