solutions for heavy sweaters



This blog post was written by lululemon and posted on June 21, 2010 at 12:43 pm

hot yoga mat towel
This towel is one solution for sweating and slipping in a hot yoga class.
ask a yogi

you asked

What do you think the best solutions for heavy sweaters are? Even in non hot yoga classes, I always end up drenched by the first half of class and while it’s a bit embarrassing, my biggest issue is that I slip in down dog and similar. I’ve asked yoga instructors before but they always shrug and say “it happens”. Thoughts? erin

a yogi answers

I LOVE hot yoga, and I am asked this question almost everyday in the power yoga classes that I teach. First: a good mat is key! lululemon’s “The Mat” is a mat specifically designed to absorb sweat... yes, it really absorbs sweat! I get a lot of heavy sweating men in my classes and they all love this hot yoga mat. When you are sweating a big puddle on your mat, then put down a yogitoes towel. These special yoga towels have little plastic nibs on the back so it literally stays on your sticky mat and won’t move. They actually ONLY perform well when they are wet, so I recommend spraying them with water when they are dry to get optimal usage at the beginning of class and in non hot studios.

Lastly, so much of slippage can be avoided by rooting down into your base in a more specific manner. For example, in down dog if you are collapsing into your outer wrist, it is very hard to not slip. Whether you are grounding down through your hands or your feet it is essential to spread your weight through as broad of a base as possible by spreading your fingers and toes and rooting down through all the knuckles. One more thing... make sure you don’t have any moisturizer on your hands or feet, and don’t wash your yogitoes towels with fabric softener!

- Kinndli, lululemon Oakville ambassador

Read the blog post: "Five Things to Know About the Mat"

Learn more about Kinndli and Power Yoga Canada.

View hot yoga clothes that help you deal with sweat:

what is ask a yogi?

Ask a Yogi is a yoga advice column that is published on Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays. If you have a yoga question for future yoga panels, please email askanexpert@lululemon.com.

read more related posts:

Trackbacks are closed, but you can post a comment.

10 Comments »


the majority of people I know actually much prefer Manduka to yogitoes for hot/ yoga! They’re cheaper too.

Comment by callah — June 21, 2010 @ 8:35 pm


Manduka mat + Manduka eQua towel = perfect!

Comment by Alyssa — June 22, 2010 @ 2:52 pm


For hot yoga I love my Breathe mat … it’s very huggable. I do need a new regular yoga mat so I will look at this one next time I trek to square one. One question – if it is so absorbant how do you recommend cleaning it?

Comment by Rae Rae — June 22, 2010 @ 3:04 pm


Hi Rae Rae! I would recommend wiping it down with a natural cleaner. I like using a mild mixture of water and lemon juice.

Comment by Laura M — June 23, 2010 @ 12:01 pm


Thanks! I’ll try all of the above. :)

Comment by erin — June 23, 2010 @ 12:46 pm


“The Mat” is amazing! Great for hot and non-hot practice!

Comment by Sylwia W — June 23, 2010 @ 3:13 pm


I went into my local store where the sales girl told me the same thing– that The Mat absorbs all sweat. How do I get all of my sweat out of this mat? In complete honesty, it sounds gross.

Comment by acidspit — June 23, 2010 @ 4:34 pm


Hi acidspit,
Cleaning your mat regularly is a must. Use a natural cleaner like a mild mixture of water and lemon juice (as I mentioned above). Or, if you prefer, a solution of warm water and detergent. You can also add a little baking soda to the solution to cut down on odour. Wipe the mat clean and let it air dry.

Comment by Laura M — June 27, 2010 @ 5:22 pm


Are you able to wash the yogitoes towels in the washer and then hang to dry? Also, Laura when you speak of cleaning the mat, do you simply wipe it down or can you wash it in the washer as well? New to this! Thanks :)

Comment by Britt — January 17, 2011 @ 11:51 pm


Hey Britt,
Yes you can put your yogitoes towel in the washer. Defintely follow the guidelines that are listed on the tag. I would suggest washing it in cold water and not using any fabric softeren.
For cleaning The Mat, I would not recommend putting it in the washer, but wiping it down. Tip number #4 for things you need to know about The Mat be sure to clean it after every practice following the technique Laura suggested and if you need a more thorough cleaning, completely saturate The Mat in water and allow to air dry.

http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/5-things-to-know-about-the-mat/?sli=1

Comment by lululemon athletica GEC — January 18, 2011 @ 1:33 pm


RSS feed for comments on this post.

Leave a comment