One of the biggest myths is that your yoga mat should have a SUPER grip. This perhaps explains why the sticky mat is so popular.

However, this is NOT true for the following reasons:

Yoga is about using the mind to achieve balance

This is a little understood aspect of yoga. Today, a lot of stress is put on the physical (or exercise) aspect of yoga. This is natural considering that we have been overfed on the aerobic culture. As a consequence, yoga mats are designed to satisfy this physical need.

But did you know that EVERY yoga position has a Two-Fold aspect. While the physical aspect adds to the fitness, there is a mental aspect in which the mind is exercised to achieve the balance. This should NOT be made extra easy by artificial super grips.

A sticky surface makes the mental exercise meaningless as "external" help is provided to make the whole aim of balancing meaningless.

The yoga mats should have sufficient "slip"

This is necessary as it lets the body and limbs "flow" or "set into" the respective yoga positions. A sticky surface prevents this natural gliding and serves as an obstruction to the smooth flow. This, in some cases, may be dangerous. It is not very uncommon to hear of students having complained of a sprained neck or a twisted back.

Ok, I'm NOT saying that you should have a slippery surface. What you should have is one, which offers sufficient natural grip without being artificially sticky - something like the natural earth.

The yoga mats should work for sitting and relaxation positions

Your yoga practice would involve meditation and relaxation postures. What you need is a mat on which you can be seated easily or lie down in your relaxation poses without feeling "yucky".

A sticky mat fails on all the above counts. It is of course the cheapest thing around, but if you're going to bet your entire yoga practice on saving a couple of dollars (especially when you really need no other equipment), I suggest you better reconsider beginning at all.

In other words, your yoga mat should be a 3-in-1: suitable for physical positions, meditative positions AND relaxation poses.

To read about the 3-in-1 hand-woven yoga mats, Click here

To read about a new Natural dried grass yoga mat, Click here