Do you use a communal yoga mat at your studio? If so, how clean is it?
Do you use your own mat? If so, how clean is it?
Most studios and gyms provide yoga mats and equipment for students who do not have their own to use. Unfortunately, shared equipment in shared public places, or simply a personally-owned but unsanitized mat, exposes you to vast array germs, viruses, fungi, and bacteria. You can become a prime candidate for athlete’s foot and plantar’s warts, or even worse, Staph infections or MRSA, by using a dirty yoga mat. For many yoga studios, washing dozens of mats on a regular basis is laborious and costly. Some studios don’t have the staff resources for routine mat maintenance so they only do a major wash in the machine once a week, depending on the student to clean the mat after each use. As a courtesy, many studios provide cleaning supplies to students but it is not a forced requirement Because yoga has gained such popularity over the past decade in the New England, more and more health-care professionals in the area are treating infections among their patients who practice yoga. For these reasons, it’s important to use hygienic equipment and keep it clean with the proper cleansers.
If you use a communal mat at your gym or yoga studio, make sure you properly clean it with antibacterial wipes or wash BEFORE you use it. It is perfectly acceptable to ask the studio manager or instructor what types of mats they provide, how often the mats are cleaned and the methods they use to clean them. If none of the answers are acceptable, bring your own alcohol-based or antibacterial mat wipes and towel to use for cleaning, or be on the lookout for a nice yoga mat that won't break the bank!
If you own or use a rubber or natural fiber mat, you must use an antibacterial mat wash to penetrate the surface of the mat and clean it from the inside out. This is because traditional rubber and natural fiber yoga mats are made using open-cell technology which means that the mat surface is porous and will hold bacteria and odors in the pores for the life of the mat. An alcohol-based cleaner might not be the most eco-friendly or gentle-smelling cleanser, but this is the only way to properly attack the bacteria that is living inside that rubber or natural fiber mat you may be using. Don't be afraid to ask your studio what types of mats they are renting, how they clean them and what do they use to clean the mats. It's your health we are talking about!
If you own or use an eco yoga mat made of TPE (like the Kulae tpECOmats) or other non-porous material, a natural/gentler cleanser is sufficient, as germs, bacteria and odors cannot penetrate the mat surface. Using a mixture of vinegar and water (or baking soda and water) is a good option for cleaning your eco mat but the smell may not be ideal; the Kulae 100% Organic Mat Cleaner is a great cleanser option for your mat because it is all-natural and it's orangey-scent smells delicious!
With any mat you own or use, proper cleaning before and after every practice is paramount!
Monday, June 29, 2009
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