Your Yoga Mat, Yoga Mat Bag, and You
Yoga Mad
A yoga mat will remove the slip and slide from your yoga practice by adding the stability you require to do each pose with balance and poise. But, before we discuss this most essential of yoga “props,” as well as discuss yoga mat bags, let’s talk a little about Yoga, itself.
The Benefits of Yoga
Yoga helps you in awakening your inner body and enlivening your outer body! As you unburden your mind to give your complete attention to each pose, you awaken your “inner body” awareness of the present moment. Your “outer body” profits as each pose nourishes, energizes, and revitalizes every cell, fiber, and tissue as a result of enhanced breathing, flexibility, strength and alignment. The goal of yoga practice is to create a union between the body, mind and spirit.
If you would like to master a yoga pose, you will require extraordinary patience, plus time and dedication. Do not expect perfect poses in the beginning. But, slowly over time, as you practice and make an effort to perform each pose flawlessly, without pushing yourself too far physically or beating yourself up mentally, you will discover that you are developing flexibility, strength, and energy physically and feeling more peaceful and clear mentally.
Try to create a fresh, serene space for your yoga practice, with a bare floor, if you can, and a clear wall. Remove any distractions from your yoga environment. Ideally, you should not eat for at least 2 hours before practicing. If you can’t go without eating, then try to eat something light, such as a piece of fruit, but no more than 1 hour before you start your yoga practice.
Remember to be mindful of how your body feels, and stop or pause if you feel any pain or discomfort while attempting a pose. Then try again.
Yoga props and yoga accessories, such as yoga mats, yoga bolsters, yoga straps, yoga blocks, yoga mat bags, and even yoga towels are made with the intention to aid you in moving deeper into a pose, in performing a flawless pose, and in practicing in a sound way.
High on the list of the many benefits of using yoga props is that most are made to help relieve any pain or discomfort you may have while a yoga pose is being perfected.
Yoga props also aid in the prevention of injury when you are occasionally tempted to push too hard to “get it right.”
Relief from tension and relaxation benefits are an integral part of any yoga practice. Yoga props can provide necessary support so you’re not tempted to “stress out” because you’re unable to do a certain pose.
The plumb line, that is, “head-over-heels” body alignment, is important in doing yoga poses perfectly. Yoga props encourage appropriate alignment.
Ease and flexibility of movement are are another healthy part of the benefits to using yoga props. Certain props create space in the joints and allow the body more fluid movement without putting stress on a particular joint.
And, finally, we’re back to one of the extraordinary benefits of yoga, i.e., the development of awareness and understanding. When you are free to focus on doing your yoga poses perfectly, rather than worrying about any limitations you might be experiencing, you are more ready to experience the deeper gifts of a regular yoga practice. Yoga props can help in doing away with any limitations to your doing flawless yoga poses.
- Image by pacbat via Flickr
A yoga mat, also called a sticky mat, is a slender, rectangular, and often rubber, floor mat that has many serviceable features. First and foremost, as you move into various yoga poses, a yoga mat keeps you from sliding. It gives a stable, non-slip surface for your practice.
It is also made of material that gives it the “perfect” texture, the one Baby Bear would own if he practiced yoga. If you were to make an effort to do your yoga practice on a surface that was too soft, like a carpet, you would notice it difficult to balance or to position yourself properly. On the other hand, several poses would be too uncomfortable for your hands, knees, and feet if you attempted to practice them on a hard surface, such as a hardwood floor.
Most yoga mats are made of lightweight, durable latex-free rubber or natural rubber and jute fiber that provides not only stability as you practice, but insulation from cool floors. There are yoga mats around, however, that are more eco-friendly. One such mat is a new “environmentally friendly” yoga mat made of PER (Polymer Environmental Resin), a fabric that is said to be more “sensitive” to the environment and your well-being than rubber yoga mats. This particularly mat doesn’t contain phthalates or heavy metals, and its means of production is said to be entirely non-toxic. However, if being “super” green is your thing, there is a rubber and cotton mesh mat on the market that comes right from a “tapped” tree that keeps on living.
- Image by misskoco via Flickr
What better way to protect and carry your yoga mat and yoga accessories then in a sturdy yoga mat bag in the most desirable size for you? If you just bring a few things to your yoga class, you may want a small mat bag that is sized only slightly larger than your mat. But, if you’re someone who feels the necessity to “take it all” with you, there are big, duffel-style mat bags that will hold extra goodies like yoga blocks, towels, water bottles, extra clothing, etc.
Want to make your own yoga bag and choose a unique fabric? If so, there are lots of fine online resources to help you. Off the rack yoga mat bags are generally made out of nylon, cotton, organic cotton, or hemp.
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January 8th, 2010 at 8:52 am
The article presents the benefits of Yoga in a very descriptive and elaborate method. I believe that many people are going to benefit from this. The use of yoga props and why they are necessary brings out a very important point of yoga exercises. I also plan to buy one yoga mat and a mat bag for myself.