do i need an expensive yoga mat

Someone searched for this topic and since I responded to Emma’s email at the time I was on hiatus, I thought of posting now my reply to her. Emma’s is not the first query I received on yoga mats. Seems like buying a yoga mat is such a big deal to yoga practitioners. And why not? Yoga mats are expensive! And oh yes, they are crucial to one’s practice. I’m copying here my reply (with revised prices this time), in case someone out there intends to buy a new yoga mat.

The choice of yoga mat indeed depends on your physical traits, as well as on the demand of your practice / yoga style. I sweat like a pig that’s why I needed a really sticky mat so I wouldn’t slip…until I changed yoga style from vinyasa to ashtanga. Unlike before, I am now allowed to roll out my yoga towel at the start of the practice so there’s no more need for sticky mat. Yoga towel gives me the traction/grip that I need. And because of yoga towels, it doesn’t matter to me anymore whether the mat is absorbent or not. By the way, the use of towels has extended the useful life of my mat! And since we do a lot of jumping in ashtanga, cushion is now my primary criterion in choosing a mat that’s why I use the 1/4″ type…and of course, durability counts because mats are expensive! 

Here’s my matealogy (mat genealogy) in chronological order of use:

1. Toby’s generic yoga mat (good as a beginner’s mat, for those who are not yet sure whether they’ll make yoga a fad or a lifestyle)   – Php300, my very first mat, lasted for 6 months, torn and thrown away.

2. Gaiam Bamboo 1/8″ – $20 or Php1,000 lasted for a little over a year before I converted it into a bath mat, served another year as such. Now torn and thrown away.

3. Gaiam 1/4″ Bright Stripes – $30 or Php1,500 partially worn out but still okay, I still use this for home practice.

4. Wai Lana Hibiscus 1/8″ – $17 or Php850, wore out easily, our new bath mat.

5. Manduka Eko Mat (moss) – $75 or Php3,750, felt like an asphalt road when I did downdog so I gave it away…however, the recipient loves it so much that he has used it since in place of his Manduka Pro. Different preferences. One thing I can say is that Manduka is super durable. Not a single tear after using it for months.

6. Brandless 1/4″ yoga mat from eBay - $12 or Php600 got this from my sister who stopped doing yoga when she got pregnant…I use this during our private class, now parked in my yogini-friend’s home studio.

7. Brandless 1/4″ yoga mat from Watson’s – free for every Php300 worth of purchase (I think; I got this two years ago but am using it only now) – I use this mat at the studio.

So now, I am using three mats–one at home, one for our private, and another at the studio–only one is branded, all of them are 1/4″. More critical to my practice now is the yoga towel.

Aquazorb or Yogitoes? Buy Filipino!

Manduka eKo Mat Isn’t for Lifetime Use

I was hoping to find a mat that would last at least this lifetime and not have to buy another one….So let’s see how long it will take me to wear out kermit.

manduka pro mat versus eko mat

My Shala Wish List Illustrated

I wish my yoga mates…

…would not place their mats right in front of somebody else’s mat because once in a while we all want to check our postures by looking at our reflection on the mirror.

…would not place their mats so close before somebody else’s that when we do the poses lying on our stomach we would smell one another’s feet.

…would stay on their mats, especially when we stretch our legs back in preparation for lunges and warrior poses, because again if they don’t we would likely smell one another’s feet or step on one another.

…would not pull back/forward their mats when I pull mine back/forward because if we align our mats side by side we would hit one another when we do sun salutations.

…would not step on other people’s mats. Just don’t. Please.

…would not speak to me when I do my asanas before class because if I would rather talk to others than do asanas, I would have stayed in the waiting lounge.

Om shanti….

My Shala Wishlist

I wish my yoga mates…

…would not place their mats right in front of somebody else’s mat because once in a while we all want to check our postures by looking at our reflection on the mirror.

…would not place their mats so close before somebody else’s that when we do the poses lying on our stomach we would smell one another’s feet.

…would stay on their mats, especially when we stretch our legs back in preparation for lunges and warrior poses, because if they don’t we would likely smell one another’s feet or step on one another.

…would not pull back/forward their mats when I pull mine back/forward because if we align our mats side by side we would hit one another when we do sun salutations.

…would not step on other people’s mats. Just don’t. Please.

…would not occupy too much space just to avoid the breaks on the glass walls because it is not kind to other yogis and it does not help the studio run efficiently.

…would not speak to me when I do my asanas before class because if I would rather talk to others than do asanas, I would have stayed in the waiting lounge.

…would tell the shala-keeper if they have spilled something on the floor so that he could clean up the mess right away and other yogis won’t get their feet wet (literally).

…would not leave their underwear lying around the waiting lounge. Encarta defines underwear as “clothes worn beneath outer clothes, usually next to the skin and not normally seen in public” (emphasis mine).

…would close the lounge door IF they really have to change clothes immediately and could not wait for their turn to use the restroom or the changing “corner”.

And I wish I would not have to add to this wish list in the future. =D