Whether you’re one of the 18 million people around the world practicing yoga or you’re just started your journey with yoga,
having a good yoga mat to practice on is essential. Now you may be wondering what’s the fuss about using an eco friendly yoga mat which costs more when there are a lot of plastic yoga mats in the market which cost less. After all, from a practical standpoint, buying a PVC yoga mat for 20 dollars makes more sense than buying an eco friendly yoga mat that’s priced 80 dollars and up. Besides it’s the yoga practice, not the mat, that will give you the benefits of yoga. But when you find out what goes into making these plastic mats, you’ll see that there’s nothing at all healthy about practicing yoga on a PVC.
Yes, granted PVC yoga mats are sticky, durable, readily available and, best of all, cheap. But that’s as good as it gets. Polyvinyl chloride is the worst kind of plastic ever because it is made by mixing a whole gamut of harmful substances together. Substances like lead, cadmium, pthalate and dioxin that can cause damage to your brain, your reproductive organs, and your immune system. The big whammy? Dioxin is known to cause cancer.
Imagine inhaling all those chemicals while you’re in downward dog or child’s pose. Maybe the smell of plastic is tolerable but the chemicals in it that can wreak havoc to your body should be avoided. What’s worse, PVC mats cannot be readily recycled because that would mean releasing the harmful substances into the environment. No matter how you look at it, PVC causes damage before, during and after you use it. It comes out cheap but the trade-offs are very costly.
Now this is where eco friendly yoga mats come in. Some are made of thermo plastic polymer while most of the really good ones are made of natural rubber. Manufacturers say they don’t use plasticizers to produce these eco yoga mats. However, no one has actually looked into the fine print of their components but the fact that these mats are PVC-free definitely makes them better than the conventional plastic mat. For those with allergies to rubber you can find some great plastic mats that are pthalate-free.
When brand new, environment friendly yoga mats give off a strong rubber smell but after a few uses the rubber smell begins to disappear. Some individuals are irritated by the smell but at least you can be assured that the smell is only irritating your nose and not destroying the other organs in your body. A great way to remove the odor is by washing the mat on gentle cycle using cool water in your washing machine. Use 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1 tsp of eco-friendly detergent. The mat will also grip even better after a wash. Spin the mat a couple times and then hang to dry.
Others also find the eco yoga mat begins to disintegrate after a few years. This should be taken as a good sign since this means that after you’ve disposed of your mat, it will decompose completely and easily. Make sure to choose a eco friendly yoga mat with a high level of durability. After all, you don’t want to keep switching to a new eco yoga mat every few months or so, that’s not being environment friendly either.
The good thing is yoga mat manufacturers continue to come up with innovations that satisfy the yogis needs for comfort, cushion, length, grip and durability while also being mindful of their environmental responsibility. No one product is perfect though so read up on reviews and feedback so you can make an informed and practical choice.
Do you really need to use an eco friendly yoga mat? It is not a rule nor a requirement for your practice. But compared to a mat made of PVC, it’s definitely way better. If you practice yoga and you live by its principles, you already know the answer.
Some fantastic choices of eco yoga mats are Manduka EKO mat, Jade Harmony mat and Prana E.C.O. mat.
Leave a Reply