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Do you want to know why it is so totally worth it to do your research to find a yoga mat that fits your body? Because it is literally the only thing you need to practice yoga. Blocks, straps, blankets, and bolsters can be creatively constructed using other materials, but a yoga mat that works for you cannot be invented on the fly.
Yoga is so versatile that it can be practiced anywhere—in your kitchen, on the beach, in a meadow, on a mountaintop—but this versatility requires a mat that is willing to move with you wherever you go.
Before you start exploring the yoga mat database, find out these three things:
1. How tall are you? Yoga mats are made for all sizes and shapes. Decide how long you want your mat to be. Sometimes, widths vary, too.
2. What kind of yoga will you be practicing? If you primarily practice yin yoga, look for something thicker to pad up your knees in those long, juicy lunges. If you’re into any type of heated yoga, consider a stickier mat that will keep your palms in place through all the sweaty vinyasas.
3. Where will you use your mat? If you travel often with your yoga mat, weight will matter to you. If the only place you will be using your mat is at home or in a studio, and you don’t mind lugging your mat from the car to the studio and back a couple times every week, you can go crazy with your weight options.
Examples of wonderful mats I’ve tried and loved are: the Jade Harmony mat (light, sticky, for every mat sold Jade plants a tree), the Manduka Pro(heavy, solid, super-cushy), and the Hugger Mugger Nature Collection (wide, soft material, ECO Friendly).
If you’re still unsure about what to buy, take a look around your next yoga class and see what mats entice you. You might even ask your fellow yogini if you could try a few downward dogs on her mat.
Happy searching!
By Fae Leslie Hoffman; All Rights Reserved @2018
Julie Bertagna
Julie Bertagna is a 500 RYT and certified Baptiste yoga teacher who teaches Baptiste power yoga and recovery yoga at Namaspa Yoga & Massage, as well as in her home studio, The Yoga Loft, in Bend. She is a mother and a grandmother, she loves the outdoors, and she still pursues dental hygiene one day a week! In the summer, she spends time at her partner's retreat venue, Vernonia Springs, which puts on retreats and special events. More information about Julie’s offerings can be found on her website: juliebertagnayoga.com
Zia Estrella
An exotic stargazer from the land of the intuitive ones, Zia embodies physicality, possibility, and empowerment in lighthearted playfulness. She loves the truth with all her heart and lives it with all her being. She grounds down into her deep dark Taína roots to rise. Humbled to practice and study yoga since 2007, she lives in wholeness, giving full credit to each and every emotion she experiences while embracing the power of the now moment. Shifting her perspective to realize the eternal inner light within is her Dharma. She got turned upsidedown on the True North path of yoga and she remembered her Prem - TruthLoveBeauty. This is her deepest source of empowerment, creativity, joy and peace. May she transform darkness into light through her own journey and serve all beings everywhere in truth, love and beauty. Learn more at www.ziayoga.io
Heidi Drake
Heidi Drake discovered yoga at the suggestion of her chiropractor and founded Downward Dog Yoga & Wellness Studio in Sunriver, Oregon in 2017, after obtaining her RYT-250 aerial yoga instructor certification from Aerial Yoga Academy. A lifelong dancer who taught jazz, hip hop, and tap at Sunriver Dance Academy for 9 years, Heidi realized that she needed something a bit gentler on her 50+ year-old body and was pleasantly shocked to find a passion for the strength, flexibility, and mind-body-soul connection yoga offers. When she’s not at the studio or writing, Heidi’s favorite place is on the Little Deschutes river, in her own backyard, with her husband, two teenage daughters, and pack of 4 dogs.
Hannah Parks
Practicing yoga is a deeply personal and professional endeavor for Hannah. She discovered yoga as a way to manage her own chronic pain - and it changed her life. As a social worker, she is passionate about helping people be the best that they can be, and she uses yoga to empower clients in their journey of finding balance in their own lives. She is a lover, a traveler, a social justice warrior, and a curious cat.
