7 surprising ways your yoga mat impacts your yoga practice

These tips have nothing to do with the type of yoga mat to buy or how long a yoga mat you should get. These are seven much more important things to consider about your yoga mat and your yoga practice.

1. Where to setup your yoga mat
2. How to setup your yoga mat
3. Respect other people’s territory
4. What to do when someone asks you to move your mat
5. What to do when your yoga mat dies
6. What to do with all the stuff around your yoga mat
7. Cleaning up after class
8. A bonus tip

The first one of these is very important to a person new to yoga. Where to put your yoga mat.

1 – Where to setup your yoga mat

When Goldilocks visited the Bear’s house she had the choice of three chairs to sit in. Like Goldilocks you have the choice of three locations you can setup your yoga mat in yoga class. You can be at the very front, you can stay at the back or you can set up your mat in the middle of the class.

If your yoga teacher does not have a preference then setting up in the middle of the class is the best choice if you are new to yoga. To learn more about why you should setup in the middle of the yoga room read New to Yoga? Follow Goldilocks and sit in the middle of the yoga class.

Once you know where you are going to setup your yoga mat there is a correct way and a wrong way to do that.

2 – How to setup your yoga mat

You can setup your yoga mat like an approaching thunderstorm with lots of wind and noise or you can choose to set it up like a gentle breeze in a summer meadow.

Rolling your mat quietly on the floor is the best approach. The article Why avoiding stormy weather with your yoga mat is the right move gives you a lot more information about why you should avoid the thunderstorm method of rolling out your mat.

If there is not enough space for your mat there is one thing you should do.

3 – Respect other people’s territory

Some people can take up a lot of territory when they setup there mat, props and other stuff that they have brought with them to class.

To get the space you need for your mat talk to your neighbour and ask them to reduce the amount of space they are using. This one tip is one of many in the article How to avoid the war of the mats.

Now that you have you mat setup you may someone ask you to move so that they and a friend can setup together.

4 – What to do when someone asks you to move your mat

This is an awkward situation. You have just settled into your spot and now someone wants you to move.

One of the philosophies of yoga is non attachment. This applies to both people in this situation.

• You should be willing to give up your space to accommodate their request.
• They should be more flexible and not stick to their need to sit together.

The article You’re in my Spot! goes into much more detail.

While you may feel like dying when this request comes to you, eventually your yoga mat is going to die.

5 – What to do when your yoga mat dies

There are mat crumbs all around your mat. There are holes in your mat and it has an unpleasant odour that you can not get rid of. These are all signs that your mat has died and it is time to replace it.

Making drawer liners with your old mat is just one of the many things that you can do with your dead mat. Learn about the many other after life events that you mat can participate in by Reading What to do when your yoga mat dies.

A new mat will help your yoga practice as well proper props. You need to manage this stuff as well as your yoga mat.

6 – What to do with all the stuff around your yoga mat

Getting up every time you need another prop is very disruptive to the people around. There is an easy solution to that. Get all the stuff you need before class starts.

[How to eliminate the train station flow in your yoga class tells you even more about how to manage your stiffly.

Once the class is over it time to take care of all of the stuff that you have accumulated.

7 – Cleaning up after class

When you were growing up at home your mom was always after you to clean up your room. Yoga class is the same way.

If you don’t want to be nagged by your Mom in class clean up your space.

The article How to avoid the Mom impact after yoga class gives you all the details that you need to know to clean up your space after class is over.

There is one more thing to consider with your yoga mat and it involves cleaning up after class as well. Your sweat needs to be cleaned up when class is over.

8 – Bonus tip – Sweating and your mat

Sweating can be a problem in some styles of yoga. Men sweat more than women and they can generate enough sweat during a hot yoga practice that their mat becomes slick. This creates a safety hazard for themselves, the people around them and their teacher.

You can use a mat towel or a regular towel to soak up the sweat that falls on your mat and prevent yourself from slipping and falling.

To learn more about the hazards of sweat in your yoga class read What to do when you are sweating enough to float a boat

Summary

There is a lot to consider after you have acquired your yoga mat.

• Where to setup your yoga mat
• How to setup your yoga mat
• Respecting other people’s territory
• What to do when someone asks you to move your mat
• What to do when your yoga mat dies
• What to do with all the stuff around your yoga mat
• Cleaning up after class
• What to do with a sweaty yoga mat

Next Step

To learn more about you and your yoga mat read the full length articles below.  Each article has additional links to even more information about you and yoga practice.

Additional Reading

Here is the reading list for the 8 tips:

1. Where to setup your yoga mat. Read the article New to Yoga? Follow Goldilocks and sit in the middle of the yoga class to learn more.
2. How to setup your yoga mat. The full article is here: Why avoiding stormy weather with your yoga mat is the right move
3. Respect other people’s territory. How to avoid the war of the mats gives you more information.
4. Read this popular article You’re in my Spot! to find out to do when someone asks you to move your mat.
5. What to do when your yoga mat dies is covered in detail in this article.
6. What to do with all the stuff around your yoga mat. How to eliminate the train station flow in your yoga class
7. Cleaning up after class. How to avoid the Mom impact after yoga class
8. What to do with your sweaty mat. Learn more in What to do when you are sweating enough to float a boat