Yoga mats are an incremental piece to the physical practice of yoga, asana. Yoga mats are designed to support your joints and muscles in the physical practice of yoga. Though you can practice on and off your mat, when you are on your mat, your mat is able to protect you in many ways. Every single time I teach yoga, I always remind my students that their mat is their safe place – and I am here to remind you that your mat is your safe place. When you are physically on your mat, let everything else melt away. Your breath has your back, and your mat protects you in all ways, including your joints and muscles.
Let’s dive a little deeper into it – the cushion part of a yoga mat allows for you to find proper alignment on your mat and sink into that pose. Finding stillness and a steady breath in each physical pose is arguably one of the most challenging parts of yoga, but a yoga mat allows for us to find additional comfort and cushion without adding any excess tension or stress to our joints and muscles.
Feel the cushion protecting your joints and muscles by flowing through a warrior series. Start in a downward facing dog. Press the balls of your feet into your yoga mat, along with your palms. Keep your fingers spread out and gaze neutral, removing any wrinkles from the back of your neck. Press your hips up and back and roll your shoulders away from your ears. Feel support from your fingertips to your toes. On your inhale, take your right leg high and on your exhale step your foot through coming into a runner’s lunge. Start to feel your right hip open and find support through your right foot grounded, left toes, and palms glued into your mat. Swivel your left heel down and find support from your yoga mat as you rise into Warrior I. As you rise take an inhale, and settle into your Warrior I on your exhale. Find alignment through stacking your right knee over your right ankle, continuing to keep your left heel connected to your yoga mat, keeping your hips squared, and allowing your arms to frame your face. Relax your shoulders and externally rotate your arms to start to fire up your biceps and triceps. Find support through your mat in each foot. Release your arms alongside your body, interlace your fingers so your right thumb comes on top, and on your next breath in puff your chest, and on your breath out, hinge forward and downward into a humble warrior. Feel the support from your mat allow you to press equal weight into each foot. Take your next inhale and rise back into a Warrior I and on your exhale, dance open into a Warrior II.
Continue to breathe here and find alignment and support. Once again, stack your right knee over your right ankle. Keep your left foot parallel to the short edge of the back of your yoga mat and keep your arms in one long line of energy. Take your drishti, your divine vision, over your right middle finger. Think about your head placed evenly between each shoulder and your shoulders stacked on top of your hips. Breathe into the support of your yoga mat. Take an inhale and reverse your warrior and continue to breathe here. Keeping the integrity of your strong warrior legs, take your right palm up and then back, opening the right side of your body. Take one more inhale and take the yoga pose a little deeper, and on your exhale kartwheel your hands down framing your right foot, pivoting your left heel up. Once again, find support through your mat in your joints and observe how this runner’s lunge may feel different from your first. Flow through a chaturanga if that is what is serving you and try it out on your left side. As you continue to flow through your yoga practice, you will find that through each pose your body is supported by your yoga mat.
You can use your yoga mat as a place to meditate and get deeper in your pranayama, the practice of breath control. Come to a comfortable seat sitting crossed legged on your mat. You can take this seat with your mat horizontally or vertically – whichever way is speaking to you. From there, feel your sit bones sink into your mat. Feel the cushion under your sit bones protecting all of you. Slightly tuck your tailbone and start to send energy from the bottom of your tailbone through the very top of your head. Relax your shoulders, relax your jaw, relax your tongue. Shut down your eyes gently so your eyelids feel light rather than heavy. Take a few deep open mouth exhales here. To start to breathe into your ujjayi breath, your warrior breath, inhale through your nose and exhale through your nose.
Try taking Yoga Design Lab’s Yoga Mat Quiz to find out which yoga mat is best for you and your yoga practice.
Learn more about Yoga Design’s Yoga Mats:
- The YDL Combo Yoga Mat - 2-in-1 (Mat + Towel) is best for heated yoga. The mat combines a high-quality mat with a microfiber towel to absorb sweat and add a protection to grip firmly into your mat.
- The YDL Cork Mat is best for yogis focused on eco-friendly yoga products.
- The YDL Curve Mat is designed to fit the human body and flow creatively and freely.
- For a versatile mat to practice, yoga, pilates, or another workout, check out the YDL Infinity Mat. It’s durable and allows for cushioned support and grip.
- The YDL Flow Yoga Mat is the perfect beginner mat.
- For the traveling yogis, the YDL Combo Travel Yoga Mat - 2-in-1 (Mat + Towel) is best since it is lightweight, compact, and portable.
You can find thickness ranging from 1 mm all the way to 6 mm on Yoga Design Lab’s yoga mats so you can choose what supports your yoga practice, body, and breath the most. You can also find various designs. Choose one that speaks to your personality!
A yoga mat provides the perfect cushion to support your joints, muscles, and most importantly your breath. It is an essential tool for yogis at all levels.
By, Samira Agarwal
