Yoga Mats Go Eco
By Glennie Rabin
Filed Under Green Living |
If you’re in the market for a new yoga mat, get your asanas on an eco mat! Nearly all of the leading makers of yoga mats now offer earth-friendly options in their product lines. Selecting an eco yoga mat is a perfect choice as you pose your way to enlightenment and inner peace in your yoga practice.
The typical yoga mat is made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which not only pollutes the environment, but also can pollute your body with its known cancer-causing potential. An eco yoga mat is biodegradable, recyclable, and most are made from rubber (a renewable resource) and other natural materials, like cotton and jute. No PVC here!
Before you start om’ing your praises for all eco-branded yoga mats, there are two things to keep in mind. Not all are actually 100% environmentally friendly, so be sure to look at exactly what materials the mat you choose is made up of. The second drawback is the initial odor. Much like a new car, these mats all have that “new mat smell.” The aroma of natural rubber is not so nice a scent and it tends to linger… but after a few yoga practices and airing the mat out unrolled for a couple of weeks, the smell fades.
Jade Yoga / Harmony Professional Yoga Mat
The Jade Harmony Mat is a high performance mat that would suit a practitioner in any style of yoga. The mat is very tactile, with open cell rubber that provides great grip for all poses. My knees were comfortably cushioned in pigeon pose, and the mat stayed sticky even as I worked up a sweat through my sun salutations. It should be noted that the Jade Harmony mat is part latex, in case you have an allergy.
As if the Harmony mat didn’t make me a happy enough yogini on its own, Jade Yoga also has partnered with Trees for the Future and will plant a tree for every yoga mat purchased. Applause!
Wai Lana Truly Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat
“At the heart of yoga lies a deep respect for all living beings, including Mother Earth,” says Wai Lana, yoga teacher and creator of the Wai Lana Green line. “It’s only natural to want your yoga products to reflect this same caring attitude.”
The Wai Lana Truly Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat is the only eco mat on the market made with a low-impact manufacturing process and is not made from rubber, latex, or anything toxic. The mat is made of ECR (Eco Composite Resin), an environmentally friendly material that saves resources and energy.
One of the bonuses to this mat is that it has a much lower odor than the other eco yoga mats, due to the fact that it’s not rubber. However, the ECR has a texture that is more akin to fabric than to a sticky mat. So the mat had great cushion, but I found it hard to do downward dog without my hands sliding forward.
eKO Mat by Manduka
Manduka has long been the maker of the granddaddy of yoga mats – long-lasting practice surfaces with thicker cushion and greater mat dimensions. Their eKO Mat is no different. It is a few inches wider and longer than most mats and provides more padding for your knees when you are in poses like camel. Made with a dual layer, the eKO mat’s firm but ripply textured surface provides good grip for your downward facing dog pose. It’s also 99% latex free and non-allergenic.
The eKO mat is a heavier mat (7 pounds), which is something to keep in mind if you have a long way to travel with your mat on bike or foot. Another version, the eKO Lite Mat, is thinner, lighter, and slightly smaller in dimension.
Gaiam Premium Eco Yoga Mat
The Gaiam Premium Eco Yoga Mat is a lagoon blue, waffle-textured mat made of cotton mesh and rubber (which gets “tapped” from a tree like maple syrup.) The diamond-patterned mat surface provides a lot of cushion for your joints and it is reversible and non-slip on both sides.
Extra brownie points for the paper wrapper being printed on recycled paper and a mini DVD included to guide you through a few poses on the mat.
The
This eco-friendly mat truly looks the part. It reminds me of tree bark (in a good way). Check out the look in the top picture of this posting. Made of jute and part rubber, it has a slightly rougher texture from the fibers running through it, helping make it more grippy and less slippy. It is very lightweight, but still maintains a little cushiness. The Original Eco Yoga Mat does contain some latex.
Posted on May 9, 2008 |
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eCo Times reports the latest on sustainable lifestyle choices and the new green economy. This online magazine brings you the best in cutting edge green media, organic and Fair Trade product reviews, and insights into viable planetary solutions.
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