Yoga Mats-A Basic Guide
Date: Sunday March 8, 2009Posted in: yoga accessories, yoga clothes, yoga mats
Yoga mats offer a wide variety of uses (Pilates, etc), but for our purposes we will be considering its use in your yoga practice. As this is a basic guide let’s start with the most obvious…what is a yoga mat? Traditionally it is a small rectangular piece of carpet but nowadays people tend to use more modern composite materials for their mats.
One of the first things you need to decide is whether you want your mat made from natural materials or if a man made product is o.k. The natural fibers tend to run into a lot more money, but some people don’t mid the price and prefer the green approach. For natural products you can choose from hemp, jute, cork, cotton, linen, silk, and if you are really traditional…you can get a sheepskin. I’ve seen pictures of yogis in India sitting on tiger skins but I’m fairly certain that is illegal now.
While I am all about cost cutting and saving money, the cheapest choice is a plastic mat. In that you are going to be spending a lot of time with your skin on this mat, you may not want all these fumes rising up from those yoga mats. Depending on where the mat is manufactured a plastic mat can even have some cancer causing materials in it. It is a well known fact that some countries use poisonous ingredients made by prison labor in things they manufacture.
That said, there are a number of high quality man made materials out there that are perfectly acceptable. One great thing about an inexpensive man made yoga mat is it has a sticky quality to it. This helps in keeping you from taking a nasty spill when practicing.
The thing about natural products is that they can have a tendency to wear out after a while. Now if you can afford this in the first place this may not be an important consideration for you. Obviously natural fibers are kinder to the surrounding environment and you can be sure that no obnoxious fumes are going to be assaulting you during practice. And if you decide to go with cotton, the cost factor is greatly minimized.
Whichever type of yoga mat you decide to choose, make certain that you pick the right one for your own particular practice. You’ll be spending a fair amount of time on yoga mats, so your choice will be a very important one.
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Next- a review of the most popular yoga pants styles.
Basic Yoga Accessories
Date: Sunday March 8, 2009Posted in: yoga accessories, yoga mats, yoga pants
Of course the practice of yoga doesn’t require the purchase of anything, but some people like to get a few basic yoga accessories when they begin their practice. There are a number of nice, even traditional, items that you can pick up fairly reasonably. These include: yoga pants, tops, tees, and yoga mats and bags. Let’s take a brief look at some of these products.
Yoga Pants and Tops
Many people go to their yoga classes, whether they attend a yoga school or in a health club, in tee shirts and cargo shorts. And, of course, this is fine, but others want a more traditional or even eclectic approach to their basic yoga accessories. Capri pants are also a comfortable alternative as well. They offer a nice supportive fit and flexibility.
Mens Wear
In general, most men couldn’t care less what they wear when going to a yoga class. For the most part, men don’t define themselves as creatures of fashion. What they want is something simple and comfortable. Now, if you are the woman buying for this man, you know that you want him to look good in public, as well as him being comfortable. But he’s right, of course, he DOES need to be comfortable when doing his daily practice. As with most things with men, yoga accessories are no different. Keep him happy and he’ll be a good boy.
Yoga Shoes
Clearly most people practice yoga bare footed because they say it gives you a better connection with the energy of the earth. And, of course, this may be true, but when practicing in a public place I always like to have my feet covered, if only for sanitary purposes. And unless you are practicing one of those “hot-house yoga” systems like Bikram, you might have a concern that your feet may get cold. Systems like Bikram practice in rooms with the heat turned up very high, so cold is never an issue, even in the extremities.
Yoga Mats and Yoga Bags
Most modern yoga mats are lightweight and compact and ideal for mobility and are certainly a part of basic yoga accessories. Most of them come with light weight yoga bags for ease of carrying. These come in a wide variety of materials both natural and man made. You can certainly buy one of these quite cheaply but you may want to look into something that will last. And make certain it doesn’t contain any carcinogenic material as you will be spending a great deal of time on your yoga mat.
Yoga Apparel For Men
Date: Saturday March 7, 2009Posted in: yoga accessories, yoga apparel, yoga clothes, yoga pants
What is yoga apparel for me, anyway? It is an unfortunate fact of the matter that when most people think of yoga pants, men do not generally come to mind. Is it true that the practice of yoga seems to be just a woman’s issue? Not really, actually nothing could be further from the truth. Just take a look around at any yoga class, whether at a yoga studio or any health club and you are sure to find quite a number of manly men sweating and stretching with the rest of their feminine counterparts. The fact of the matter is that yoga is not only a wonderful system of relaxation and stress relief, but it is also a great exercise for building and toning muscles.
Understanding that there actually are quite a number of men engaging in this practice, a number of online yoga apparel shops have sprung up. And wanting to cash in on this realization, they have steadily been adding more and more lines of yoga apparel for men. And while the man in your life may be fine with wearing dirty t-shirts and cargo shorts to class, you want him to look a little nicer in public.
There is a common misconception that there isn’t much out there that is both fashionable and comfortable for a man to wear to his yoga class. But these fashions run the gamut from the standard baggy yoga pants to body hugging tights, shorts in various styles and fabric choice, crop tops, and sleeveless tees. And of course there is the shirts that have the Sanskrit “Om” symbol. Then there is the large variety of cut, color, and prints available for your buying pleasure.
Like most clothing, you are going to want a great deal more than just one outfit for his yoga practice. If his is a daily practice then you might want to get him 4 or 5 different sets that he (or you) can mix and match. I mean, you can always launder his only set every day, but if you are anything like me, all that laundry sounds like too much work.
I’ve found that there isn’t much of a choice for yoga apparel for men available in the more popular chain stores. So your best bet might just be a search in one of the on line stores like TurningLife or Yoga-Clothing. These companies seem to be very “green” in their approach and sell comfortable and well-fitting yoga apparel.
