Yoga Mat Hygiene
Thursday October 22, 2009
If you've been waiting for the perfect time to get your own yoga mat, that time has arrived, my friends. Forget shared sweat, forget foot fungus, if you are using a communal mat, you are unnecessarily exposing yourself to others' germs, which this season means H1N1 flu. Also, if you are feeling fluey, do everyone a favor and do not drag yourself to class. This goes double for you yoga teachers! Your students would rather have a substitute that a nasty dose of the flu.
Do you have any specific brands of Yoga Mats worth trying?
I have not seen any yoga studio in years that doesn’t immediately clean and sanitize their communal mats after every use. I seriously doubt that this is a valid concern anymore. However, you could ask their policy. Most of the time, you could just pay attention to what they have you do with your mat after you are done. It you just plunk it down on a shelf and walk away, I’d worry. If they have a labeled bin for used yoga mats, they are likeyly taking care of the problem. Best yet, bring your own and just wash it occasionally in your washing machine without fabric softener.
When I take yoga at the gym no one cleans off the mats that are shared before class or after. I recently bought my own.
What about if you are pregnant? Does it pay to get your own mat or are you safe as long as the place cleans and sanitizes the communal mats?