Slipping on your yoga mat more than you would like?
It might be disappointing when buying a new yoga mat and realize that mat does not hold you as you expected.
Is there any way to fix a slippery yoga mat?
Once you identify the cause of the root cause - it's easier to fix it with a solution!
Let's have a look together!
How do I stop slipping on my yoga mat?
There might be various reasons why this is happening. First of them might be the material.
Some materials are more slippery than others. Some of them have more traction. Your body oils and sweat add to the difficulty of holding on.
Most of the yoga mats on the market are made out of from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Yoga mats of this category tend to get stickier over time. But at first, they can be quite slick. It takes some time to ''break it in''. Rubber, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and polyurethane mats tend not to have the same initial slipperiness as PVC ones. In fact, great grip from the get-go is a big plus for these types of mats.
So to stop slipping on plastic mats, you can for sure, just practice, practice, be patient and give it some time.
On the other hand, you can also try the traditional COTTON YOGA RUG instead.
That again depends on your mat.
Some of the non-slippery mats have a special ''grip layer'' which will disappear over time. You can not really ''add'' anything to the mat itself.
On the other hand, when placing a cotton yoga rug on top of your yoga mat - that is a different story.
The cotton has great characteristics - when wet, it increases the traction - and adds the natural grip. When your fingers and palms become more sweaty during the practice, naturally your fingers become little ''wrinkly''. That will increase your grip and wet cotton will increase ''stickiness'' more than 30%!
The more you sweat - the better grip you have!
In case you live in a colder climate or don't sweat that much. You can sprinkle or spray a little bit of water over your yoga rug. The moisture will give you extra grip.
PRO TIP: add some essential oil to your water -ex. eucalyptus, lemongrass - to uplift your practice and get also antibacterial and anti-mosquito benefits!
Last but not least, is the practice itself. The more you will practice, the faster you develop your grip and you won't mind a little bit of slipping. You will hold it with your core muscles and natural strength.
What is the least slippery yoga mat?
That depends heavily on the perspective. If you want to have an extra-super-grippy mat, then it would be an option to get one of those extra grippy plastic mats.
You might benefit for some time in the short term, but you won't win in the long term. Eventually, you might injure yourself since the extra grip does all the work instead of your muscles.
In case you are serious about your yoga practice, and you want to develop more strength over time.
I would highly recommend you the natural material mat such as cotton yoga rug. Due to its functional properties, it is the least slippery yoga mat for me.
In case you have any doubt, the best thing is to double check with the manufacturer. They will happily provide you with cleaning tips and care advice for your yoga mat.
In case you wonder how to take care of your cotton yoga rug, check the instructions here.
Take a good care of yourself and your yoga practice!
Practice clean with LEELA
LEELA Team