When you perform yoga, you improve your fitness, stretch your muscles, reduce stress and boost your mood, but you could also be putting your health and the environment at risk. It's possible if you're practicing on a traditional yoga mat. You can replace your toxic mat with one of several eco-friendly yoga mats on the market, if you know what to look for.
Factors
Traditional yoga mats constructed from polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, contain the carcinogen vinyl chloride. Yoga mats may also include plasticizers to make them sticky and flexible. In some cases, the plasticizers used include phthalates, lead or cadmium, adding to the potential toxicity of the mats. Workout mats are not the only yoga products that may contain toxins; yoga blocks used to help you get into or hold a pose may also contain carcinogens.
Rubber Mats
Rubber yoga mats provide a toxic-free alternative to traditional plastic mats. Made of natural material from rubber trees, these mats tend to be significantly heavier than plastic mats, but they're also biodegradable. If you have a latex allergy, you may need to opt for a synthetic rubber mat, advises Consumer Reports. You may also find the smell of rubber mats to be a little on the strong side.
Plant Fiber Mats
As an alternative to PVC mats, yoga mats made from plant fibers, such as hemp, jute and cotton, give you another biodegradable option and one that's also made from renewable materials. Consumer Reports suggests that green-focused consumers opt for mats that are certified organic to ensure that your mat isn't made from plants treated with pesticides. Another option is to choose a yoga mat made from a combination of natural rubber and plant fibers.
Considerations
Other plastic mats are marketed as ecologically friendly, including mats constructed from polymer environmental resin and thermoplastic elastomers. The polymer environmental resin mats are made from what is called clean PVC, which is supposedly free from phthalates and dioxins. However, Consumer Reports cautions that the positive environmental claims accompanying these plastic alternatives to traditional PVC mats has not been confirmed.
References
- Green Yoga Association: Rethinking Yoga Mats
- Consumer Reports: Want an Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat? Here's What You Need to Know
- Environmental Protection Agency: Vinyl Chloride
- Plasticisers Information Centre: What Are Plasticisers?
- Yoga Journal; Mat Matters; Cynthia Morris
- MayoClinic.com: Yoga: Tap Into the Many Health Benefits
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