What You Should Know About Grip and Cushioning in Yoga Mats

In many yoga mat comparisons, grip and cushioning are cited as particularly important factors. This makes sense—everyone wants to perform their exercises safely and comfortably. 

Grip Features

The sensation of grip is very subjective. Everyone is unique and experiences things differently. It also makes a big difference whether your hands are dry or damp, for example, during an intense workout. Too little grip can prevent exercises from being performed correctly. But too much grip isn’t helpful either. Exercises then lose their natural flow, and movements can no longer be performed smoothly—they end up feeling like stop-and-go. On top of that, the mat wears out much faster.

Performing Exercises Correctly

First and foremost, the focus should be on improving your technique and performing the exercises correctly. To do this, apply plenty of pressure to your hands and feet and distribute your weight evenly. This provides greater stability and a much more mindful experience during the yoga flow.

Damping

People often focus too much on the mat. It’s completely normal—especially when you’re just starting out with yoga—for your knees or joints to feel a lot of strain. In yoga practice, it’s common to use a towel, a blanket, or a bolster to take some of the pressure off. Here, too, it makes sense to focus on performing the exercises correctly and naturally. 

The Origins of Yoga Mats

Yoga has been around for 3,000 to 4,000 years and was originally practiced on simple mats made of grass, leaves, or animal skins. Today, the classic yoga mat is considered to be the cotton yoga mat, which is still used by many yogis. The focus here is on the naturalness of the material. 

Aspects of natural materials

We firmly believe that natural materials like cotton or cork not only benefit us but also have a positive impact on the environment. Many yoga mats contain plasticizers, harmful chemicals, and a significant amount of plastic. In our view, this is a major problem. Similarly, materials like sheep’s wool are problematic due to the conditions in which the animals are raised.

Natural materials used in yoga mats include cotton, natural rubber, and cork. With cork yoga mats, it’s also important to take a closer look, as they often combine cork with other materials like latex or TPE on the underside. The bYo® yoga mat from treeletic is the first yoga mat made entirely of cork—a true original.

Cork yoga mats have the advantage of being completely natural and environmentally friendly. No trees need to be cut down, as only the bark is used; this helps the tree regenerate and extends its lifespan. The material is antibacterial and hypoallergenic. Cork yoga mats provide a perfect, natural, and healthy environment for practice.

Grip works differently with cork 

One advantage is that cork contains natural suberin, which further improves grip when damp. Unlike rubber mats, sweating actually increases the grip. For optimal grip, a cork mat should be lightly moistened with water from a spray bottle before exercising. This is especially recommended for those with very dry skin. 

In our view, natural materials are more than just an alternative; they should really be the norm.

Summary

We hope we’ve explained the background clearly, and we hope you have a great time doing yoga! Here’s a quick summary of the key points: