DR GREG E COHEN, a Podiatrist at Long Island College Hospital, stated in a New York Times article, that he has seen a 50% spike in patients with plantar warts and athlete’s foot as yoga has become more popular. The likely culprit? Unclean exercise mats, Dr. Cohen says.
So, I recommend to all my students bring your own mat to a yoga class. Because some gyms and studios leave it up to the yogis to clean their mats, and they may not bother. Also, some studios and gyms only clean their mats once a week, which means a lot of yogis have stepped onto the same mat throughout the week before it’s been washed.
As well as the increased awareness of hygiene, the philosophy of Saucha (one of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga), guides yogis to clean their mats after each session, have a clean body, eat clean, and live in a clean, de-cluttered space (physically and mentally). Respect for other people and their space is also paramount – never step onto another person’s mat, always walk around!
An untreated yoga mat has 100,000 bacteria per cubic centimetre
As both a student and a teacher of Yoga, I have come across many different mats, but I am yet to find my Perfect Mat.
I remember as a child practising on our sisal carpet in the lounge and can still remember the burning feeling on the skin of my knees and palms! When I did get a proper mat, I opted for a lovely thick mat, not even realising how this would compromise my ability to balance. It should be noted that yoga was never intended to be practiced on a soft surface and in any ashram in India you are likely to be practicing directly on the ground. It is only as yoga became popular with us soft ‘Westerners’ that mats came into use!
That being said, I have loved and hated mine. There was my ‘Old Faithful’ mat; a Calmia ComFyMat which lasted me years and years, was used and abused, is scuffed, frayed and stained, but I can’t bear to throw it out.
I spent a spell doing Bikram (Hot) Yoga, and found the perfect mat for that, the Manduka Eko Travel Mat and a non-slip towel. It was ultra-thin but still cushioned me from a hard stone floor, folded up beautifully to fit perfectly in the bottom of my suitcase and only weighed 1kg. But it was useless in a colder environment as good grip only developed through the sweat produced by your hands and feet.
For my classes, I bought a batch of colour co-ordinated sticky mats, blocks and belts from Yoga Matters. The mats were the standard thickness (4mm) so worked well on all surfaces, were very comfortable and easy to clean – perfect for most students, but not for me! With my nervous, sweaty palms, I certainly didn’t feel very accomplished as I struggled to maintain a good posture as my hands or feet started to slip away!
We are all more aware of the environmental impact of manmade products and it seems to me to fit with the concept of Saucha to have a mat that is made from natural materials. Most mats now incorporate cork, jute, rubber into their fabric, and many have an alignment system embossed on their surface to encourage good form.
I have made my selection and eagerly await its arrival (from a UK based company, of course!). I can’t wait to try it out and hope I can adapt to it easily, both for practice at home and in the studio. I will let you know whether it turns out to be my Perfect Mat in a month or two!
