Best Travel Yoga Mats
And now weve talked about what to consider when it comes to buying a travel yoga mat, its time to give you my recommendations!
Here are my top 5 travel yoga mats that I think are the best products around if you want to stay stretchy and strong whilst on the road.
#1 Yogamatters
If youre looking to shop local and are based in the UK, the great travel yoga mats from Yogamatters are a brilliant option.
This independent company offers a huge range of yoga mats and props, many of which boast great eco-credentials including their eco travel yoga mats.
Made from environmentally-friendly materials, including sustainably harvested natural rubber, these mats are recyclable and biodegradable and free from toxic chemicals and dyes.
Super-light and ultra-thin, this is actually the travel yoga mat I have and I couldnt be happier with its great grip properties and how easy it is to keep clean, even when on the road.
It comes in a great range of colours and costs just £35.00, making it a great option for those who want a light and easily compactable, eco-friendly mat.
#2 Uong
If you are looking for a thicker yoga mat, because you need a bit more padding and comfort however, then the Uong travel yoga mat is hard to beat.
At 6mm thick it offers brilliant double padding protection for knees and is also an excellent length for us tallies too at 183cm long.
Its marked line design helps a lot with alignment especially useful if you are new to yoga.
#3 Gaiam
#4 Pido
#5 Manduka
Cork Yoga Mat And Its Benefits
A cork yoga mat is made of tree barks, usually from the Oaktree. This makes it 100% renewable. And instead of cutting down trees, it only takes the tree barks outer layer. This encourages the trees to regenerate more. And in that process, it absorbs more CO2, making the air cleaner. This reason alone makes cork yoga mat very eco-friendly and sustainable.
Apart from sustainability, this nature makes it easy to clean. Oaktree bark naturally prevents bacterial growth. Most cork yoga mats are made without the use of harmful chemicals and PVC content. This results in no plastic odor that can interfere with yoga meditation.
Besides being eco-friendly, our cork yoga mats come with optimum durability and lighter weight. The other advantages of cork yoga mat are:
- Cork yoga mats offer more grips. They stay flat and adjust the shape when used
- They feature a high level of density, sturdy, and durable. Thanks to the natural material, cork yoga mats wont easily deflate or deform even after heavy use
- Odorless is a huge plus. Say goodbye to plastic odor and the smell of sweat that usually lingers
- Better grip when wet. Even when you sweat profusely, it wont get slippery
- Long-lasting. A cork yoga mat is perfect for those who like to invest in good products. Although the price is a little more expensive than a regular mat, its quality is worth every penny.
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How To Clean A Yoga Mat
Last Updated: April 2, 2021Approved
This article was co-authored by Atthena Breitton, E-RYT 500. Atthena Breitton is a Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500 and Continuing Education Provider. She is the Founder & Principal Teacher of AtthenaYoga, a boutique yoga and meditation studio in New York City. She has been teaching since 2015, and some of her clients include NFL football player, Jordan Matthews, and Hip Hop Rapper, Lil Yachty. In addition to her studio, Atthena teaches and lectures around the city at major corporations such as Facebook, Ernst & Young, HSBC, U.S. Bank, and WPP. Atthena follows the path of Bhakti Yoga, a path of selfless love, devotion, and service to the Divine. Atthena holds a BS in Economics with concentrations in Finance and Management from the University of Pennsylvania.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 17 testimonials and 94% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 501,261 times.
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So Just How Dirty Is Your Yoga Mat
In an article for ABC-13 News, Melanie Rech, laboratory director at EMSL Analytical, examined swabs taken from personal and communal yoga mats. Mats from the local yoga studio came back the cleanest with 3 million counts of normal environmental bacteria, writes ABC-13 News. This isnt the most surprising, since yoga studios are supposed to regularly wash their communal mats . The results from a local womans personal mat who admittedly doesnt clean her mat often were the most shocking, testing positive for 12 million counts of bacteria, writes ABC-13 News.
The fungi and bacteria that are responsible for athletes foot, plantar warts, staph infections, and ringworm, among others, are commonly found on yoga mats since they thrive in warm, dark, moist environments.
So, not cleaning your mat can be pretty gross.
Its important to keep in mind that if youre cleaning your yoga matbut not disinfecting ityou might not be doing enough to actually get rid of these germs. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, while cleaning removes germs, disinfecting kills germsand although each method individually works, you need to do both to fully sanitize your mat.
How To Deep Clean A Yoga Mat
If your mat is stained or smelly, it will need more attention. But before using anything harsher than the mild dish liquid solution, check your mats cleaning recommendations, usually on the website.
Some mats are hand-washable in cold water and mild soap, while others can be cleaned in the washing machine on a cold, gentle cycle. Make sure they are well-rinsed and always air dry a yoga mat never put it in the dryer. If your mat cant be soaked, try wiping it with a mild mix of one part white vinegar to three parts water. Rinse it with a clean, damp cloth and let dry.
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Yoga Mat Care: Make Your Own All
I have been using a low-priced, non-brand-named yoga mat for probably the last five years. Not a very impressive investment as yoga teacher, but economical nonetheless. I couldnt justify spending the hundred dollars on a quality, lifetime-guaranteed yoga mat. I had convinced myself that my thrifty drugstore yoga mat worked just fine.
Im now a proud owner of a Manduka Pro Lite Breeze 71 yoga mat. Now that I have this gorgeous aqua yoga mat in my possession, my budget yoga mat doesnt look so appealing. Having never owned the prized Manduka yoga mat, Ive never really considered how to properly care for a yoga mat. Since there is such a significant difference in value and quality, and Id like my mat to last a long time, Im giving it some thought now.
I have researched proper cleaning for your yoga mat and there just simply isnt a magic recipe. I thought I would find the specific care instructions posted online and it would be easy. Thats not the case at all. In fact, I found out that even yoga mat care varies among yoga teachers. My short survey revealed that some admit to throwing their mat in the washing machine, while others use a tea tree oil and water mixture. Still others swear by a vinegar and essential oil concoction. Yoga mat care and the associated yogis come in all types!
What Type of Yogi Are You?
Heres what a few of the top yoga mat suppliers have to say about caring for your yoga mat.
Wash Your Mat In The Washing Machine
Some yoga mats are machine washable. Be sure to check with the manufacturers website before throwing your mat in the machine. Most eco-friendly mats are meant to only be hand-washed and can get damaged or destroyed in the washing machine. Cleaning a yoga mat is pretty easy, but think twice before throwing it in the washer, as the churning and spinning can tear the delicate material.
Here are steps to cleaning your yoga mat in the washing machine:
Remember, only use the washing machine if youre sure that your yoga mat is machine-washable!
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Things To Look For In Travel Yoga Mats
Travel yoga mats are, unsurprisingly, mats specifically designed for travelling yogis!
What this usually means is that they are thinner and lighter than regular mats and they can easily be folded or rolled up to take up little weight and space in your bag.
As opposed to regular yoga mats, which might be made of thicker rubber, foam, cork or vinyl, travel yoga mats are almost always made of thin rubber, usually exceeding a thickness of no more than 2mm.
Weight vs Comfort
Sometimes travel yoga mats are as thin as 1mm, which makes them even easier to fold and lighter to carry.
Because of course, when it comes to travel keeping the weight and size of your yoga mat down is key.
However, these thinner mats do come with some disadvantages, namely that they offer less padding.
If you suffer with knee issues, or want to enjoy a lot of floor exercises, then a slightly thicker travel yoga mat may suit you better as it will offer more protection and comfort.
But inevitably, with this added thickness youll also incur a greater weight, so you need to balance your priorities here and decide what is best for you.
Cleaning Your Mat
Travel yoga mats should also be easy to clean, as they are likely to get dirtier than your regular yoga mat and also you wont necessarily have all the items to hand that you use at home to clean your yoga mat.
Taking a small spray bottle of white vinegar and water with you when you travel is a great way to keep your travel yoga mat clean.
How To Clean A Yoga Mat Properly
This isn’t rocket science, but you asked and so we answer. We set out 3 simple ways for how to clean your yoga mat. Check them out here.
No one can deny the benefits of practicing yoga. From improving flexibility and muscle strength to toning your body, maintaining a balanced metabolism, and improving cardio and circulatory health, yoga takes care of everything!
While most of us are busy mastering our favorite yoga poses, it is easy to forget about an important yoga accessory the yoga mat. Sure, you can practice yoga on the grass, sand, or even a blanket. However, a good-quality yoga mat can help increase the overall effectiveness of your practice.
Before we dive into how you clean your yoga mat and take care of it, lets take a look at why it is important to use it in the first place.
Contents
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Yoga Mat Cleaning Options
Some yoga mats are more porous than others closed-cell mats are thinner and water resistant, and thus won’t soak in liquid as quickly. Thicker yoga mats tend to have an open-cell construction, which means they can soak up more liquid and may retain more bacteria. Depending on the style of mat you have, there are a few different cleaning options.
How often should I clean my yoga mat? Wipe down your yoga mat briefly after every practice with a store-bought mat cleaner or a homemade cleaning solution. Once a month or so, give your yoga mat a deep cleaning to get rid of gunk that builds up over time. Well go over the details below.
Can I wash my yoga mat in the washing machine? Some mats can be washed in a front-loading washing machine, but others will break down if washed this way. Check the care instructions for your specific mat.
Cleaning A Yoga Mat With Vinegar And Water
Vinegar is used in so many homemade cleaning recipes.
Yoga mats are not an exception to this rule.
Well, I should say, most yoga mats are not an exception to this rule.
There are certainly some yoga mats that are made of more sensitive materials that do not do well with vinegar.
If your yoga mat is known for its unique material, such as JadeYogas natural rubber mats or Lululemon, this may not be the article for you.
Check your yoga mats brand website in the FAQ section, and most likely, they will provide information on how to clean your specific yoga mat.
If vinegar is okay for your unique yoga mat, or you already know that you have a standard yoga mat, lets discuss some of the most popular questions related to cleaning a yoga mat with vinegar and water.
Contents
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Clean It The Right Way
Use a small drop of dish soap diluted with plenty of water. Swab your mat gently with a non-abrasive sponge that is humid but not soaking wet. We recommend you clean your mat only about every 5-10 uses. If you regularly practice in sweaty conditions, you may wish to clean your mat more frequently, but remember that while our Mindful movement Koa yoga mat materials are remarkably durable for Yoga practice, over-cleaning or using abrasive products will wear out the materials faster.We do not recommend using any chemical mat cleaner sprays or essential oil sprays, as they can potentially damage the mat.
Best Ways To Clean A Yoga Mat
Cleaning your yoga mat regularly is essential to practice healthy yoga. As discusses earlier, a yoga mat can prevent from bacteria on the ground. However, over time, it can accumulate a whole lot of harmful germs. Furthermore, a dirty yoga mat can promote the growth of fungus. This makes it important to clean your Yoga mat.
There are a couple of ways to clean your mat and sanitize it. Luckily, it is extremely easy to do it and does not require a lot of time or effort. Here are a few cleaning methods that you can follow to make sure your yoga mat stays free of germs and harmful bacteria at all times.
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Q: Why Cant I Just Use Disinfecting Wipes On My Mat
A: Using these products on your yoga mat probably isnt the best solution. To begin, in order for a disinfectant to be effective, the entire surface needs to be visibly wet for a certain period of time . This may be difficult to achieve with a small wipe of a large surface like your yoga mat. Second, the active ingredients in these disinfectants can have a negative impact on the life of your yoga mat. Finally, if you do use these products on your mat, after waiting the appropriate time, you absolutely must rinse your mat off and wipe it clean to remove as much of the product as possible. Many people experience mild to severe allergic reactions after prolonged skin contact with these chemical disinfectants. Thats why Mandukas Botanical Disinfecting Cleaner is specially formulated to not require rinsing after use and is proven to be non-irritating.
My Mat Is Crumbling/showing Signs Of Wear
The B MAT is biodegradable. We take pride in the fact that the B MAT will not last in a landfill for hundreds of years therefore you will see natural wear and tear on a B MAT throughout the course of its life The life span is dependent on a number of things, of note: 1) How often you practice, 2) Your style of practice, 3) How you store your B MAT and 4) How you care for your B MAT.Sometimes crumbling may occur or be exaggerated from friction – either in sliding during practice or how the mat is carried to and from practice. To ensure your mat lasts as long as possible we recommend using the traditional B MAT primarily for yoga and we do not recommend using The B MAT while wearing shoes or during high interval style training or activities that require vigorous sliding and could damage the mats surface. We understand that each situation is unique, therefore if none of the above information resonates with you, reach out to our customer support team for further assistance. Were here to help!
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Tip : Dry Before Rolling
This is probably the biggest mistake people make with their mats. They roll them up before theyre fully dried. This can cause moisture to get trapped, creating mold or a musty smell. While you might have to roll it up after a class at a yoga studio to get home, make sure you unroll it and dry it out once you arrive.
Wash It While You Shower
This is probably the most convenient but does take some coordination in the bathtub. This is a great method to use when cleaning your mat with a solution that creates a lather and suds. Here are steps to cleaning your yoga mat in the shower:
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