Is your Yoga Mat killing you?

Yoga as we all know is a group of mental, physical and spiritual practises that originated from ancient India. The origin of Yoga is believed to be pre-vedic period around 5th century BCE. The yoga mat however is a relatively new invention and mostly about a 100 years ago. The modern Yoga mat is most commonly made up of synthetic materials using various combinations of PVC.  The PVC mats are popular world over because they are cheap, colorful and offers plenty of cushion and grip.

Unfortunately most users have no clue about the dangers of using a PVC yoga mat.

Yoga mats made of PVC (polyvinyl Chloride) contains chemicals like phthalates, which make PVC mats flexible.

Phthalates can leach over time in warm temperature especially in hot yoga studios and these particles cling to dust which can be inhaled.

Phthalates have been linked to birth defects, asthma, neuro developmental problems in newborns, fertility issues, obesity, and cancer.

A recent study by Harvard even linked infertility to usage of these PVC Yoga Mats.

And to make matters worse the PVC Yoga mats are also non biodegradable. Which means the mat you throw away will pollute the planet and remain in landfills for millions of years.The chemical leach from landfills are already destroying many water bodies across the world.  And the smaller particles that fly of your yoga mat ends up in oceans killing the aquatic life.

Next time your roll out your mat ask yourself is this contributing to achieving a true yoga practice? Is this truly a union of mind, body and spirit? Are you in frequency with mother nature?

So make a switch to a more organic and biodegradable mat today. Choose natural materials like cotton mats, bamboo mats, cork mats...etc