Finding The Right Yoga Mat
Is there a trick to finding the right Yoga mat? Who knew? Finding the right Yoga mat can be vital to having a good Yoga experience. I thought that any Yoga mat would do until I tried to practice with a cheap one!
It simply had not occurred to me that since Yoga is practiced on a hard surface, usually a hard wood floor, that opting for the cheap mat would not offer me much more comfort than kneeling directly on the hard surface. My first Yoga session ended with bruised and tender knees, back pain, and renewed desire to go find the right Yoga equipment.
Cheap is tempting. In fact a folded towel or blanket on the floor initially seems like a cheap way to start your Yoga experience. However, doing so is bound to result in painful difficulties that can turn you off to Yoga altogether. Simply getting the right mat will allow you to feel comfortable while you are holding poses that require contact with the floor. By investing in a more expensive, more comfortably cushioning Yoga mat your entire experience is bound to be much better and instead of feeling pain when you are through you are more likely to feel refreshed and invigorated. Nobody wants to do something that causes them pain. In this case you get to be in control of whether or not Yoga causes you pain.
People vary greatly in size. Since most people come in larger and smaller sizes, Yoga mats are designed for a variety of different sized people. Finding the right Yoga mat starts with comfort and moves into the appropriate size. If you can’t lay on your Yoga mat with at the very least your knees to your head on the mat, you need to move up in size. It is preferable to find a Yoga mat that will allow you to lie down and keep your head to your feet on the mat, but for some taller people this is a very difficult find. Bear in mind that in most cases online stores carry a much more varied and well stocked supply in comparison to brick and mortar stores.
You will be carrying your mat around either to class or to practice Yoga on the move. Finding the right Yoga mat entails looking for one that is flexible and can be easily rolled up tightly and carried around without being cumbersome. In most cases the ease of transport has nothing to do with the Yoga mat’s size but its ability to be flexed, bent, and rolled. Stiff mats do not roll very well while flexible mats are a piece of cake to roll up regardless of their size when they are laid out on the floor.
As a final criteria to finding the perfect Yoga mat most people are looking for a mat that appeals to them on an aesthetic level. While you should never opt for visual pleasure over the comfort and ease of transport when it comes to your Yoga mat, most people still care about what their mat looks like. Once again, online stores often sell a much greater variety of mat designs and colors than brick and mortar stores do.
Related posts:
- The Importance of Meditation in Pain Control
- Yoga is useful for health and soul enrichment
- What Is The Best Yoga Clothing?
Filed Under: Featured • Yoga • Yoga Equipment
