Life is best led naturally. Yoga is certainly no different. Finally yoga is the art, which teaches you to connect you with your innate most natural self. It's not for nothing, that for generations now, yoga practitioners have preferred to choose the organic cotton mat to perform yogasanas over the artificial options.
But over the last few years the humble cotton mattress has seen competition heat up from other varieties of yoga mats. Mats have evolved over the years, in the same way yoga has over the years. Yoga mats are now made with specific materials suited for a particular brand of yoga. But despite such competition, the cotton Yoga mat has held itself in good stead.
You simply cannot ignore the fact that it's organic. Over a period of time mattresses made of foam or other artificial substances like plastic are known to have resulted in allergies afflicted by the yoga practitioners due to the exposure of naked skin to the mats for long durations. Cotton poses no such problem vis a vis irritations or allergies as it is blessed with a much larger quotient of body tolerance.
Cotton yoga mats have also been a favourite with yoga practitioners because it tends to retain a lot of sweat and arrests any possibilities of slipping. Chances of mishaps during a particularly strenuous asana performed on an artificial mat are slightly enhanced, because the sweat tends to stick to the surface resulting in lubrication. Unlike foam, which is likely to slip on smooth surface, a cotton mat on the other hand rather clings to it. In fact if you sprinkle some water onto the cotton yoga mat before you start your yoga session it would do wonders to the grip too.
There is yet another practical reason why a simple cotton mat wins our vote. Cotton yoga mats are cheaper to purchase or order as compared to artificial mats. Its nothing fancy, just a pack of compact cotton layers, evenly packed and covered in a sewn cotton jacket.
Sure you'd say so what do you do with all the sweat trapped in the cotton yoga mat? Sweat runs right off plastic, foam yoga mats, aren't there chances of catching some kind of an infection with all that sweat trapped inside the cotton?
But here's what makes a cotton yoga mat special. All you have got to do is wash it. If you have a washing machine just rinse it in tepid water, because hot water would shirk the cotton fiber and make your mattress look lumpy. If you don't have a washing machine, just dip it in a tub filled with tepid water and wash it, as simple as it comes.
Finally, if you are into yoga to get yourself as fit as a fiddle. Go organic, use a cotton yoga mat, which is biodegradable. Help the world get fitter too.
Christopher Schwebius is an entrepreneur who seeks out sharply defined, specifically focused topics to research. Upon finishing his research he provides relevant, un-biased information to his readers based on his discoveries and/or personal experiences.
One of his latest ongoing projects can be viewed at http://www.cottonyogamat.org
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