When I first started hot yoga, I somehow always ended up next to the heater. I was usually running a little late because I tried to get my cardio in before the class. So picture me - sweaty from my previous class with an old mat my dog loved to chew on. Hot vinyasa was my favorite style and while the beginning of my practice was great, I felt like I was ice skating by the end of the class. It was challenging when my hands and feet slipped constantly. My abs got a great workout in trying to hold myself up, but my slip n' slide yoga classes were beginning to hurt! On occasion, I would accidentally slip on my sweat puddle, falling into the yogi next to me and knocking them over (yes, this really happened)! I needed a solution.
Yogitoes are colorful blanket/towels with orange dots on the front that yogis put down over their yoga mats. These skidless mat-covers are thin enough to prevent bunching, but they have grippies on the bottom to prevent my "yoga ice skating."
If you are willing to go to yoga and have your own mat, it's practice-altering to invest in your skidless Yogitoes.
Many of you on Twitter have been talking about Yogitoes, and I have @replied how they have changed my practice. I no longer have to worry about slip-injuries, I can focus more on my alignment, and I can say goodbye to sweat puddles on my mat!
Above: Vanessa uses the Yogitoes mat to keep her grip on a hot Vancouver day.
