Yoga mats are specially fabricated mats used to prevent hands and feet slipping during asana practice in modern yoga as exercise. An early variety made of rubber carpet underlay, pioneered by the yoga teacher Angela Farmer in 1982, was called a sticky mat.
Before modern times, meditative yoga and hatha yoga were practised on bare ground, sometimes with a deer or tiger skin rug. Modern mats suitable for energetic forms of yoga are made of plastic, rubber, and sometimes other materials including hessian and cork, trading off cost, comfort, grip, and weight.
The yoga mat has been called "One of the most ubiquitous symbols of yoga's commercialization".
History
In ancient India
In ancient times, meditational yoga was practised in India on kusha grass, on hard earth without any cover, or on a rug of deer or tiger skin, as specified in the Bhagavadgita and the Shvetashvatara Upanishad as suitable for attaining enlightenment.
Seated in an easy posture, on a (deer or tiger) skin, placed on Kusha grass, worshipping Ganapati with fruits and sweetmeats, placing the right palm on the left, holding the throat and head in the same line, the lips closed and firm, facing the east or the north, the eyes fixed on the tip of the nose, avoiding too much food or fasting, the Nâdis should be purified, without which the practice will be fruitless.
— Shvetashvatara Upanishad, chapter II
Due to the scarcity and cost of such rugs, they are now rarely used even in India.
The sage Bharadvaja seated on a deer skin. Watercolour, early 19th century
A yogi practising Kapala Asana (yoga headstand) on a tiger skin. Jogapradipika, 1830
Participants in Trikonasana in the International Day of Yoga, Kolkata, 2015, on cotton sheets
Origin of the modern yoga mat
With yoga's introduction in the West, many practitioners used towels or cotton mats on wooden floors. Feet tended to skid on these surfaces, requiring strength just to stand still in a pose like Trikonasana. In 1982, while teaching yoga in Germany, Angela Farmer used carpet underlay cut to towel size during yoga classes; she returned home to London with the material. Angela's father, Richard Farmer, contacted the German padding manufacturer and became the first retailer of "sticky mats". The first, purpose-made yoga mat was manufactured and sold by Hugger Mugger Yoga Products in the 1990s; the company initially imported Farmer-style mats, but finding that they began to crumble with use, developed their own more robust alternative.
Types
Yoga mats vary in thickness, composition, surface texture, "stickiness" or grip, and weight, as well as price. They are normally around 6 feet (180 cm) long and have a width of 2 feet (61 cm). Yoga mats range in thickness from lightweight 'travel' style at 1⁄16 inch (2 mm) to 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) (standard), and up to 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) for either high performance mats or soft mats for yoga therapy. Mats are available in many colours and patterns. "Alignment mats" are printed with guides to proper alignment, intended to help practitioners to place their feet the right distance apart and accurately in line with each other. Others are printed with images. Some travel mats can be folded into a small square.
The first commercially produced "sticky" yoga mats were made from PVC; they have a smooth surface, and tend to be cheaper. More recently, some supposedly "eco-friendly" mats are being made from natural jute, organic cotton, and rubber. PVC mats are the spongiest, resulting in more "give" when stepped on; fibre mats such as cotton and jute are the firmest. Jute mats are the roughest; "sticky" PVC mats give good grip, but some of the modern textured mats in other materials also grip well. Smooth mats provide the most grip, so are suitable for the more energetic styles such as hot yoga and Ashtanga vinyasa yoga; the trade-off is that they may be less comfortable and appear dirty more quickly. Mats with more padding are useful for styles such as yin yoga where poses are held for longer periods. Travel mats are thinner and lighter, but provide less padding.
Some yoga practices in Scandinavia use cotton futon mats. They consist of a mattress, usually with pockets of cotton batting, sometimes with wool or polyester-cotton mixes, and a washable cover. They give good cushioning and grip. However, futons are much heavier than other mats, weighing as much as 4.7 kg.
Yoga Journal asked five yoga professionals for their views on yoga mats. They varied widely in their brand preferences, some choosing the traditional "sticky" type, but they agreed that mats must not be slippery.
A hessian mat reviewed by The Independent gave good grip and was both comfortable and attractive; its rubber underside made it stable on any surface, but somewhat heavy; a cork mat provided both good grip and an exceptionally warm surface with a pleasant texture, and the property of being to some degree self-cleaning. The best grip was given by a smooth latex mat; in the review's opinion, its 4 mm thickness both gave enough padding for yin yoga, and the stability for energetic yoga styles. The review noted that a circular mat was at first unfamiliar, but helpful for personal practice of poses such as Prasārita Pādottānāsana (wide stance forward bend) and sequences where a rectangular mat would have to be turned through 90 degrees at intervals; it was also ideal for demonstrating asanas to a class.
| Composition | Grip | Surface | Soft/firm | Weight | Durability | Cleanliness | Environmental impact | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Sticky" PVC (plastic) | Good | Smooth Slightly sticky |
Softer* | Light* | Tend to crumble | Tend to get dirty | High, not always recycled | Lowest |
| Rubber (latex) | Best | Smooth | Firm* | Heavy | Excellent | Easy to wipe clean Light colours show dirt |
Low if natural and suitably sourced#; high if combined with non-recyclable plastics e.g. polyurethane | High |
| Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) | Good | Smooth | Firm | Very light | Good | Tend to get dirty | Sustainably made, recyclable | Mid |
| Cork on rubber |
Good Non-slip when wet |
Smooth | Very comfortable, firm but warm | Heavier | Good | Mainly self-cleaning | Low if suitably sourced# | High |
| Hessian (Jute) on rubber |
Good | Rough weave Attractive texture |
Very comfortable* | Heavier | Good | Washable | Low if suitably sourced# | Mid |
| Hemp | Poor | Smooth weave | Firm Softens with use |
Light | Good, better than cotton | Washable | Low if suitably sourced# | Mid |
| Cotton | Poor | Smooth weave | Firm | Light | Moderate, fibres wear out | Washable | Low if suitably sourced# | Mid |
|
Futon cotton with lining (cotton, wool, or polyester) |
Good | Smooth | Softer | Very heavy | Good | Washable cover | Low if natural and suitably sourced# | High |
- * Comfort and weight depend on thickness; people choose thinner mats for portability, or thicker ones for comfort.
- # Environmental impact of these products depends on how they are grown; impact will be low if they are grown with low usage of pesticides, or in the case of rubber, if from suitably certified forests.
In popular culture
The yoga mat has become the definitive symbol of modern yoga as exercise. The journalist Ann Louise Bardach wrote in The New York Times in 2011 that "precious few of the estimated 16 million supple, spandex-clad yoginis in the United States, who sustain an annual $6 billion industry, seem to have a clue that they owe their yoga mats to Vivekananda." The yoga scholar Andrea Jain wrote in The Washington Post that "One of the most ubiquitous symbols of yoga's commercialization is the mat, which many consider a necessity to prevent slipping, to mark territory in crowded classes or to create a ritual space." She noted that "committed adherents" could pay over $100 for a luxury mat. The yoga scholar Noora-Helena Korpelainen agreed that the yoga mat had a ritual function: every Ashtanga Yoga session "starts with opening a yoga mat, taking a straight standing pose (samastitiḥ) and chanting a mantra. ... The practice ends with a mantra, relaxation, and rolling up the mat."
See also
External links
-
Media related to Yoga mats at Wikimedia Commons
