If you have followed me on Instagram, then you will no doubt be aware that I have an ankle injury, it isn't a new injury, it is one I have had for 2 years and its painful. Having been moved around a lot between hospital departments, it seems that an awkward fall has culminated in a lot more than the original diagnosis of a 'bad sprain' and I should have been sent away with a little more than Codeine for my troubles. Fast-forward those two years and we have four issues to deal with, a foot and ankle splint which I have to wear in an evening and to sleep in, an upcoming MRI scan and I've been told to try some Yoga at home for some stretching and for that I needed to purchase a Yoga Mat.
Who knew there was so much choice when it came to buying a mat, I wrongly assumed I could type it into Google and be given a few options to choose from rather than the 3million options with the prices to match. Thankfully, I have a few friends who are Yoga teachers who are on hand to advise me on which type of mat I should purchase for my needs, I am never going to become an avid fan of Yoga, but this is a series of simple stretching exercises I have to do at home in order to loosen my over-stiffened calf muscles and because I also have Plantar Fasciitis combined with Achilles Tendinopathy - the exercises I have been given to do are specialised.
Choosing the right Yoga Mat
- Thickness - Both of my friends said to me that I need to get the thickness right. The thickness has so much to do with how comfortable that mat is going to be during certain moves, but if it is too thick, those moves become harder. The average yoga mat is said to be around 1/8inch thick with 1/4inch being the thickest.
- Storage - When thinking of the thickness, you also need to think about storage, the thinner the mat, the easier it is to roll up and store v's the thick it is, the thicker the roll and the more room it might need.
- Material - For this, it is down to texture, stickiness, eco-friendliness, and perhaps the most important is the sponginess of the mat. Yoga mats come in a whole plethora of materials, the most common being PVC, but also rubber, jute and cotton too. Rubber and PVC give the most whereas Jute and Cotton are little less-giving.
- Texture - With texture, it is all about being to hold that balance, you don't want to be mid downward-dog and end up slipping and sliding all over.
- Price Range - An important factor is always money. The thinner your yoga mat is seemingly the cheaper the are, the same can be said for the material you choose, the more eco-friendly you are, the more expensive they become. Having quickly looked, you can find a Yoga mat from as little as £8.99 with prices rising upwards of £100 and more!
Thankfully, as I mentioned I have two friends who are Yoga Teachers and I now have my own mat which I was kindly gifted from one of them. It is a mid-range thickness and brightly coloured so I won't lose it, hopefully the stretching exercises will help going forward.