Yoga mats are basically non-slippery mats or sticky mats. They are designed to prevent your hands and feet from slipping during yoga practice.
In the old days in India, these mats were made from deer skin. The more luxurious mats back then were made from tiger skin. But due to the fact that tigers aren’t comfortable naked and the fact that tigers became harder to find those types of mats ceased to be made.
It was also quite common to practice yoga on kusha grass or just plain old earth back then. As yoga grew in popularity in the West these past few decades, towels and cotton mats were being used by yoga practitioners all over the west.
Then they began to use rubber mats, but those were primarily to keep the cotton mats or towels in place. Thank the yogi gods for commerce to kick in and produce decent quality yoga mats we all know today. These days a yoga mat is a basic piece of equipment every yogi or yogini needs.
A typical yoga mat today measures about 72” long and 24” wide (that’s 182cm long and 60cm wide) although some desire a wider yoga mat for certain yoga positions. The thickness of the mats vary as well, from 2mm thick (lightweight) to about 4-5mm thick (standard) all the way up to 7mm which are premium yoga mats designed for daily use.
Those lightweight yoga mats are for those beginning yoga practitioners who aren’t sure they want to keep practicing yoga. These mats are cheap and will wear out pretty quick if you use it a lot and they also make an excellent travel yoga mat.
The standard yoga mats are a bit more durable and will last quite a bit longer, they’re thicker too, so they’ll feel nicer to sit on. They’re great if you’ve decided to become a yogi and practice a few times a week. They’re a bit more pricey, but they’re a big jump up in quality and durability.
Then there are the premium yoga mats, these are the best yoga mats money can buy. Durable and amazing quality, they’re even thicker than the standard yoga mats and they are used by professionals or yogis or yoginis who practice daily. Although they cost more, you’re not going to regret buying one of these mats.
Then there’s the color to keep in mind as well. The first yoga mats to come on the market back in the 80′s to come on the market was just white. These days, they’re available in every color you can think of and flashy or beautiful prints.
And to top it off, there are even custom yoga mats available, where you pick the design, or even send in a picture and they’ll put it on a yoga mat. It’s like those print on demand custom t shirts you can buy. That’s all great for style and nice to look at, but there’s a downside to all that flash and color. And it usually isn’t the price, as is the case with custom yoga mats, which tend to be a bit more pricier then regular yoga mats. It’s the color itself …
The more color your mat has, the quicker you’ll see it wear out. Contrast this with a black yoga mat and in one year the black one will show almost no visible wear, but the colored one will. So if you’d like your mat to stay “in shape” as long as possible it may be wise to purchase either a darker toned mat or a black yoga mat.
Still, those colored yoga mats are just stunning to look at; just take a look at the following mats …
These mats just make me think “then I’ll just buy one every year!” because choosing between a beautiful printed mat like one of these or a plain colored mat isn’t hard. I’ll take the pretty one every time.
You can find more beautiful mats right here
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