Yoga mat
An early variety made of rubber carpet underlay, pioneered by the yoga teacher Angela Farmer in 1982, was called a sticky mat.Modern mats suitable for energetic forms of yoga are made of plastic, rubber, and sometimes other materials including hessian and cork, trading off cost, comfort, grip, and weight.[1] In ancient times, meditational yoga was practised in India on kusha grass, on hard earth without any cover, or on a rug of deer or tiger skin, as specified in the Bhagavadgita and the Shvetashvatara Upanishad as suitable for attaining enlightenment.[2][3][4] Seated in an easy posture, on a (deer or tiger) skin, placed on Kusha grass, worshipping Ganapati with fruits and sweetmeats, placing the right palm on the left, holding the throat and head in the same line, the lips closed and firm, facing the east or the north, the eyes fixed on the tip of the nose, avoiding too much food or fasting, the Nâdis should be purified, without which the practice will be fruitless.With yoga's introduction in the West, many practitioners used towels or cotton mats on wooden floors.[14] A hessian mat reviewed by The Independent gave good grip and was both comfortable and attractive; its rubber underside made it stable on any surface, but somewhat heavy; a cork mat provided both good grip and an exceptionally warm surface with a pleasant texture, and the property of being to some degree self-cleaning.[6] The journalist Ann Louise Bardach wrote in The New York Times in 2011 that "precious few of the estimated 16 million supple, spandex-clad yoginis in the United States, who sustain an annual $6 billion industry, seem to have a clue that they owe their yoga mats to Vivekananda.
Ardha Navasanayoga as exercisecarpet underlayAngela Farmerhatha yogarubberhessianBhagavadgitaShvetashvatara UpanishadenlightenmentGanapatiNâdisBharadvajaWatercolourKapala AsanaJogapradipikaTrikonasanaInternational Day of YogaKolkatacottonGermanyLondonHugger Mugger Yoga Productsyoga therapyorganic cottonhot yogaAshtanga vinyasa yogayin yogain ScandinaviaYoga JournalThe IndependentPrasārita PādottānāsanapolyurethaneThermoplastic elastomerHessian (Jute)Carl Schurz ParkThe New York TimesspandexyoginisVivekanandaAndrea JainThe Washington PostritualAshtanga Yogastanding posesamastitiḥmantraYoga in advertisingYoga brickYoga pantsYoga using propsJain, AndreaMallinson, JamesSingleton, MarkSwami VivekanandaThe Salt Lake TribuneThe Daily TelegraphJain, Andrea R.AsanasList of asanasStanding asanasDownward dogLotus positionMeditation seatsSun SalutationTree poseWarriorDrishtiNamastePranayamaVinyāsaHasta VinyasasTeacher trainingBritish Wheel of YogaEuropean Union of YogaAndré Van LysebethYoga AllianceTherapyAccessible yogaTrauma-sensitive yogaRestorative YogaYoga nidraInternational Association of Yoga Therapists • Richard MillerJanice GatesCompetitive yogaAsana JournalHugger MuggerLululemonEarly modern yogaRaja YogaPierre BernardHarmonial gymnastics/yogaMarguerite AgnielMary Bagot StackGenevieve StebbinsPhysical cultureB. C. GhoshK. V. IyerSeetharaman SundaramParamahansa YoganandaAutobiography of a YogiScience of yogaSexual abuse by yoga gurusMatthew RemskiYoga and cultural appropriationIn advertisingFor childrenFor womenGeeta IyengarYoga tourismHybridsNaked yogaMindful YogaFrank Jude BoccioAnne CushmanJon Kabat-ZinnCyndi LeePhillip MoffittAcroyogaPaddleboard YogaAerial yogaBeer yogaAmericaYoga for HealthLilias, Yoga and YouBritain