Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Selecting the Best Sticky Yoga Mat

By ElizabethG Morgan

You’ll probably be very pleased with your choice if you have decided to take up yoga. Your strength and flexibility will be increased by doing yoga on a regular basis and it will help you to focus your mind and teach you how to reach a state of tranquility in this busy and uncertain world. The best thing is that your new exercise program won’t require much equipment. A sticky yoga mat is the one major thing you will need.


Yoga teacher Angela Farmer came up with the idea for sticky yoga mats. Doing yoga while her hands and feet slipped out from under her caused frustration. Soon she started using carpet padding to do yoga. Her father soon took interested and patented the first sticky yoga mat.

Then came the “Tapas Mat” under the Hugger Mugger company.


Today sticky yoga mats come in a dizzying array of colors and thickness. To find the right mat for you, it is best to take into account the workouts that you do along with your personal taste. A yoga mat at least four millimeters thick is needed by people who practice Ashtanga Yoga which is a fast paced type of yoga preferred by athletes. If you are very thin or frail and need extra padding then you might want to choose a thicker mat.


Other Considerations in Buying a Sticky Yoga Mat


There are dozens of different colors for sticky yoga mats. There are a few that also have pictures or patterns. Many health or sporting goods stores have sticky yoga mats and then there are countless yoga sites online. A basic mat will cost between fifteen and twenty dollars while a more specialized mat will cost you between thirty-five and forty dollars. You can find good deal on used or new sticky yoga mats by checking some of the online auction sites.


The chemicals that go into most sticky yoga mats are a concern for some people. If this is the case then you can choose to use a rubber mat, Gaiam mats, eco-Yoga mat or the Earth Elements mat. It is a little more expensive for these mats at about thirty-five dollars but you won’t have to worry about the toxins in the environment and find the higher price is worth it.


An important first step to practicing yoga is selecting the right sticky mat for your needs Yoga for Beginners.You will be well on your way to enjoying the benefits of yoga once you have a good mat Yoga Exercise.


Elizabeth Morgan is an expert on the Finding the Right Sticky Yoga Mat, Yoga for Beginners and Yoga Exercise.

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