Why Not Choose An Eco Mat For Yoga?
The term 'eco mat' simply means a mat that is made of environmentally friendly materials. Not only must the manufacturing process and raw ingredients be 'green', but even when the product is finally disposed of, no harmful by-products are released into the environment through decay. In other words, it is biodegradeable.
An eco friendly yoga mat has been marketed for some time. It is composed of natural rubber and jute fiber without the addition of toxic, long lasting synthetic petro-chemicals such as PVC, phthalates, dioxins and furans, phenal, or heavy metals.
Fortunately, the combination of rubber and jute in layers gives this 'green' mat some qualities that are excellent for the practice of yoga.
Not only does the rubber provide a slip free underside, but the surface also gives a 'sticky' quality that helps to minimize slipping during poses, even when wet from sweat as might be the case with hot yoga.
The jute fibers on the surface provide a comfortable, soft and natural feel. It is foldable, rollable and not so thick as to make it difficult to stand and balance on, but thick enough to provide needed padding. The natural materials
Another type of environmentally friendly mat is made of Polymer Environmental Resin (PER), and is also free of toxic petro chemicals and latex. This type of mat, which is also excellent for yoga, actually meets FDA standards for food-grade products. It has also earned an environmental rating that allows it to be used for babies in the European Union. This PER mat is also biodegradeable.
These mats can be found under the name Barefoot, The Original Eco Yoga Mat, Prana and yogamatic.
I even found a site (yogamatic.com) that caters to anyone who wants an eco mat with their own individual design on it. You can upload your photo to their site and have it printed onto your mat. Featured on TV shows like E!, The Ellen Show and Extra, you can choose from over 200 stock images or upload one of your own.
The company even donates a percentage of the profit to the charity 'Global Green" and further, they want you to return your worn-out mat to them for disposal in exchange for free shipping on your next order. Sounds like a good deal for the ecologically minded.
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