 The
right tools are absolutely essential to a
successful and rewarding Yoga or Pilates practice.
Although all Pilates and Yoga accessories
provide some enhancement to your experience,
by far, your most important tool is your mat.
even if you are just learning the basics of
Yoga or Pilates, a high quality mat will do
more to enhance your practice than any other
accessory. |
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The Thickness
of Your Pilates / Yoga Mat |
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Your
mat should be comfortable, and comfort is
based on a mat's thickness and firmness.
You will be spending a great deal of time
on this mat and your body will thank you
for the cushioning! Most Yoga/Pilates mats
are too thin, “1/8” or less”
and provide little if any cushion. |
If you travel a great deal
with your mat these are fine, if not, consider
a high quality mat; unless all you want
to think about during your practice is how
hard the floor is.
Thicker
is not always better – most are very
soft and do not provide enough support.
A good Pilates or Yoga mat should be thick
enough and soft enough to provide grip,
yet firm enough to provide enough support
and cushion. |
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Your Pilates or Yoga Mat Should
Provide Grip |
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There
are really only two methods of providing
a non-slip surface to a mat. One alternative
is a ‘sticky mat’ that has a
‘tacky’ coating applied to the
surface that will stop your hands from slipping.
The other alternative is to find a mat that
will conform around your hands and feet
to provide a secure, dug-in grip. Think
of it like the mattress ads that feature
the |
handprint in the ‘memory
foam’. It should provide the same
amount of grip even when you sweat and should
not slide around on the floor as you move.
Your
mat also needs to remain flat on the floor.
Mats with square corners will tend to curl
up, look for rounded corners. |
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Ease of Maintenance |
| Maintenance
of your yoga mat should consist of nothing more
than occasionally wiping it down with clean cloth
dampened with warm water. Any mat that is machine
washable is probably too thin and therefore, won't
meet the cushion or grip criteria, which are essential
in a good yoga mat. |
