As I packed my suitcase to leave for Canada a couple of months ago, I was devastated when my yoga mat didn’t fit into my suitcase. Well, actually it probably would have fit, but I was already way overweight with the luggage allowance so unfortunately my yoga mat had to stay at home.
So I did yoga on the bare sand in Fiji, yoga on a towel in our hotel room in Waikiki, and yoga on the carpet of our apartment in Vancouver. Fortunately I’ve been staying with family in Toronto who’s house came equipped with yoga mats, but on Monday I’ll be on the road again and I do not want to do yoga on a slippery towel.
If you’re wondering what’s with this obsession I have with yoga and what the heck does it have to do with skin care, well …yoga is pretty much the answer to everything [including clearing acne] and apart from all the other benefits that I get from doing as much yoga as I can, I do notice an improvement in my skin when I follow a disciplined yoga practice.
The hunt
So a yoga mat should be easy peasy to buy right? Well you’d think so. But of course I started thinking about the environment, and uncessesary waste, and how buying another yoga mat is just contributing to land fill. So then I found these ‘eko’ mats. Yoga mats that are made out of recyclable and biodegradable material. What a perfect yoga mat to buy, and how very yogini of me.
However, the problem with these eko mats unfortunately are the price. To save the environment it’s going to cost me a bit of money. A regular yoga mat costs around CA$30, but a environmentally friendly mat will cost around CA$50. I’m a struggling traveller at the moment so I don’t really have that extra $20 to spend!
And then I started thinking about the size of the mat. If I’m travelling with a yoga mat, it’s going to have to fit inside my suitcase isn’t it. So none of these luxurious extra thick comfy yoga mats for me. Oh no, I’m going to have to get the slim line version that squeezes comfortably into my travel bag.
So then I found these mats called ’skidless’ which are really just non-slip towels. They’re designed to go over a yoga mat to soak up sweat and make sure you don’t slip, but I think you can use them for travel as well. The problem is, I’d have to make sure there’s carpet in every place I stayed because it will be too thin on any other surface.
Yoga Pawz
While I was reading my fav yoga magazine The Yoga Journal (yes I am a yoga nerd), I found an advertisement for yoga gloves. These are gloves you wear on your hands and feet that can be used in replacement of a yoga mat. They’re made out of the same kind of stuff, but instead of carrying a mat around, you just carry around these gloves. Sounds okay but if they’re anything like my rollerblading wrist guards, they’ll be really smelly and a little distracting after a few uses. And it just doesn’t seem very …yogi normal.
Hmm, I don’t know what it is but these glove thingys just don’t seem quite right to me. Maybe it just feels too sporty and not spiritual enough? But a great idea, and if I can’t find a mat small enough to fit into a bag, yoga pawz it is.
Fran
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
8 responses ↓
Thanks for putting this cause I’m starting yoga next week.The yoga pawz looks interesting but as you said it may start to reek of sweat.But instead of lugging around a big bag with your yoga mat have you ever heard of the yogitoes? You just have to wrap them around your mat and there you go…its protected.Its more convenient instead of looking for a bag.
I’ve been into Yoga on and off for several years now. I am happy with my GAIAM mat. It’s a bit thicker and has a good grip to it.
This is my 3rd Yoga mat in a short period of time for a somewhat funny reason. My cat likes to go on my mats and scratch. That is the lesser part of the problem. My cat sometimes throws up on the mat. I tried to clean them, but the cat throw-up ruined them.
With the mat that I have now, the GAIAM mat, I am extra careful. I roll it up after each use so that my cat won’t get away with her antics.
I must commend you for sticking to a disciplined Yoga routine, thats great. I am having trouble sticking to it even though the benefits would be tremendous, in every aspect of my life.
I once found the Yoke, so I know it exists and that I’m sure I’ll find it again. For me the Yoke is when you feel like a bag of bones with nothing else real in you but your wooden bones.
Kevin- Is that what those things are called, I love them! I was wondering though if they would let me on the plane with that as hand luggage. hmm.
Andy- Since I’ve been travelling I haven’t been as disciplined as I’d like to be. I’m working on it though
I think they would let you on the plane with it.But now they added a whole bunch of extra prices for carry on luggage.But it would look odd if you were carrying a yoga mat onto a plane though, kinda like the people who carry on instruments.:)
I’ve never done yoga before. How do you suggest I start? I don’t have a teacher and can’t pay for classes? Do you do meditation? How does yoga clear acne? Is it true yoga makes you look younger? Is it safe to do by teaching yourself?
Hi phy,
You’ll find that some yoga schools will offer you free classes if you really can’t afford it. You can also find some really cheap ones. My Brisbane class was only $10 for students, which is quite affordable.
You should also be able to find various community classes around for free. Jump on Google and see what’s available in your area.
I’d recommend that you go to a class first because often practicing at home without supervision we can get it a bit wrong. My favorite is Hatha yoga but you can try different styles to see what you like the best.
And yes, I do meditation too, and I try to meditate every day.
Where in Toronto can you get these eco mats?
Hi Renee, I’ve seen eco mats in Chapters actually. And I think lululemon sells eco mats too. I haven’t tried too hard to look though but I’m positive there’s loads around. They are a bit more expensive than the ‘usual’ mats, but hey, you’re saving the environment!
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