Original Paintings and Yoga mats by Kati Kaia

Yoga has become increasingly popular over the years, with more people adopting it as a lifestyle practice to promote physical and mental well-being. One important accessory to consider when practicing yoga is the yoga mat. While most people choose their yoga mats based on practicality, such as material, thickness, and size, another important factor to consider is color.

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Color has been shown to have a powerful impact on our emotions, thoughts, and overall mood. The color of your yoga mat can enhance your practice and help you achieve a deeper sense of relaxation, focus, and mindfulness. In this blog post, we will explore the impact of color on your yoga mat choice.

The Psychology of Color

Colors has the power to evoke different emotions and feelings in people. This is known as color psychology, which is the study of how colors affect human behavior and mental processes. Each color has its own unique meaning and can impact people in different ways. Here are some common associations with colors:

• Red: passion, energy, and intensity
• Orange: creativity, warmth, and enthusiasm
• Yellow: happiness, optimism, and clarity
• Green: balance, harmony, and growth
• Blue: calmness, tranquility, and trust
• Purple: creativity, spirituality, and luxury
• Pink: love, compassion, and playfulness
• White: purity, simplicity, and clarity

How Color Affects Your Yoga Practice 

Choosing the right color for your yoga mat can enhance your practice and help you achieve a deeper level of mindfulness. Here are some ways color can impact your yoga practice:

• Red: If you want to add intensity and energy to your practice, a red yoga mat may be the perfect choice. Red is associated with passion, strength, and power, which can help you push yourself to your limits.
• Orange: An orange yoga mat is ideal for promoting creativity and enthusiasm. This color is warm and invigorating, helping you to feel more energized and motivated during your practice.
• Yellow: If you're looking for a yoga mat that will promote happiness and clarity, yellow is a great choice. This color is associated with joy, optimism, and mental clarity, helping you to feel more positive and focused during your practice.
• Green: A green yoga mat is perfect for promoting balance and harmony. Green is the color of nature, and it is associated with growth, renewal, and vitality. This can help you feel more grounded and connected to the earth during your practice.
• Blue: Blue is the color of calmness and tranquility, making it an ideal choice for your yoga practice. This color is associated with trust, peace, and clarity, helping you to feel more relaxed and centered during your practice.
• Purple: If you're looking for a yoga mat that will promote creativity and spirituality, purple is a great choice. This color is associated with luxury, creativity, and wisdom, helping you to tap into your inner creativity and spirituality during your practice.
• Pink: A pink yoga mat is perfect for promoting love, compassion, and playfulness. This color is warm and inviting, helping you to feel more open and connected to others during your practice.
• White: If you're looking for a yoga mat that will promote simplicity and clarity, white is the perfect choice. This color is associated with purity and simplicity, helping you to feel more focused and clearer during your practice.

The Chakras & Energy Lines

Here Are Some Tips to Help You Choose the Right Color for Your Yoga Mat

1. Consider your favorite color: If you have a favorite color, it's a good place to start. Choosing a color you already love can make you feel more comfortable and at ease during your practice.
2. Think about your intentions for your practice: If you have specific intentions for your practice, such as relaxation or energy, you may want to choose a color that aligns with those intentions. For example, blue is often associated with calm and relaxation, while red is associated with energy and passion.
3. Consider the color of your surroundings: If you often practice in a bright, colorful space, you may want to choose a more muted color for your mat so that it doesn't clash with your surroundings. On the other hand, if you practice in a neutral space, a brighter color may add some vibrancy to your practice.
4. Don't be afraid to mix and match: If you can't decide on just one color, consider a mat with multiple colors or a pattern that incorporates your favorite colors. Mixing and matching colors can add some fun and personality to your practice.

Other Factors to Consider When Choosing Your Yoga Mat

While color can play an important role in your yoga practice, there are other factors to consider when choosing a yoga mat. Here are some additional factors to consider:

1. Material and Texture: The material and texture of a yoga mat can also impact your practice. Some people prefer a mat with more grip, while others prefer a smoother surface. Common materials used for yoga mats include rubber, PVC, and eco-friendly materials like cork and natural rubber. Consider the texture and feel of the mat to ensure it meets your preferences and needs.
2. Thickness and Density: The thickness and density of a yoga mat can impact the comfort and stability of your practice. A thicker mat can provide more cushioning for your joints, but it may also make it harder to balance in certain poses. A thinner mat may provide more stability, but it may not be as comfortable for longer practices. It's important to find a mat with the right thickness and density for your specific needs and preferences.
3. Size: The size of a yoga mat can also impact your practice. A larger mat may be better for taller individuals or those who need more space to move around. However, a larger mat can also be heavier and more difficult to transport. Consider the dimensions of the mat and how they will fit into your practice space and lifestyle.
4. Brand and Price: The brand and price of a yoga mat can also be important factors to consider. Some brands are known for their quality and durability, while others may be less reliable. Price can also vary widely, with some mats costing less than $20 and others costing over $100. Consider your budget and do research on different brands and price points to find a mat that meets your needs and is worth the investment.
5. Environmental Impact: Lastly, it's important to consider the environmental impact of your yoga mat choice. Many mats are made with materials that are harmful to the environment and difficult to recycle. Look for eco-friendly options made with sustainable materials and manufacturing processes. Some companies even offer recycling programs for old yoga mats. By choosing a mat that is better for the environment, you can align your practice with your values and contribute to a more sustainable future.

In conclusion, there are many factors to consider when choosing a yoga mat, and the color is just one of them. It's important to also consider factors like grip, material, thickness, size, brand and price, and environmental impact to find a mat that meets your specific needs and preferences. Ultimately, the right yoga mat can enhance your practice and help you achieve your goals on and off the mat.

How to Choose the Right Yoga Mat - Thickness, Texture, and Eco-Factors

by: Kate Hanley

Fifteen years ago, there was only one basic type of yoga mat ' made of PVC and noted for its stickiness ' and your only choice was whether to buy purple or blue. Now, there's a yoga mat to suit every priority and preference.

Beyond a color and pattern that suits your style, your yoga mat needs to keep you stable in your poses; it needs to be storable and portable, yet comfy and cushy. You may also want your mat to be environmentally friendly. These aspects of your mat's personality are all affected by how the mat is made: how thick it is, what it's made of, and its surface texture.

Use this guide to help you find a yoga mat you can be blissfully happy with ' one that suits your practice, priorities, lifestyle, values, and budget. No matter what the stores tell you, that's the best yoga mat for you!

1. Thickness

Why it's important: The thickness of your yoga mat has a lot to do with how comfortable it is ' too thin, and your knee may get banged up during crescent lunge. The tradeoff is that thick yoga mats (some as thick as 1/4 inch) can make it harder for you to feel a strong connection to the floor, making you more wobbly in Tree Pose, for example.

Options: A standard yoga mat is about 1/8 inch thick, while the thickest are about 1/4 inch. There are also wafer-thin yoga mats, often billed as 'travel yoga mats,' that are a mere 1/16 inch thick. They fold easily and don't weigh much, making them a cinch to fit in a suitcase.

Basic buying guide: Consider how much room you have to stow your yoga mat, how important portability is, and where your sweet spot is on comfort versus being able to feel a direct connection to the floor. If you're short on storage space, have a long schlep to the studio, and like the feel of just a little padding, opt for a standard-depth mat, in the 1/8 inch range.

If you don't mind carrying and storing a little more heft for the sake of more cushioning, consider a premium yoga mat that's about 1/4 inch thick. And if you absolutely must be able to pack your yoga mat in a suitcase or carry-on, get yourself a foldable travel yoga mat in the 1/16 inch range.

2. Material

Why it's important: The material your yoga mat is made of dictates its texture, stickiness, eco-friendliness, and sponginess (how much it yields to pressure), and how it wears over time.

Options: Most standard yoga mats are made of PVC, otherwise known as vinyl. Newer, more earth-friendly options include natural and recycled rubber, jute, and organic cotton or natural cotton (which means the fabric is not treated with synthetic finishes during manufacturing).

Silipi Technology are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

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Basic buying guidelines: If you're allergic to latex, avoid yoga mats made of natural rubber. If you want to stick with the tried and true sticky mat, choose a yoga mat made out of PVC, which can endure your use and abuse for more than a decade. Sponginess can vary widely with different blends of materials, but in general, PVC has the most "give" of any yoga mat material; jute and cotton have the least.

Beyond these fundamentals, read on and let your other priorities ' texture, stickiness, and eco-friendliness ' be your guides.

3. Texture

Why it's important: The texture of your yoga mat dictates how much traction it provides. Like stickiness, texture affects how much slipping and sliding you do. It provides physical barriers to sliding (whereas stickiness relies on suction). And because texture affects the way a yoga mat feels, it's also a component of overall comfort.

If you're a Princess-and-the-Pea type, any bumpy texture will likely aggravate you in savasana. Texture can be either man-made (a pattern of raised bumps, for example) or dictated by the materials ' jute yoga mats have an organic roughness to them, while PVC yoga mats, though slightly textured, have a softer feel.

Options: There's a yoga mat texture to suit every whim ' from completely smooth to downright rough.

Basic buying guidelines: If you're looking for a yoga mat that prevents slipping and you'd like to avoid PVC mats (the traditional sticky yoga mats), look for a rubber, jute, or cotton yoga mat that has a raised, tactile pattern. The added grip the raised texture provides can help you stay put no matter how sweaty or vigorous your practice gets.

If smoothness is of prime importance to you, a PVC yoga mat is the way to go. And if you relish stickiness but are curious about the newer, more earth-friendly options, test drive a few before you buy. Some eco-friendly yoga mats may surprise you with how much traction they provide even though they don't have the traditional 'sticky' feel.

4. Stickiness

Why it's important: A sticky yoga mat keeps you from sliding all over the place and helps you maintain your alignment as you move from one pose to another, as well as when you hold poses for several seconds.

Options: PVC yoga mats have the highest sticky factor.

Basic buying guide: If you need help staying put in your poses but you bristle at the thought of practicing on a yoga mat with a raised texture, a PVC yoga mat is probably your best bet. Just remember that these yoga mats are only sticky when they are clean, so make sure you care for your yoga mat properly. If you buy a PVC yoga mat, wash it before you use it and use a handy yoga wash cleaner whenever you notice your hands sliding forward in downward dog.

5. Eco-friendliness

Why it's important: As yogis, we hold dear the tenet of ahimsa, or non-violence. That makes practicing on a yoga mat that will ultimately end up clogging a landfill for decades to come troublesome.

Options: Earth-friendly yoga mats are typically made from natural or recycled rubber. These yoga mats may also include natural materials, such as jute or organic cotton.

Basic buying guide: If eco-friendliness is important to you, avoid yoga mats made of PVC (the traditional sticky mat), which does not break down in landfills and is difficult and costly to recycle. Rubber, jute and, cotton yoga mats, while available in a range of thicknesses, tend to be thicker and slicker than PVC mats. You can get a yoga mat that's eco-friendly, has a thickness that meets your needs for comfort and portability, and has a texture (such as a raised geometric pattern) that prevents slippage.

6. Price range

Typically, a basic 1/8 inch thick, plain solid-color PVC sticky yoga mat will be toward the low end of the price range. From there you may pay more for patterns, designs or logos; premium thickness; antimicrobial treatments; and cool textures, especially raised tactile patterns. Eco-friendly yoga mats tend to be toward the high end of the price range.

7. Style

Once you've narrowed your choices down by thickness, material, texture, stickiness, eco-friendliness, and price, there's only one factor left: style! So go ahead and pick your favorite color, pattern, or print. After all, you'll be seeing a lot of it in downward dog. Happy shopping!

Take all you've learned, and shop all our yoga mats to find your perfect fit! 

For more information, please visit Pink Yoga Mat.