The widespread practice of yoga has been growing at a phenomenal rate across the globe. Thus, having been around for several centuries, yoga derives its origins from the founding Indian yogis. Since it’s found conventionally, mainstream use it as an exercise form. But, yoga has evolved into a method of calming the mind and also can be used for physical therapy. In addition to concerns on how to clean a yoga mat, one must know how to maintain one to ensure its longevity. Nothing can take place without a good yoga mat. Some individuals can fare well using only a hard floor surface or a blanket. However, the benefits of a well-designed mat are endless. Yoga mats are usually the most significant accessory recommended to new students by their teachers, for indoors or outdoors yoga. Let’s focus on the benefits of a yoga mat.
Qualities of a good yoga mat
- Length should be at least 170cm while breadth should be a minimum of 65cm
- Ideally, good yoga mats should not be slippery
- The right yoga mats should be chemical-free, to avoid irritating the skin of the yoga practitioner
- The right mats should be highly elastic to contend with the movements of the practitioner
- Thermal conductivity in the right mats help the yogis to maintain cool body temperature as they exercise
- Lastly, good yoga mats have exceptional cushioning and padding to maintain comfort during the exercise
Yoga mats are used for a variety of purposes, including seating and standing pose practice, exercises lying down, or meditating. Yoga mats are proper for gym workouts and have the added advantage of portability; you can carry it with you anywhere you go.
Benefits of yoga mats
While many exercises can be comfortably done on a floor surface, yoga is not one of them. Aside from the frequent cleaning of yoga mats to ensure the hygiene of the practitioner, yoga mats come with added advantages. A truly well-designed yoga mat is bound to enhance your effectiveness by leaps and bounds. The numerous advantages of yoga mats include:
- Yoga mats help practitioners avoid the most common types of injuries. During practice, the hands of a yogi can get extremely sweaty, increasing the probability of sliding and falling or spraining a joint. In addition to this, the floor underneath the floor of a yogi can be very sweaty, causing one to fall badly. Feet can also slide off the bare floor, causing bad falls.
- Yoga mats are specially designed to ease the strain of yoga movements. The thick, soft, rubber surfaces of a majority of yoga mats aid one to stay comfortable even while exerting pressure on the heels and calves in lotus and butterfly poses.
- The mats used in yoga help the practitioner to increase their balance and stability while spreading and arching their body. Poorly manufactured yoga mats can lead to horrible joint injuries or improper formation of yoga postures.
Conclusion
Yoga mats are a quintessential addition to the arsenal of any serious yogi. Aside from learning how to clean a yoga mat, one must learn the numerous benefits of using yoga mats as opposed to practicing on solid bare ground.