The Foundation of Our Practice
The New Eco Yoga Mat

Reviewed by: Waylon H. Lewis
Editor, Elephant Magazine
Boulder, Colorado

Yoga is about health. It’s about harmony. It’s about sweating your way to enlightenment (or, at least, loose hamstrings). It’s about breathing, in and out, opening up to the places—both physical and otherwise—that are closed inside of us.

So it may come as a rude surprise that we—you and I—are directly responsible for funding a multi-million buck business that, with our help, will fill countless landfills with toxic, non-biodegradable trash, every year. And in the meantime, when we’re breathing in and out and working up an honest sweat, the very basis of our practice contradicts everything we’re practicing for.

What? Why? Our yoga mats are made up of PVC—a byproduct of the oil industry that was originally developed to sit beneath corporate carpets. Our yoga mats are made out of something Mr. God and Mrs. Mother Nature never thought to put together—and for good reason. But up until now—despite noble attempts by YogiPeople and Jade Yoga Mats—we’ve had no real alternative.

The requirements for a good yoga mat are several—it must grip, first of all, even if we’re a bit sweaty. The Ecoyoga Mat? Check! They must be thick enough, and long enough, to handle a variety of poses and body types. Check! And (for extra credit) they ought to be elegant. Stylish. Coooool. Check! With the advent of this Eco Mat, let’s officially add a final criteria. They must reflect the intention of our practice—to benefit all sentient beings, including our Earth, too. Check!

EcoYoga now offers a few additional cool colors—and assures us that recent batches are comparatively stink-free (first protypes had a rather pungent rubbery smell, and needed to be aired out and washed before use).

A final note—since PVC outgases—especially when in use—getting an EcoYoga Mat won’t solve our problem. The only solution? Buy one for friends, family, and one for your neighboring yogi or yogini.