Guidelines for Yoga Practice

Students ask so often about slippery mats that I've written up some tips for
making a mat a clean and stable surface that your hands and feet can stick to.

Wash Your Mat
If your mat is slippery, wash it. If you
practice a sweaty form of yoga, you
will probably want to wash your mat
every week or two to keep it fresh.
Here’s how:
this sponge for yoga mat use only.)
Put a small amount of dish soap on
the sponge (just a drop) and soak the
sponge with water.

Lay the mat down on a clean
surface. Scrub both sides of the
mat with it, focusing on the
areas that contact your feet and
hands. Rinse the sponge with
warm water and scrub the mat
again to remove any soap
residue. (For a more thorough
wash, put the mat in the tub
and soak it in a few inches of
water as you scrub it.)
Hang the mat over the shower
curtain rod or the back of a chair
to dry. (If you submerged it in
the tub, it will take about a day
to dry.) If you hang it outside,
make sure it is in a shady spot.
Many mats should not be hung
to dry in the sun.

If you wash your mat and your hands
still slip, then try this: Put a little
vinegar on your wet sponge. The
vinegar is especially good at cutting
through slippery finish on a new mat.
Rinse well to get rid of the vinegar
scent.

Buying a New Mat?

If you are purchasing a new mat,
check out your options. There are now
lots of choices besides the typical PVC
mat. There are mats made of natural
rubber, hemp fibers, organic cotton,
and other materials. These provide
better traction for your hands and
feet. Even better, they are less toxic
while they are being produced, and
during your daily use of them, they
last much longer. They also break
down more easily once discarded.
They're worth the extra money up
front.

And If You Sweat More than
Your Fellow Yogis Do...

You may want to consider a cotton
yoga rug instead of a rubber mat. As
soon as your hands and feet begin to
perspire, they will cling to the cotton
rug, which is tightly woven. The rug
will also absorb the sweat that falls off
the rest of your body. The heaviest
perspirers I know all rely upon a
cotton yoga rug (sometimes called a
Mysore rug), placed over their rubber
mats.

and FeetRemove Oils from Your
Hands

Wash your feet and hands right before
yoga practice to remove moisturizer
and natural skin oils. This will help
prevent your hands and feet from
sliding on the mat. (It’s a good idea to
shower before class to practice the
basic niyama of shaucha—cleanliness—
but that’s not always possible, so at
least wash and dry your face, hands,
and feet so you feel fresh for practice.)

Set Up Your Mat Space

Line up your mat with others’ to create
rows. This helps keep your mat clean
by making it easier for the instructor
and other students to walk without
stepping on your mat. (It also
conserves space, ensuring that if the
class is large, students who come in
later than you will find a spot without
having to ask you to move.) Just leave
enough room between you and your
neighbor so you can reach your arms to
the sides.

You're Breathing Deeply, So...

To make your mat smell even nicer, try
using a few drops of essential oil
when you wash your mat. Drip
lavender, orange, geranium,
bergamot, or some other essential oil
onto your sponge along with the soap.
Tea tree oil and eucalyptus are great
antifungal and antimicrobial agents,
too. You can buy expensive mat
sprays that include essential oils, but
why not develop your own?