Billie Sunday

Yoga mats hold great importance for a yogi, and to most it is a symbol of yoga. There are many benefits that yoga mats provide for yogis. The yoga mat is taken as a metaphor that represents a space in our minds which may experience some sort of break from the stressed nature of life. If one has practiced yoga on the grass or even on a blanket, they would know that they require more strength and flexibility.

A yoga mat is used to provide a sort of light padding for the joints as well as preventing a person from slipping. If, for instance, a person uses a carpet instead of a yoga mat, it might just do the opposite of helping. If a person practices yoga directly on the hard surface it will absorb all the energy.

Thus if people practice yoga on a marble floor without a mat, the floor will absorb the energy and leave the person cold. Thus, more energy will be required from them as compared to when using a yoga mat. To ensure proper practice of yoga a clear mind is required; however placing your feet on a cold surface will draw your attention away from the routine.

Moreover, many positions become harder to hold when done on a hard surface. This could cause people to experience soreness in their muscles and thus it is better to use yoga mats for comfort and safety purposes.

Without any kind of stability on the surface being practiced on, yoga becomes hard to practice. For example, in the triangle pose, if the person uses a yoga mat, their foot will not bulge. This way you can lean in, putting on more weight and strengthening the stability of the pose. If this same pose is practiced on a blanket, people will notice that their foot will slip.

In a crowded yoga studio, the yoga mat is what defines one person’s space from another. A person cannot put their feet on someone else’s yoga mat. The bare floor is the place where people can walk around when they need something. The yoga mat in a way symbolizes a person’s yoga space.

Yoga mats provide comfort to people during their practice. If the body is in direct contact with the ground, the person would have to apply more pressure. Thus, to decrease this pressure the yoga mat acts a source of cushion between the person and the floor. Moreover, it will also help lessen any kind of discomfort or pain while doing yoga.

It is better to use yoga mats, rather than practicing on any kind of floor. The more you sweat while practicing yoga, the higher the chances are of slipping if you are not using a yoga mat. Moreover, practicing yoga on hard floors can be very painful on the knees, the back of the skull and the hips. Thus, it is advised to practice most yoga poses on a yoga mat, especially those exercises in which you are completely on the ground such as planks and lunges.