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Yoga has been around for thousands of years. The Indus-Sarasvati civilization introduced the practice about 5,000 years ago, and included a combination of songs, mantras, and rituals performed by the ancient nation.
Yogis (yoga practitioners) predominantly practiced yoga barefoot. Part of the spiritual exercise is related to the proximity of the body with nature, without any artificial or handmade surfaces (including socks or shoes and their alternatives at the time).
However, saints and other yogis began practicing yoga on top of animal skins (such as tiger or leopard) for two reasons: stability and safety.
Performing asanas continuously in heat or after rain turned to be challenging. Sweating impacted stability and flexibility. Wet and slippery grass also provided risks of injuries – which was detrimental to the spiritual tribes fully engaging in the act of yoga. This is how yoga mats first became popular in their original form, providing stability for performing more complex positions in the process.
The second factor – safety – derived from practicing in the open, particularly near herds of different animals (not necessarily safe for humans).
Introducing mats from predator skin resembled the existence of a dangerous animal nearby, and prevented possible attacks from other animals. Tiger and leopard skins are also bright (yellow or orange) and are visible from afar, additionally preventing yogis from getting into unexpected attacks while practicing – or while meditating for a prolonged period of time.
Deer skin was also frequently used due to being easier to supply by most people.
The goal of practicing yoga is to strengthen your mind and body together. A good yoga mat can make the entire experience much easier and more relaxing. They can also help with the overall progress and assist you in the comfort of your own home – or if you choose to practice in the open while traveling to the mountain or in the open field.
Yoga has been around for millenniums, and for good reason, there is a myriad of benefits to be had. Yoga has long been considered an excellent way to end up with a great workout while at the same time improve your health and global outlook on life.
The “yoga mat”, or “yoga cushion”, has become one of the most popular ways to improve your workout experience. Whether it’s in the form of a simple yoga mat to a full-body workout mat, yoga mats are an essential tool to any yogi. Some people find that they do better when they have at least two types of mats on at any given time, whether you are doing some simple stretching or a full-on practice.
The modern yoga mat (as we know it nowadays) is founded by Angela Farmer. Farmer was born in 1939 near London, the United Kingdom, and worked as a school teacher in the 60s and early 70s.
After attending a yoga class in 1967, she became deeply embodied in the philosophy of yogis. First starting with Iyengar Yoga, named after her first teacher and mentor, in the early 1970s Farmer switched to teaching freestyle yoga, and cut ties with many of her students uncertain of the vision of her practices.
Yogi Times calls her teaching style “more organic, self-expressive and self-healing way of practicing“, moving away from the original practices under Iyengar.
In 1982, Angela Farmer presented her concept of yoga mats, representing rubber carpet underlay designed to prevent slippery during practice due to sweaty feet. Its first name was “sticky mat”, and have since evolved into different forms, colors, lengths, coming at a different level of a thickness (depending on the surface you are about to train at), and mostly designed to be portable (easier to fold and carry).
There are a lot of reasons as to why yoga mat is such an integral part of many of your workout sessions. The reason that it helps to have more than one mat to use is because they can offer different benefits when used together. You could for example, use one to rest your hands while you do a full-body pose, and then have the other one to keep your mat flat while working out.
One of the main reasons why people go for a yoga mat and not just one, is because it can help to keep them more comfortable during the workout session. It is so much more convenient than trying to use a cushion or even a mat to support your weight as well.
Another reason why you should use a yoga mat is that it will prevent any injuries on your body during your workout sessions. There have been a number of cases of athletes who have ended up with their muscles injured by using a mat. Different muscle strains are really common when practicing without a mat – due to the intensity of some asanas and stretching past a certain point, a quick shift of your leg may put extra tension and lead to different forms of injuries.
For these reasons, a yoga mat is definitely something you need to have on hand if you want to enjoy your yoga. If you are new to yoga or are a beginner, it would be a good idea to start out slow and work your way up. instead of jumping right into an exercise regime without a solid foundation of yoga.
The main thing to remember is that a yoga mat is something that can enhance your workout. and keep you more comfortable, especially for beginners.
One of the best things about a yoga mat is the fact that it can also help to keep you grounded. Most people don’t realize how much of a difference it can make in the amount of oxygen and moisture in their bodies during the workout sessions. It is important that you breathe correctly through your nose. if you breathe incorrectly, you may end up with an a lot of mucus.
Yoga mats also help to keep the ground steady so you don’t slip or move around too much during your workout sessions. In order to maximize the benefits of your yoga sessions, you want to try and find the best position to work in the most.
The way you choose to position your mat is very important. Some people like to sit on their mat, some like to lay down, and some like to lie down while working out.
This is something that you can decide as well, but it is a good idea to experiment with a number of different positions until you find the position that works for you. If you find that sitting on the mat is a bit uncomfortable, then you could always use a cushion or a blanket. If you are working with some poses such as power yoga or vinyasa yoga, then you should avoid lying down as it can cause you to lose balance.
The point is that it is important to be able to stay still and concentrate on your yoga routine as much as possible. If you work at keeping your body in alignment during your workouts, you will notice that you are much more relaxed and comfortable in the process.
