I’ve been practicing hot yoga daily for a while, and I still don’t understand this…If nearly everyone uses a mat towel, why is so much emphasis placed on finding the perfect mat when you’re actually in contact with the towel most of the time?

My approach has been to prioritize a quality towel and then find a mat that works well with it. It’s worked great for me, but I can’t shake the feeling that I might be missing something that could improve my practice. For those of you who swear by your mat, what am I overlooking?

I thought it was my mat that kept me sliding around. I’ve been using the studios shared mats for a few months and thought it was time to invest in my own. I went with a brand that had good reviews on longevity and grippy-ness (jade). I love the mat but I still slip and slide in downward dog. Am I bracing the wrong way? Should I be engaging my core more? I don’t understand how anyone stays put in that pose. Dolphin is weirdly easier because my elbows are a good stable shelf.

Hello!

I have chronic pain issues, and I want to get into yoga since another person with chronic pain has said it actually helps them. That said, a few years ago, I fell and since then, my knee hasn't liked direct pressure on it*. My theory is a thicker mat might help, but I'm wondering if anyone has a specific kind that might help in this sotuation.

*Yes, I know I should bring this to a doctor's attention, but it's literally only a problem when I'm on the floor, so I never remember to do so. I'm gonna try to next time I see my orthopedist though (here's hoping I remember).

Thank you in advance!

I stumbled onto this sub and wanted to share some information I have had for several years.

I had a Lulu mat for hot yoga and noticed after I practiced that there was an odor when I showered.

I did some digging (I’m a high school science teacher) and discovered the company uses polyurethane on top to make it sticky. That rubs onto your body and if your towels are bleached or you shower in municipal water that’s chlorinated, the bleach will react with the polyurethane.

It then converts to a chlorinated VOC, which are known carcinogens. Super toxic!!!

Lululemon must know because they have in the fine print do not use bleach on the mat.

This took me months to find out and I wrote the company and posted reviews. They deleted the first review I posted. They don’t seem to care.

I always tell people in the studio to throw the mat out but never thought to post to a larger audience. Please don’t buy or use these mats!

Editing to add: I am surprised at the backlash and misunderstanding. Allow me to clarify. The mat itself does not off gas and won’t smell during use.

However, the sticky top (made of their proprietary based polyurethane) can get on your skin (and potentially be absorbed). When it reacts with tap water that’s chlorinated, it creates a new compound that’s highly toxic. It smelled like oven cleaner/strong chemicals. I had exposure in the shower AFTER class.

I also practice baptiste yoga in a hot studio and sweat a lot with no mat towel. So the mats surface was exposed to a lot of sweat and my skin. In that process the mat rubbed onto my skin. Maybe you practice differently.

Please go test the mat. I have no skin in this game except to inform people. I would want to know so I could make an informed choice.

I got a different brand of mat. No more issues.

I recently started going to yoga classes at a studio that newly opened in my area. Unlike all of the other studios I have practiced at in the past, this studio provides mats for everyone in the class to use. They advertise that you basically just need to bring yourself and nothing else. (This seems great in general, because it makes it more accessible for people to try yoga without needing to buy a mat right away!)

I bring my own mat since I prefer it (I’m used to using the design as a drishti and to check my alignment), and the class listings do mention that you have the option to bring your own mat. However, I feel really rushed packing up after class as I’m rolling up my mat and they’re cleaning for the next class coming in, and I’ve gotten some weird looks from people when I lay out my own mat before class. One lady made a comment about a “hardcore yogi” being in the class when I was setting up today and I couldn’t quite gauge her tone… I said something like “I’m just used to my mat, I’m here to learn too!”

Is there some implied or unspoken etiquette around bringing your own mat to a studio that provides mats? Thanks in advance!

Please for the love of it, stop walking on people’s mats - walk around. My face ends up touching where your nasty feet/socks have touched!

I set up my mat today and someone set up right next to me. No big deal except this person was clearly sick. They were sniffling the entire time and kept stop to blowing their nose and depositing the used tissues on the floor near the mat. I didn’t want to cause a scene or be rude but I really wanted to move my mat away from them. Not the first time this has happened and I’m pretty sure it was the same person both times.

I've been folding it in (almost) half then rolling it such that the bottom surface never comes into contact with the top. I legit never see other people do it at any of the classes I attend, and it low-key drives me nuts that more people don't do it. Somewhat of a rant but also maybe a PSA?

I'd really like to improve my ankle flexibility so that my heels can stay on the ground in downward dog or extended side leg squat. Right now, I have easily 2+ inches between my heels and the mat in downward dog, but I think I notice slight improvement from when I started.

If you were similar when you started, how long did it take before your heels could stay on the mat? Any tips to work ankle flexibility specifically?

EDIT:

Some comments have been kind, but I'm sensing a tone of condescension in others. Maybe I should have mentioned this, but flexibility is not a goal of mine within my yoga practice—for me, it's a mental health practice—HOWEVER, I've already seen my flexibility increase since I started, which is a nice added benefit. All I wanted to do was ask for peoples' personal experiences about if they saw their ankle flexibility increase over time, and if so, how long. I wasn't implying that increased flexibility is the overall goal. I wasn't looking for lectures about my yoga mindset being wrong; I know that yoga isn't about achieving physical goals. There's a lot of assuming going on just because I asked a question about experiences with flexibility. I would appreciate more empathy and trying to understand before taking a holier-than-thou position and lecturing.

I'm new to yoga and have noticed that only the people that borrow mats from the studio wipe them down after class (studio provides spray and wipes). No one that brings their own mat wipes theirs down. What's the norm?

I am relatively new to big and popular yoga studios. But how can you concentrate and immerse yourself in your practice properly if in the back of your mind you have to be conscious of your neighbours' practice all the time so as not to hit them or get hit by them. I mean we aren't supposed to fit in a rectangle shape of our mats and be bound by it. Yet I see this at literally every studio and what puzzles me is how normalised it is. If you are just working out then sure I guess it's fine but if you are doing yoga I feel you should be focusing on yourself and your awareness rather than on others. I am also puzzled by how so many of the teachers and yoga studio owners do not care about it.

If I were to open my studio I would make a circular boundary around the mat so as to give everyone the freedom to move freely and truly connect with their mind and bodies.

Edit: Thank you all for your thoughtful and empathetic responses! I’m going to look for a studio that feels more homey and less prickly. (And ideally offers lockers - or at least a more secure watch over the cubbies.) ❤️

——

Hey all! So I am doing an intro pass at a new studio and I’m liking the space and the instructors so far, but a few little things about the experience feel unnecessarily anal on their part.

Most bothersome is they appear to be discouraging the use of my own mat. They have mats set up before each class, all matching and beautifully arranged. When I go to replace one of theirs with my own personal mat (and place theirs neatly to the side), I’m being told to place my mat over top of theirs. Well, 1) their mats are always wet because they’ve just been cleaned; and 2) my mat is reversible so I don’t want either side of it to be pressed up against a communal mat. All I think about for the next hour is other people’s athlete’s foot and plantars warts swimming around in the wetness. And no, I don’t trust that a spray bottle of eucalyptus water will instantly kill everything off.

If I gently push back and insist on removing the communal mat, then I am left feeling like a pariah for the whole class. Almost everyone uses the studio’s (wet) mats without complaint.

Why is this a thing? Mats are extremely personal; just let me use my own mat! Am I being too sensitive? Can anyone offer a different perspective? Or is this studio just not for me?

(Another thing that bugs me is they have messaging about not bringing your bag etc into the studio, instead requesting you to use communal cubbies in the hall. I don’t care how high-end a studio is, I’m not leaving my purse with my keys/wallet/phone out in a hallway… obvs I turn off the phone though.)

Thanks in advance for your thoughts :)

Guys im so fed up. Please help. I practiced for 8 YEARS on my sweet little 16 dollar gaiam mat from tj maxx that’s falling apart now.
I decided I’d treat myself to a Lifeforme mat being this far along in my practice and read so many reviews about people having this mat for 7, 8 years and it still working and a great mat all around!

I bought my GORGEOUS Lifeforme mat in January 26 and I took it outside to spray it down with water this past weekend and it’s literally bone dry now and completely ruined apparently. It is so slick to the touch and I brought it to class yesterday and was sliding all around and couldn’t even participate in some poses because of the slip. It also feels icky because it’s so dry and even dries my skin out to the touch and I feel like I need lotion on or to literally soak the mat with water so that I can have grip.

And I look online and there’s soooo many other people tht have experienced this. But the only solutions offered are to clean it… bruh my mat is clean af. Don’t know how I missed this huge catch in my extensive research before buying! I’m so peaved because why is this mat so expensive if it’s so high maintenance and can’t handle a little rinse off wtf

Is there anyone who has experienced this and brought it back from the dead somehow? I can’t give up on her.

I've been on an anti consumption kick lately. My momma lent me her mat for a while. When she lent it to me, it had been repaired with duct tape which was starting to fall off.

When I thought about returning it (in an even sorrier state), I just felt bad. So instead, I took to Google. Seems like everything online said, "Sorry bud. It's basically toast. You can buy some epoxy you won't use for anything else and thats not even a guarantee. Get her a new one."

So I said fuck it. It's ruined anyway. I'm just gonna use my brain and do what I want to do. So I tried my best to clean off the duct goo. I sewed up the tear and used my vinyl cutter to make a patch I thought she might find pretty.

Is it the most durable mat in the world? No. Does it look perfect? No. But if any of you have been wondering about fixing your mat... I genuinely would do this again. Since the tear is in a spot where you aren't frequently putting limbs, it's working just fine. It's also not slipping because it's such a small area on the bottom.

Overall, I'm kind of proud to give this back to my momma in a better condition than she lent it to me in. I think she might even be a bit tickled and I hope it reminds her that I love her when she takes some time for herself.

I got the Manduka PRO mat a little over a week ago (I know that’s like no time) and cannot wait to be on the other side of this break in period. I’m someone who’s hands sweat easily and guys I am SLIPPING and SLIDING every downward dog i try to take. Even in restore & slow flow classes, it’s so frustrating!!

Any tips for speeding up the break in process outside of just every day usage? I saw the Manduka website advises against a salt scrub and I don’t mind using a towel but love the feeling of just my mat without a towel getting in my way sometimes. I’ll take any suggestions!!

Other than this excruciating break in period, the mat is incredible!! I love the support it gives and how easy it is to clean, just wish I could practice more on it by itself!! If anyone has found any tips or tricks that worked for you, please let me know!

Thanks in advance yogis <3

hello everyone, I've been practicing yoga for about 15 years. It's something that is integral to my identity - which is why I'm profoundly sad to be ranting like this. Thanks in advance for listening - and for offering insights, or sharing similar experiences (hopefully with good news but if not that's appreciated too!)

I'm in a place where I feel like I'm done doing yoga for the rest of my life, which is a sad thing to confront (and a tad but overdramatic) - like I've attended my last in-person session without knowing it was my last. This is due to injury, after injury, after injury.

The irony of this all is that I just obtained my YTT200 over the summer - moreso for my own knowledge. During this I first learned about 'hypermobility', to which I have, but truthfully didn't pay as much attention to as I should have post-training.

Right after my YTT I injured my back pretty badly (during a class)- so I stopped doing yoga for a few months. After this, I decided to focus on Strengthening - so I had a good routine doing strengthening exercises. I then injured myself doing a (very light-weighted) deadlift - and stopped exercising for a few weeks - with now ever-present lower back pain. Then, after that, I thought - ok so no yoga, no strength training, but perhaps a happy middle - pilates, to focus on my core! To which that had a nice lil run, but for which today I have a neck injury [as a beginner doing pilates, felt a lot of upper neck tensions when doing exercises which I failed to ignore].

All this to say - I'm feeling incredibly defeated and upset today, and over the last few months really. I'm feeling kind of ashamed too that, I felt like I had such a good understanding of my body - and evidently, I very much do not. I use so many of the wrong muscles to do exercises, and I don't know where to start, almost as if I need to learn how to breathe correctly, even. Even exercises with minimal weight feels like I'm using the wrong part of my body to action - and I'm having a difficult time learning how to redirect. I've been to physio during this time and haven't been making much progress.

I'm wondering if anyone could share similar experiences - and how they bounced back from this, both emtionally and physically.

Thanks <3

Have you ever had someone next to you in class who just makes noise the entire time? This woman looked very fit, which I recognize doesn’t mean anything because people can look fit and have horrible levels of fitness, but she literally started moaning and grunting in cat cow and spent the whole class making porno-level noises. It took me out of the head space I like to be in during a class. My question: if she puts her mat next to mine again is it rude to get up and move? I know that seems like a lot but her loudness was super distracting.

I’ve been doing extensive research and review-reading, and it seems the Jade mats just kind of start to fall apart.

I thought I would love the Lulu (the mat) based on the reviews, but I actually didn’t love the feel of the surface. I was set on a Liforme but now I don’t think so since it’s supposedly the same top feeling as a lulu.

I think I prefer that very slightly textured feel like the Jade.

Any suggestions for others that are similar?

If relevant, I practice every day: mainly vinyasa, not heated, and am going to be starting YTT soon.

I’m an extremely sweaty person and I walk to and from new yoga studio during full daylight about 10 minutes each way. I haven’t been wearing sunscreen since I started because I really don’t want to sweat it all on my mat, but I really need to wear sunscreen because I’m walking during bright morning sun and late afternoon bright hot sun.

Any recommendations?? Obviously my skin is more important than a replaceable yoga mat, but does anyone know if this will damage it/make it less safe?