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Explore what top publications are saying about our eco-friendly, handwoven organic yoga mats, crafted for sustainability and comfort.
Best Eco-Friendly Yoga Mats and Sustainable Yoga Mat Brands
Best on Sustainable Comfort: Yogasana
Organic cotton creates firm, yet comfy yoga mat.
Best for the natural look!
Our vote: This lovely mat feels and smells very natural and its eco-friendly credentials are second to none. The texture may be a bit rough for bare skin/knees but we didn’t find this a problem. This mat becomes more grippy with wet hands, so if you don’t have sweaty hands you have to work harder during some poses not to slip, which challenges your stability and core. For this reason, it might not be ideal for beginners. This is Esther Ekhart’s personal favourite mat to travel with – “it’s portable, lovely to look at and nice to have permanently unrolled in my hotel room”.
Best Outdoor Mat
This is the top choice for an all-around mat. If you want to practice yoga on a hike, at the beach, or even in your backyard then this is your best pick!
Best mat for Earth-loving classical yogis
And now for something completely different — and completely traditional. If you want get back to the roots of yoga, before sticky mats entered the world, these bright cotton yoga mats might be right for you.
Hand-made in India, Yogasana mats are woven on traditional looms that don’t even use electricity! The company employs both male and female workers who are paid fairly and treated well.
Each of these woven cotton mats is made completely by hand (and signed) by one of the master weavers in the ancient Indian city of Benares. In fact, the entire process—from the harvesting of the cotton to the natural dying and weaving on a manual loom—is done by hand. And part of the proceeds from each sale goes toward providing school supplies for the children of those workers.
Yoga on the beach? Yes, please. Typical yoga mats can’t be used outdoors, but a Yogasana mat is not your typical yoga mat. This is mainly because it’s made of cotton.
On a more spiritual level, the idea behind Yogasana is that doing yoga on a natural, cotton (non-rubber) mat enhances one’s yoga practice by removing synthetic materials between the yogi and the Earth.
Many serious yogis who swear by Yogasana mats support this theory.
Yogasana Yoga Mat | Thick Eco Friendly Cotton
Best for: eco-conscious outdoor/hot yoga enthusiasts of any level
Feeling icky about the synthetic and foam yoga mats? Or maybe you’re allergic to latex?
Yogasana Cotton Yoga Mat comes to the rescue. Brought to you all the way from India, this natural yoga rug is handwoven of 100% cotton and has no trace of rubbery or plastic smell like most of the yoga mats do.
Yogasana probably performs at its best outside since grass and sand help with cushion, and it easily absorbs moisture if you happen to break a sweat under the sun.
Keep in mind that the surface is slightly bumpy, and the material is scratchy at first. But it’s like good new jeans – sturdy at first but will soften with use.
Why it’s a good brand: Yogasana mats are handwoven by artisans near the birthplace of yoga and created to return your practice to nature. Each mat takes ten days to make because it is completely made by hand by the master weavers in the ancient city of Benares, India. The weaver’s signature is attached to each mat, representing the hand-off from craftsman to yogi “the hand-off from his hands to yours”. For every mat sold, the brand donates towards the education of the children of our production workers. If a yogi chooses to make a contribution when buying a mat, 100% of the donation goes to this cause.
The soul of Yogasana dates to 15th century India with the mystic poet and saint, Kabir. He earned his living as a weaver in the ancient city of Banaras. Today the weavers who make our yoga mats, near Banaras, are descended from the professional lineage of Kabir.
Each mat takes 10 days to make. All by hand. After 3 days on his loom the master weaver adds his signature to the finished mat. From his hands to yours, from hands to hearts.
T.K.V. Desikachar
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