$5 VS $200 YOGA MAT / THE BEST YOGA MAT FOR YOU

Transcript

$5 mat versus $200 mat is there really that much difference let's talk about it I've committed to yoga every day four years ago and have been doing that ever since so trust me when I say that I've tried a bunch of mats and the goal of this video is to help you to find the right mat for your kind of practice because there's so many different kinds of maths and so many different kinds of yogis maybe you are a casual practitioner or a daily practitioner like me or an exceptionally sweaty Yogi there is a mat out there for your kind of practice so hopefully by the end of this video you will understand what mat works for you just a little disclaimer it's amazing to have a great mat that works with you but it is one of the least important things when practicing yoga practicing yoga is all about doing it and coming to it it's great when you have a great mat to do it but that is not the determining factor of your practice happening and being great so keep in mind having a great matth is definitely a great boost to your practice but it is definitely not the most important thing to explore the perfect math let's go back in time how did the ancient yogis practice yoga the regular people in ancient times would use grass sand Stone to connect with the Earth which lies in the root of the philosophy of this practice and only sages and very Advanced yogis were using the skins of animals such as deer and tiger and that is something that didn't linger for too long because of the ethical concerns and the efforts to preserve life so this is when the traditional cotton wool and silk yoga mats came in and yogis were using that for centuries to practice on and only recently in the 60s have we discovered these rubber mats that most of of us are practicing on nowadays before we dive into comparison of the $5 mat versus $200 mat let's determine the main types of yoga mats and who they might be for but if you just here to see the comparison of the two just skip to the chapter that I marked the first Mas that probably every other person has in their house are the PVC mat which stands for polyvinyl chloride mats which is a type of plastic they're widely available lightweight and durable but the cons are that they are non eco-friendly they can be very Slippery When Wet and have very strong odor these kind of mats are perfect for beginners and for those on the budget the next kind of mat is tpe yoga mats those mats are blind of plastic and rubber which makes them a little more eco-friendly than the PVC they are lightweight these kind of mats could be perfect for a casual Yogi who's looking for balance of sustainability and affordability my experience with tpe mats is that they usually have them in a lot of gyms the next type of mats are natural rubber yoga mats it is made from biodegradable non-toxic natural rubber Pros are it has an excellent grip and provides great cushioning they do tend to be heavier and can have a rubbery smell at first and of course they may be a little more expensive these types of mats are best for regular yogis Hot Yoga practitioners and econscious users there are also cork mats which is a combination of cork on top and rubber or tpe on the bottom Pros these are naturally antimicrobial non-slip especially when wet and eco-friendly the cons they are more expensive and may require more maintenance these types of mats are best for Hot Yoga sweaty sessions and eco-friendly enthusiasts and of course there are still cotton mats around these are highly absorbent eco-friendly and comfortable however they can lack cushioning can slip on hard floors and require a mat placed underneath to not's lip these mats are great for traditional yoga Styles like Ashtanga meditation or travel there are also jute yoga mats which I had never heard before I started making this video and these are yoga mats that are made from natural Jude fibers with rubber or tpe base these mattes are eco-friendly lightweight breathable and it has a textured grip cons of it they do have less cushioning and could be a little rough on the skin these mats are best for environmentally conscious yogis and some gentle yoga Styles I did see those very popular alignment yoga mats this looks really fun I've never tried one but I would love to one day and if you're working on your alignment and your Technique if you're a beginner this could be great to help you especially your home practice so as you can see there's lots of variations and which mat is right for you really depends on your budget and your type of practice but to give you a rough outline if you're a beginner you can definitely benefit from getting something more affordable like PVC or tpe mat this is something that I have used this is my outdoor mat it is not the best mat that I've ever used but it gets the job done and this is something that I don't mind getting dirty however it is something that is a little bit more on a nest to your side with time it kind of falls apart and if you're doing a lot of sweaty practices it's maybe not the safest choice that takes me to the next type of practitioner which are yogis who love some hot yoga or are extremely sweaty and this is where a cork mat or rubber matte would be best for its nonslip quality I have this B matte rubber matte and this is one of the grippiest Matts I've ever had it is very thin because I bought it for travel creepiest mat I've ever tried and it's definitely good for those sweaty sessions but there are lots of other brands that make the cork mates that are really good being non-slip and just specifically hot yoga mats so you can explore all types of Brands out there and of course if you're more of a traveler and On The Go thinner mats would be best there are different kinds of thin mats out there you can find PVC tpe mats or rubber mat this is my choice you could also have one of those cotton mats that could be very portable and lightweight trust me when you're a traveler it really makes a difference between carrying something like this and like this and sometimes because you have a thicker mat you don't even bring a mat when you're traveling but if you're devoted Yogi you know how great it is to have a mat everywhere you go so I love that I have this option if you are looking for a little more joint support if you have pains and looking for something with more cushioning thicker mat might be your go I think this one is 5 6 mm little leemon matte this was actually my first ever yoga mat this is something that is very comfortable supports you in your practice especially if you have more pain in your joints and just overall it's much more comfy than for example my travel mat so that brings us to a final question what is the difference between the $5 mat and a $200 mat this is my $5 mat this is something that I got from my friend it is definitely dangerous one with but does the job if you're more of a beginner and just trying things out good thing about the cheap mats I don't have to take super good care of it and to be honest it is kind of hard to take good care of it because it does absorb smells and dirt really easily this is something that did deteriorate with time in a very ugly way but it is an option if that helps you to get into yoga you know whatever takes you there and this is where I definitely want to mention that the most important part of the practice is the practice not really the mat and whatever helps you to practice is the best option for you when I first started doing yoga every day I didn't even have a yoga mat I would practice on the floor or use this thin camping mattress which I have no idea how I managed to practice on now thinking back very wobbly the more you practice the more yoga starts to become part of your lifestyle the more there is manifestation going out there for a great yoga mat for you this is how it happened for me my sisters-in-law GI me this beautiful mat my first ever yoga mat this little lemon mat and it was the best gift ever I used it every day ever since I worn this one down it's definitely nowhere near as grippy as it used to be 2 years I would say of Everyday Use I can't use this side because it's too slippery but this side is definitely still grippy at that time when I first started doing yoga I didn't even consider such an expensive mat for myself and somehow it just appeared in my life from people observing how I love yoga and give me this beautiful gift which is is a great example of how your dedication and your perseverance with your practice with whatever means you have is what's going to bring you know better things into your life regardless keep doing yoga whatever options you have with whatever mat or non-existing mat you have it's better than you waiting for the right mat to start yoga which is honestly an excuse and that brings me to my latest addition this beautiful $200 manduka Pro mat I've been eyeing it for a couple of years now it is gorgeous gorgeous also gift to me I mean I did um kind of hint and this is what I conveniently got for my birthday which I am super grateful for is this one of the best gifts ever so how does it compare to the $5 mat this mat is actually very unique because I got it extra long I am a taller person so this upgrade is definitely so much more comfortable I used to shift around to adjust to the mat but now this is a mat that caters to my whole height so I don't have to shimmy around and fit into the mat during my flows which is honestly so so so freeing but my height aside because not everyone is as long as I am this mat has other good reasons to be that expensive finally enough this $0000 mat and this $5 mat are both PVC but this one is meant to last forever the specific mat from Muka that is called Pro mat is something that has close cell system that prevents matte from getting moisture inside and bacteria so this mat is very durable and can last lifetime what I really liked about this mat is that manduka is a very responsible company so if this mat doesn't really serve you as well with frequent use this is something that you can exchange or if you're done using it you can also use their recycling program which is great this is now my everyday hom mat this is something that I use daily and I'm so happy with it it does not absorb smells and it's very easy to clean so is it worth $200 to me yes it does this is something that gave me the custom feature of being extra long this is something that is so comfortable and I can rely on without thinking about buying a new mat as some of you may know I am on my minimalist journey and having less things is something that genuinely brings me joy and lightness finding a mat that provides me with that security of it lasting with my practice is something that is worth it for me this Lululemon mat it was a beautiful gift it's a gorgeous mat but I honestly was a little bit disappointed in how little it lasted it only lasted me like a couple of years before it started becoming unbearably slippery it pained me when this mat wore out because it's still beautiful it's still something that I would love to practice on but it's done it doesn't support my practice anymore so I would like to have something that lasts way longer than a couple of years even though this was quite pricey too as far as I know it was a gift and even this B mat which is also quite pricey especially their thicker mats is one of the grippiest mates that I have ever tried it was so grippy when I first got it and I kept practicing in it also for a couple of years first it was my travel mat and then it was my daily mat very thin I know this is why I wanted a thicker mat after but I was actually surprised that it stopped being grippy at some point it is getting more and more slippery which makes me so sad because this is such a good mat but it also wore out and maybe for people who don't practice every day it would happen slower and double the time but it does still happen and for me personally it just want my mat to be capable of more especially my daily mat I don't want to go through mates every couple of years so I'm very happy I invest into something that could maybe keep up with me like I said there's lots of different options lots of different mats for different types of practitioners so just see what suits you best and I could see myself growing as a yogi with this mat and this is what matters to me browse around see what's out there but mainly keep doing your practice and develop yourself as a yogi and the right mat will come into your life eventually thank you so much for joining me for this video it was a pleasure as always I would love to know what kind of matth are you practicing on right now if any and if there's any mats that you started considering after this video I'd love to chat about that so yeah thank you so much and I hope this see you soon byebye [Music]