What you should know about the grip and cushioning of a yoga mat

In many product comparisons of yoga mats, grip and cushioning are cited as particularly important aspects. This is logical - everyone wants to perform their exercises safely and comfortably. 

Aspects Grip

The feeling of gumption is very subjective. Everyone is individual and feels differently. It also makes a big difference whether you have dry or wet hands when you are doing an intensive session, for example. Too little grip can mean that exercises cannot be performed properly. But too much grip is not helpful either. Exercises are then no longer performed in the correct flow and the movements can no longer be carried out smoothly; exercises are performed stop-and-go, so to speak. Apart from that, a mat also wears out much faster.

Performing exercises correctly

First and foremost, the focus should be on improving the exercises and performing them correctly. To do this, you should work with a lot of pressure on your hands and feet and distribute the weight evenly. This ensures more stability and a much more conscious experience in the yoga flow.

Attenuation

The focus is often placed too much on the mat. It is completely normal - especially when you start yoga - to put a lot of strain on your knees or joints. In yoga practice, it is common to use a towel, blanket or bolster to relieve the strain. Here too, it makes sense to focus on the correct and natural execution of the exercises. 

Origin of yoga mats

Yoga has been around for 3-4,000 years and was first practiced with light mats made of grass, leaves or animal skins. Today, the classic yoga mat is 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 such as cotton or cork not only help us, but also have an impact on the environment. Many yoga mats use plasticizers, harmful ingredients and a number of plastics. In our view, this is a major problem. Materials such as sheep's wool are also problematic due to the conditions in which the animals are kept.

Natural materials for yoga mats include cotton, natural rubber and cork. It is also important to take a close look at cork yoga mats, as they are often mixed with other materials such as latex or TPE on the underside. The bYo® yoga mat from treeletic is the first yoga mat to be made entirely from cork, a true original.

Cork yoga mats have the advantage of being purely natural and protecting our environment. No tree has to be felled for it, as only the bark is used, which helps the tree to regenerate and extends its lifespan. The material is antibacterial and hypoallergenic. Yoga mats made of cork offer a perfect natural and healthy training environment.

Grip works differently with cork 

A plus is that cork contains natural suberin, which also increases grip in damp conditions. In contrast to rubber mats, sweating increases grip. For particularly good grip, a cork mat should be lightly moistened with a spray bottle of water before exercises. This is particularly recommended for very dry skin. 

In our view, natural materials are more than an alternative and should actually be standard.

Summary

We hope that we have explained the background well and wish you lots of fun with yoga in any case! Here is a brief summary of the most important points: