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Tips to practice yoga outside

Yoga_May4_AOne of the many beauties of yoga is that it can literally be done anywhere. Whether you’re living in the city or the suburbs, you can always join a yoga class at the local studio or practice alone at home. But in addition to these controlled environments, you can enjoy the benefits of yoga by taking it outdoors too. Not only is practicing outdoor yoga totally free, the power of nature also offers incredible revitalizing effects to both your body and mind. So if you’re planning to take up yoga in the open air, we advise you to apply these tips for an exceptional experience.

Watch the time and weather

It’s best to practice outdoor yoga before 10am or after 4pm to avoid direct exposure to the sun. And since some yoga poses like savasana require you to lay flat on your back and look upwards to the sky, the bright sun can be damaging to your eyes. You can minimize the impact of weather conditions by bringing along equipment that allows you to adjust yourself comfortably, whether it’s sunscreen to protect your skin, a towel to cover your eyes and wipe off sweat, or clips to keep your hair under control in a windswept environment.

Pick a nice location

What’s the point of going outside to practice yoga when you’re doing it on hard surfaces or in confined spaces? You have enough of that during indoor yoga classes. It’s time to opt for nature oriented surroundings, like a nice grassy spot under trees with full or partial shade. If you’re tired of the plain view of buildings, roads, and the playground, try finding somewhere with a natural view, even if it’s only a cluster of trees or a small backyard. After all, you’re trying to find a spot where you can feel most relaxed when doing yoga, so avoid any places where you can be distracted by people or loud noises.

Ditch the music

We’re accustomed to practicing yoga in a controlled environment, where music is floating in the air and we’re surrounded by other people. But if you’re selective about the location, you won’t be disturbed by passersby or other practitioners – therefore you should have no need to plug in your headphones to make you less connected with your surroundings. In the absence of music, you can appreciate more fully the sounds of nature around you. Rather than compiling a playlist, enjoy the sounds of nature – birds chirping, leaves fluttering, and the wind blowing will help ease you into your practice.

Lose the yoga mat

Take advantage of the ultimate natural outdoor yoga mat itself: grass. When you’re practicing yoga in a studio, you need to bring along a mat to prevent parts of your body from making contact with hardwood floors. Now you can leave your mat at home, since it bunches up and moves around a lot on uneven ground – a distraction in itself. The contact between grass or the earth and your bare feet awakens your senses and helps you to feel more connected with Mother Nature.
The only way to find out whether outdoor yoga works for you or not is to give it a try. You’ve been spending so much time within four walls that it makes sense to go outside every once in a while and embrace freedom through outdoor yoga.

Interested to see how you can diversify your yoga practices? Drop us a line today and we’ll be in touch with more advice.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

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Getting the most out of your first yoga class

Yoga_Apr27_AWhen you hear about yoga, the first things that spring to mind are probably physical exercise and people stretching into bizarre poses. Yet yoga is much more than just an exercise – it connects your body, mind, and spirit so that while you’re performing yoga, you can relieve stress and experience peace of mind. Perhaps this is why you’ve decided to take yoga classes in the first place. But as a beginner, how much do you know about yoga? Here’s what you need to know before taking your first ever yoga class.

Come to class free of expectations

After seeing amazing pictures of yogis in magazines, you’re convinced that you’ll be able to mold your body into graceful poses in no time. But you’re making a big mistake if you set unrealistic expectations when you first step into yoga. Flexibility takes months, or even years, of hard work to build up, so don’t expect everything to go as planned. Instead, enter the class with an open mind and experience the moments of hardship and fun – it’s all part of the yoga practice!

Don’t come with a full stomach

An important preparation for yoga is avoiding meals for two or three hours prior to the practice. Yoga requires a lot of stretching and twisting of your body. When you have food in your digestive system, not only are most yoga poses uncomfortable, but it can also interfere with your overall performance, and the last thing you want in your first yoga class is to feel uncomfortable all the time and to have to keep going to the bathroom.

Talk to the instructor before class

Greeting the instructor before you start yoga is good in many ways. Firstly, you can get to know the person who’s going to teach you, and can ask any questions about the class. Secondly, you can inform your instructor about any present or past injuries you may have, and make sure that you learn some modification moves when other yogis are engaging in particularly difficult poses. It is part of your instructor’s job to ensure compliance to safety and health standards, so he or she will always be willing to help.

Free yourself of distractions

Sometimes it’s hard to focus on what you’re doing, especially when you can understand only half of what the instructor’s saying. When doing yoga for the first time, anything out of place can distract your attention, like uncomfortable clothes, people around you, and even your bangs getting in your eyes. So make sure you wear appropriate clothing for yoga – not too tight nor too loose, and come to class in a determined manner.

Don’t compare yourself to others

Every class has that one super-flexible yogi who seems to master just about any move with ease. But things can get ugly when you start comparing yourself to others in a yoga class – either you’re putting yourself down when comparing yourself to someone with better body shape and flexibility, or you’re putting them down to make you feel better. This only makes you feel bad, and you might even end up convincing yourself that yoga isn’t for you. What you need to understand is that peoples’ bodies are built differently, and that you should be focusing on developing your own rather than envying others.

Yoga classes can be intimidating for first-timers, so it always helps to do a bit of research first. If you’re planning to take yoga classes, give us a call today and we’ll be happy to help.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

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Why it’s time to give rope wall yoga a go

Yoga_Apr20_ALike any form of exercise, yoga needs to remain interesting, exciting and fun if it’s something you are going to continue to enjoy practicing. If you are doing the same old routines each week and never mixing things up, then it’s only going to be a matter of time before you start getting bored and think about quitting. Fortunately there are enough variations of basic yoga practice for you to be able to switch regularly between a few to keep things fresh.

Among them, and growing in popularity right now, is rope wall yoga. Ropes are secured to a wall and you are suspended from them, leaving you looking a bit like a puppet. Here’s why you should give rope wall yoga a try.

Longer, deeper poses

With the support of ropes, stretching and strengthening different parts of your body becomes easier and more sustainable than when performing yoga poses on the floor with only a mat and maybe a block to prop you up. The shoulder stand and plow poses can be more safely undertaken with the benefit of rope support, and you can take those like the cobra pose deeper and hold them for longer than you could otherwise. By holding this and other poses for longer, you have time to focus on your breathing, increase circulation to the lower back and suspend yourself upside down without putting pressure on your head. All of this allows you to reap greater benefits from yoga than you might while gravity is holding you down to the floor.

Fewer inhibitions

For newbie yogis, doing an inversion for the first time can be nerve-wracking. What if you fall? It’s for this reason that many beginners take some time before they are ready to undertake their first inversions. But rope wall yoga can help you overcome these fears and get upside down more quickly. The ropes help you feel more stable and secure, and allow you to develop an enhanced awareness of your body’s orientation. With this taken care of, you’ll be in a better position to strengthen and tone various parts of the body.

A fresh approach

Quite simply, if you haven’t yet tried rope wall yoga, then that is reason enough in itself to do precisely that. Shaking up your yoga practice – just as much as any exercise – is essential to keeping it fresh, exciting and something you look forward to doing. Rope wall yoga is different enough from most other types of yoga that trying it will get you out of your comfort zone and remind you why you came to enjoy yoga so much in the first place. You never know, it might even become your new favorite type of yoga practice!

Whether you’re an experienced yogi who wants to shake things up, or you’re contemplating trying yoga for the first time, give us a call and see what we can do to help.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

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Yoga tips for plus-size bodies

164_yoga We’ve all seen her. The smiling blonde, super-sexy, super-toned girl beaming on the cover of Women’s Health magazine or the like. Decked out in her yoga pants and tank top, we’re all just dying for a body like that. But the truth is that many of us don’t fit that mold. In fact, if you look around most yoga classes, you’re likely to see a few plus-sized bodies. And one of them might be yours. If so, it’s wise to remember that our larger bodies work a bit differently. And there are a few tips you should bear in mind.

Slow down

Intense, fast workouts aren’t the only way to exercise. And while the quick paced classes of vinyasa are becoming more popular, that doesn’t mean there’s no calorie burn in a slower class. In fact, slow yoga can increase strength and flexibility. Additionally, it rids your body of stress-induced chemicals that cause weight gain and inflammation.

If you’re a plus-sized girl who’s new to yoga, it’s even more important that you find a gentle, slow class when starting out. This will give you a chance to ease into the practice so that you don’t feel discouraged by a workout that’s too challenging. If you’re lucky, you may even be able to find a yoga class specifically designed for plus-size bodies. If you do, take advantage immediately!

Trust your inner voice

As with all exercises, you need to learn to trust your inner voice so that you know when you’ve hit your limit. Just because yoga is a low impact exercise, it doesn’t mean you can’t hurt yourself. Twisting and contorting your body into poses you’re not used to can cause strain, muscle tears and even back injuries if you go overboard. The fact is that not all poses are going to work for everyone. All bodies are created differently, and some positions cause unique challenges depending on the body that’s undertaking them.

Being plus sized, you also need to remember that your weight is literally weight. When you go into the crane pose, you could be lifting 50+ more pounds than the size-four girl at the front of the class. Your body is simply not going to move into that position as easily. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Respect your body, don’t judge yourself and follow your instincts.

Practice with a teacher you like

Yoga, and all exercise for that matter, should make you feel good about yourself. If you come across a teacher who makes you feel ashamed of your body or is pushing you too hard, it’s time to change classes.

There are plenty of teachers out there who will have you leaving class feeling positive, smiling, and with more patience and clarity. Find that teacher and stick with him or her.

Know your motives

Why are you doing yoga? If you don’t know, it’s time to take a minute to reflect. Are you there for fun? Do you want to try something new? Do you just want to shed pounds?

Whatever your reason, know that yoga is not just about exercise and toning up. A large part of the practice is developing mental focus and clarity that you can carry into your everyday life. When your yoga instructor tells you to focus on your breathing, she’s doing it for a reason. If this doesn’t matter to you, there may be other exercises better suited to you than yoga. You have plenty of options. The important thing is to find a workout routine you enjoy that accomplishes your fitness and health goals.

Want to learn more about yoga or need advice finding the right exercise? Get in touch today.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

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4 reasons why beginners quit yoga

Yoga_Mar30_AWe all know that yoga is a fantastic workout for our body and mind. People practice yoga for a variety of reasons, whether it’s to increase physical fitness, to escape from mental chaos, or to improve posture. Although widely perceived as a rewarding exercise, sometimes yoga can be overwhelming and demanding, especially for beginners. Instead of trying to adapt and work on their postures, some people simply choose to quit after their first few yoga classes. Here are the most common reasons beginners turn their backs on yoga, and how to overcome them.

Flexibility

When it comes to practicing yoga in studios, new yogis are often intimidated by the impressive yoga moves performed with ease by old-timers. Beginners are keen to make the most out of their first yoga classes. They expect too much of themselves, and will feel disappointed when they are unable to perform certain yoga postures.

A simple fact most beginners overlook is that yoga is designed to help them improve their flexibility. Things will definitely get better over time, if you show patience and discipline during practices. If you’re new to yoga, know that flexibility takes time to build, even for the most experienced yogi.

Level of difficulty

Imagine how uncomfortable it is to join an advanced class where students are able to perform the most complex yoga moves with ease. Instead of taking things slowly as they should, newcomers feel pressured into trying postures that are too difficult for them, and this often lead to the loss of confidence or even injury. As a result they may leave the studio and never come back.

The key to practicing yoga for beginners is acceptance. Focus on your postures rather than others’ – it may have taken them years to reach this point. Selecting the right yoga class for your level is equally important. You’ll want to start slow and enjoy the progress as you become more familiar with different poses.

Teaching style

When choosing a yoga instructor, teaching experience and yoga skills aren’t the only criteria you should consider. It’s also about the personality, professionalism and care that the instructor brings to a yoga class. Compassionate yoga teachers plays an important part in a student’s success. Their methods of teaching will encourage you to attend yoga classes. Bad instructors, on the other hand, will not only make your yoga classes less enjoyable, but they can also put you off yoga completely.

When you feel that your instructor is a bad match, always know that there are many instructors out there with different backgrounds, one of which might be more suitable for you. Don’t give up on yoga just because of one bad experience.

Language

Beginners always have a hard time trying to learn the name of yoga postures which are derived from Sanskrit, whether it’s ‘sukhasana’ (easy pose), ‘salamba sarvangasana’ (shoulder stand), or ‘utktasana’ (chair pose). Pronouncing the names alone can be intimidating for new students and, with over a hundred yoga poses out there, sometimes it’s hard to keep up.

The good news it you will get used to it. Don’t let the words scare you off. There are ways to remember the ‘language of yoga’, and they will sound more familiar to you as time goes by.

Yoga is not as difficult as it seems, as long as you take the time to learn more about it. Contact us today for more information about our yoga classes.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

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Tips for yoga newbies

164 Yoga_AYou can see it now. You’re in a graceful one-handed tree pose as your now lean body glistens with sweat. No one in the class is saying it, but they’re all mesmerized by your form. And the few men in the class have even started to take notice, exchanging smiles with you between poses. Then suddenly, you snap out of your fantasy. As you lie on your back in shavasana panting, you begin to wonder how anyone ever sticks with yoga. If you’re new and frustrated that you can’t nail a scorpion pose like the top student, not to worry. Here are a few things to keep in mind as a beginner.

Don’t overexert yourself

Just because yoga is a low impact exercise doesn’t mean you can’t injure yourself. If you push your body too hard attempting a pose that’s beyond your skill and stretch level, you’re likely to get hurt.

Yoga teachers give variations of different poses for a reason. They recognize that there are different levels in each class, and not everyone can do a full scorpion pose. So stick with the beginner version until your body is ready to take it up a notch. You’ll likely enjoy it more and gain more of a sense of accomplishment.

Remember, you’re not here to impress anyone

Go to a yoga class suitable for you, for the health benefits and the increased mental and emotional balance it can bring to your life. Many students, especially new ones, will fall into the trap of constantly comparing themselves to their peers. If you start doing this, ask yourself what the point of it is. Again, if you push yourself too hard too soon, you’re more likely to hurt yourself and give up on an amazing yoga practice that can benefit your health in the long run.

Yoga workouts don’t have to be intense

From Bikram to Vinyasa to Gentle Flow, the intensity of a yoga workout can vary widely. While some classes will leave you dripping with sweat, others will be more of a light workout that’ll loosen up your body. The point is that if you’re not after an intense workout, you needn’t go for an intense yoga class. Instead, find something gentle or light that you’ll really enjoy. You’ll still gain the benefits of increased flexibility and some calorie burn, and you’ll be more likely to stick with the practice for the long haul.

You don’t have to be a new age hippy to enjoy yoga

Yes, you can drink coffee and wine or enjoy a steak outside of class. Not all yoga students are vegan meditators who shop at Whole Foods. Most are normal people like you, who just happen to like yoga as their exercise of choice. When it comes down to it, that’s what yoga is – an exercise. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that if you don’t want it to be. And saying ‘namaste’ at the end of class is optional.

Remember, you’re a beginner

You’re new. No one expects you to be doing a wounded peacock pose the first week, or even the first couple months. If there’s one tip you should take away from this article, this is the most important one. With any new sport or skill, there’s always going to be a learning curve, and you’re likely to struggle at first. The students who end up doing the advanced poses and have lean physiques are the ones that stuck around when they struggled as a beginner.

Want to learn more about yoga and its health benefits? Contact us today.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

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Avoiding common yoga injuries

Yoga_Mar16_AWhile the benefits of exercise far outweigh doing nothing physical, there is still the risk of injury for anyone who exercises regularly. One wrong move during a workout can result in muscle strains or tendon tears, and the same is true for even more gentle seeming practices such as yoga. While yoga has many health benefits, it can actually harm you if performed incorrectly. Although most yoga injuries aren’t severe, they can accumulate over months of posing misalignment and over-stretching. So what can you do to avoid yoga injuries? As with any physical activities, you can prevent injury by practicing the poses correctly and not pushing yourself too hard.

Common yoga injuries

The first step in avoiding injury in yoga sessions is to understand the common types of injuries that occur and how misalignment in the positions you take can put you at risk of hurting yourself.

  • Wrists – To perform certain yoga moves, you need to press your hands on the floor. As a result your whole body weight is placing pressure in the wrists, which can be a painful experience if you stay in that pose for too long. You can distribute your body weight by spreading your hands to the sides so your full weight is not completely over them.
  • Shoulders – Yogis often injure their shoulders by going into a shoulder stand pose, lifting their feet high in the air and letting their shoulders carry all the weight. Make sure your shoulders are strong enough to support your weight, and if you feel any pain when doing shoulder stand poses, switch to another pose until you’re ready.
  • Hamstrings – Yoga poses like folds and the downward dog can injure your hamstrings through over-stretching. Bending your back forward to touch your feet while keeping your legs straight causes your hamstrings to stretch a lot. To avoid pain, try bending your knees slightly.
  • Knees – A common cause of knee pain is the lotus pose which requires you to sit in a cross-legged position for a long period of time. If your hips aren’t flexible enough, your knees will feel under tension and can even be quite painful. Try placing a cushion under your knees for extra support until your body is more used to sustaining this pose.

Avoiding yoga injuries

Incorporating these pieces of equipment and techniques into your yoga practices will help you to gain all the benefits of your poses while preventing injury.

  • Supporting equipment – If you can’t hold your poses without feeling pain, you should use props to support your moves. These include blankets or mats to prevent your body from touching the floor, blocks to help you get into poses more easily, and straps to increase your flexibility.
  • Warm up – Warming up before doing yoga prepares your body for more challenging poses later. Do a few basic stretches for your arms and legs. Take a few controlled breaths to relax and refresh your mind.
  • Communicate – Talk to the yoga instructor beforehand, and make sure you inform him or her about certain poses that you’re not capable of doing. When a pose is not working during the session, you shouldn’t be embarrassed to stop. It would be more foolish to hurt yourself. In the meantime, work on another pose that suits you better instead.
  • Listen to your body – If you feel any sign of real pain during a yoga practice, do your body a favor and take a break. Knowing when to stop can help you avoid injury.

Yoga injuries can happen anytime if you’re not careful. If you want to learn more about a safe approach to practicing yoga, give us a call today.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

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Introducing AcroYoga, the yoga for two

Yoga_Mar9_AAs a health-conscious person who is interested in yoga, perhaps you’ve seen pictures in magazines or on websites of two yogis balancing on each other’s hands and feet. You might even have come across people lifting one another into mid-air yoga poses in the local park. The idea of practicing yoga not on solid ground may sound strange, and yet it is made possible with AcroYoga. This creative and playful activity is another way for yogis to diversify their yoga practice. And they’re not doing it just because it’s fun – it also comes with many health benefits.

What is AcroYoga?

AcroYoga combines the wisdom of yoga, the dynamic power of acrobatics, and a touch of the art of healing. The practice involves a person acting as a base, who keeps the body in contact with the ground to support the flyer, who is lifted into various yoga poses to focus the mind and strengthen the body. While AcroYoga is usually performed in pairs, there is often also a ‘spotter’ nearby, who makes sure ‘the base’ has good balance and that the flyer doesn’t fall. The base usually lies flat on his or her back and uses the legs to support the flyer’s weight, as he or she performs several aerial postures.

Why should you try it?

AcroYoga helps you improve your physical and mental fitness, as well as relieving tension. The fun nature of AcroYoga’s practices are also a great mood lifter. Here are some reasons to give AcroYoga a try.

  • It’s satisfying – You can simultaneously enjoy yourself and get physical benefits from practicing AcroYoga. If you’re a base person, you’ll strengthen your muscles by lifting the flyer into the air using your legs and hands. If you’re a flyer, you can develop your balance and flexibility by performing yoga poses while aloft.
  • Improved concentration – AcroYoga is a practice that requires concentration. Whether taking part as a base or a flyer, you must focus on your movements and maintain balance – and trust – while working with your partner.
  • Building relationships – Practicing yoga can be a lonely experience if you do it alone. Even when attending yoga classes, inter-class engagement can be limited since you have your own personal space and work alone on your mat. AcroYoga, on the other hand, encourages you to communicate and interact with others.
  • No experience needed – Just as with regular yoga, you don’t have to be an expert to participate in a class. AcroYoga is still a niche practice, and many people will most likely be at a beginner’s level. While it’s great to have a partner to take with you, AcroYoga classes usually arrange pairs based on a similarity in size, so that you don’t have to worry about lifting a partner who’s twice your size.

Some starter tips

  • Hygiene – If you’re a base, you should have clean hands and feet, as you’ll be using them to balance and touch your partner.
  • Signal word – Establish a signal word with your partner. For instance, flyers can simply say ‘down’ if they want to get their feet back on solid ground.
  • Clothing – Wear fitting clothes so garments don’t get in the way when you’re practicing – especially important for a flyer.
  • Different partners – The best way of practicing AcroYoga is to train with different partners. You will learn from mixing it up, and will gain new experience and tips from your various partners.

Whether you’re an experienced yogi or a beginner, you can practice AcroYoga to boost your physical and mental fitness. If you’re interested in AcroYoga, get in touch with us today and see how we can help you prepare.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

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Here’s why to practise yoga at a studio

Yoga_Mar2_AYou might want to keep up a regular yoga class at your local studio, but you just don’t have the time. And with all the will in the world, you can’t put extra hours into the day. The next best thing seems to be to practise at home, in front of your laptop with the help of an online tutorial or perhaps a DVD. You can squeeze in your yoga between finishing the dishes and getting ready for bed, or first thing in the morning before you start your day. And while yoga anywhere is better than none, we’re still fans of yoga practised in a studio. Here are a few reasons to make the effort to get down and take a class once in a while.

Caring, sharing

One of the best parts of attending a studio-based yoga practise is getting to meet and interact with your community of yogis, each of them on a learning journey themselves. What better way to develop your yoga ability – and make new friends – than to spend time with others who are making similar endeavors to your own? Despite your best intentions, practising at home in front of your laptop is unlikely to give you the same sense of connection and support that you do at a studio. Just as the Buddhist sangha is a source of advice and guidance, so your yoga studio – and all those you know there – is a mechanism to keep you on track and motivated, even when you’re struggling.

Focus!

We all know how full of distractions the home is. Whether it’s your email, the kids waking up, or the clothes that need to be hung out to dry, there is always going to be something to pull you away from your practise. That’s bad enough in most situations, but yoga is meant to help you escape from the distractions of everyday life. It should be an opportunity for you to free yourself from your thoughts, and enjoy a moment of reflection. That is far more easily achievable if you take yourself out of your usual surroundings, and into the relative sanctity of a yoga studio. It will make it easier to reach and hold your poses, and to separate your non-stop day-to-day routine from something that ought to be pure and undisturbed.

Getting right

Yoga is rarely easy – and it’s not meant to be. Getting that pose right should be a challenge, something to aim for and something to be proud of when you do achieve it. But managing that alone, with only a laptop for company, can be more difficult or even downright impossible. Without a teacher on hand to point out where you’re going wrong, show you how to correct it and also make sure you are not putting yourself at risk of injury, you could end up at best demotivated, or worse still badly hurt. Your yoga teacher uses their experience to monitor each of their students’ progress during the class, and to adapt their instructions and the direction of the session accordingly. That means you get a learning experience that is customized to what you and your fellow yogis need most – and that’s more than an online tutorial can ever give you.

Want to get the right balance of personal practise at home and studio yoga sessions? Talk to us today about our classes.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

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Tips to choose the right yoga mat

Yoga_Feb23_AYoga is one of a number of fitness activities that don’t require much equipment. In fact, for most general yoga classes, all you really need is a towel to wipe your sweat and a mat to cushion parts of your body. A yoga mat is the core piece of equipment every yoga enthusiast needs so, if you plan on taking up yoga, why not invest in the best yoga mat for you? After all, it’s your choice of exercise equipment that can make the difference between a healthy result and injury.

Yoga can be performed barefoot on many different surfaces, including hardwood floors, carpet, tiles, or even grass. But for some people, pressing their knees, elbows and palms on hard ground to practise yoga moves can be painful. A good yoga mat provides a cushion to let you perform the poses more comfortably. Finding the right mat can be challenging because of the vast selection out there. So you should consider these tips before buying a yoga mat.

Thickness

Selecting a yoga mat with suitable thickness can be quite tricky. You’ll want a mat thick enough to cushion your body, but at the same time not so foamy that you sink or feel unstable. A standard yoga mat is about an eighth of an inch thick, while the bulkier ones are up to a quarter inch. How do you know which is best for you? The things you need to consider are portability and the level of comfort you prefer while doing yoga. If you don’t mind carrying a little more weight for the sake of more cushioning, consider getting a yoga mat that’s about a quarter inch thick. But if you need to put the mat in a bag or suitcase, then go for a thinner foldable mat.

Texture

Most mats are made of PVC, which provides a smooth surface and has the highest sticky factor. So if you’re not very good at balancing or need extra help staying put in your poses, PVC mats might be your best bet. However, PVC is considered a toxic plastic that’s difficult to recycle. Environment-friendly textures like natural and recycled rubber, natural cotton or jute are more suitable if sustainability is important to you. Eco mats often have raised, tactile patterns to provide similar traction to that offered by PVC too.

Stickiness

The traction of yoga mats depends largely on the texture and material. You don’t want to slip off the mat when practising yoga, and that’s why stickiness matters. A ‘sticky’ mat keeps you from slipping, helps you maintain your balance and makes it easier for you to move from one pose to another. With a sticky mat, you can perform any style of yoga that requires holding a pose for longer periods of time.

Price

You’ll find many yoga mats that are cheap, colorful and have a short life span. It pays to do some research and know your goals before making hasty decisions. You’ll want to determine your budget and purpose of practising yoga. As far as pricing goes, yoga mats start from about $10 and go up to $100 or more. If you want to make a commitment to yoga, and prioritize safety and comfort, then investing in a premium yoga mat can benefit you in the long run.

When it comes to buying a yoga mat, so much depends on personal preference and the style of yoga you’re practising. If you’re interested in taking up yoga classes, contact us to get started!

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.