Do you really need eco friendly yoga mats?
Whether you’re one of the 16 million people around the world practicing yoga or you’re just starting your path to be a yogini, having a good yoga mat to practice on is key.
Now you may be wondering what’s the fuss about using an eco friendly yoga mat which costs more when there are a lot of plastic yoga mats in the market which cost much less.
After all, from a practical standpoint, buying a PVC mat for 20 dollars makes more sense than buying an eco friendly mat that’s priced 50 dollars and up. Besides it’s the yoga practice, not the mat, that will make you among other benefits, relaxed, strong and healthy.
But when you find out the real deal behind these plastic mats, you’ll see that there’s nothing at all healthy about practicing yoga on a PVC.
Yes, PVC yoga mats are sticky, durable, readily available and, best of all, cheap. But that’s as good as it gets.
Polyvinyl chloride is the worst kind of plastic ever because it requires mixing with a host of harmful substances to be useful. We’re talking lead, cadmium, pthalate and dioxin that can cause damage to your brain, your baby – making parts, and your immune system. The big whammy? Dioxin is known to cause cancer.
Imagine inhaling all those chemicals while you’re in downward dog or child’s pose. Maybe the smell of plastic is tolerable but the chemicals in it that can wreak havoc to your body should not be tolerated.
What’s worse, PVC mats cannot be readily recycled because that would mean releasing into the environment more of the harmful substances it was made of in the first place.
No matter how you look at it, PVC causes damage before, during and after you use it. It comes out cheap but the trade-offs are actually very costly,
Now this is where eco-friendly yoga mats come in. Some are made of thermo plastic polymer while most of the good ones are made of natural rubber. Manufacturers say they don’t use plasticizers to produce these eco yoga mats. No one has actually looked into the fine print of their components but at the fact that these mats are PVC-free definitely makes it better than the conventional plastic mat.
One of the first things people notice about environment friendly yoga mats is the strong rubber smell which could be irritating to some. But at least you can be assured that the smell is only irritating your nose and not destroying the other organs in your body.
Others also find the eco yoga mats disintegrate after a few years. This should be taken as a good sign since this means that after you’ve disposed of your mat, it will decompose completely and easily. Of course, be careful to choose eco conscious yoga mats with a high level of durability. After all, even if you use this kind of mat but you keep switching to a new one every few months or so, that’s still not being environment friendly.
The good thing is yoga mat manufacturers continue to come up with innovations that satisfy the yogini’s needs for comfort, cushion, length, grip and durability while also being mindful of their environmental responsibility. No one product is perfect though so read up on reviews and feedback so you can make an informed and practical choice.
Do you really need to use an eco – friendly yoga mat? It is not a rule nor a requirement for your practice. But compared to a mat made of PVC, it’s definitely way better. If you practice yoga and you live by its principles, you already know the answer.