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

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

Aspects of grip

The feeling of grip is very subjective. Everyone is an individual and perceives things differently. It also makes a big difference whether you have rather dry or damp hands when, for example, doing an intense session. Too little grip can lead to exercises not being performed correctly. But too much grip is not helpful either. Exercises are then no longer performed in the right flow and movements can no longer be executed fluidly; exercises are practically performed in a stop-and-go fashion. Apart from that, a mat will also wear out much faster.

Performing exercises correctly

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

Cushioning

Often, the focus here is placed too much on the mat. It is completely normal for knees or joints to be under heavy strain, especially when you are just starting out with yoga. In yoga practice, it is common to use an additional towel, blanket, or bolster to relieve them. Here, too, it makes sense to focus on the correct and natural execution of the exercises.

Origin of yoga mats

Yoga has existed for 3,000–4,000 years and was originally performed on light mats made of grasses, leaves, or animal skins. Today, the cotton yoga mat is considered the classic yoga mat and is still used by many yogis. The primary focus here is the naturalness of the material.

Aspects of natural materials

We firmly believe that natural materials like cotton or cork not only help us, but also have a positive impact on the environment. Many yoga mats use plasticizers, harmful ingredients, and various synthetic materials. In our view, this represents a major problem. Likewise, materials such as sheep's wool are quite problematic due to animal husbandry conditions.

Natural materials for yoga mats include cotton, natural rubber, and cork. With cork yoga mats, it is also important to look closely, as they are often mixed with other materials like latex or TPE on the underside. The bYo® yoga mat from treeletic is the first yoga mat 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 them, as only the bark is used; this helps the tree regenerate and extends its lifespan. The material is antibacterial and hypoallergenic. Cork yoga mats offer a perfect, natural, and healthy training environment.

Grip works differently with cork

A plus is that cork contains natural suberin, which additionally increases grip when wet. Unlike rubber mats, sweating increases the grip. For particularly good grip, a cork mat should be lightly moistened with a spray bottle filled with water before practicing. This is especially recommended for very dry skin.

From our point of view, natural materials are more than an alternative and should actually be the standard.

Summary

We hope we have explained the background well and we wish you a lot of fun with your yoga! Here is a brief summary of the most important points: