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| What is the benefit of a thick mat, that I keep seeing people referring to?
I have an old blue mat that my teacher was giving away for free. It is thin, not sticky, but it doesn't get slippery when my hands/feet sweat. Is there anything wrong with using this type of mat if I like it? Why are the others better?
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Hi Claire - some people do practices with lots of jumpings and the thick mats offer more padding for that. Yogadancer Christine also says that for very vigorous practices, the thinner mats turn to "cous-cous" very quickly:-) If you are happy with your mat, enjoy it! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State |
I agree. For jumpings, hardwood is awful owing to the impact on the toes, and
a thicker mat really helps.
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| THat makes sense. I haven't quite made it up to the jumping level yet -- I'm still stepping. |
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| Claire - I've been practicing for 4 yrs and am still stepping - don't worry, you'll get it! I started out w/ one of the 1/8" mats and used it until about a year or so ago. Then my foot really started giving me trouble (I have arthritis in the knuckle of my big toe) on the hard floors, so I bought a 1/4" mat - what relief! my foot feels a lot better (though not completely solved) and wonder of wonder, my knees feel better - no more twinges!
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| A huge benefit of thicker mats for me is that my wrists are not sore when I do arm balances like bakasana, crow pose, and balancing stick. |
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| Hi Claire,
One of my mats is very slightly thicker than my other ones and it makes a huge difference to my practice, or should I say, my comfort during practice. It wasn't actually advertised as a 'thicker' mat (and I couldn't actually tell you how thick it is as I find myself bereft of a ruler at the mo.!) But if I had the choice now and could justify buying myself yet another mat, I would check out one advertised as 'thicker'...
Apart from that though, if you like your mat and that is what you are used to I am sure that it is fine.
Namaste
Laura |
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| With no offense, I would like to make the following statements. Please verify the validity of them in the context of my statements, in practice for a certain time, if you have objections.
In general (excluding certain exceptions such as disabled ones, or ones in rehabilitation, etc.):
1. Yoga Mat should be used only when it is must and should NOT be used when possible. This applies to think, thick, sticky, cotton, or whatever mats.
2. Sticky Mat must never be used for jumping exercises where bottom of the feet and or palms are moving. Actually, NO mat should be used for jumpings.
3. If jumpings are hard due to impact, one must make the limbs stronger so that the jump itself should not be too impacting. Actually, this is one of the negative points in many practicing Ashtanga Style exercise today. For example, due to weekness in the arms, the legs, I means the toes, bang on the ground hard than they should. Actually, ideally, they should land on the ground like a flower!!! Mat is NOT a good solution for this.
4. Thicker the mat, the alignment problems grow because the contact between the floor and bottom of feet or the palms is reduced in a way that the Nervous System can not sense the alignment.
5. For certain exercises, sticky mat is useful, for example, static Standing poses where slipping can occur.
6. Mat is NOT a significant factor in Yoga Practice, as much as it is thought.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| I have found that certain mats help me avoid slipping during certain poses (particularly Downward Facing Dog). It's a tremendous benefit, because when I'm trying not to fall I am not engaging the proper muscles and can increase possibility of injury. However, thickness is not a factor.
I have a thicker mat for Pilates that I like very much because it pads the sacrum during poses that require working in a supine position - that's a big part of a Pilates workout, not so much with yoga. It is also nice for certain yoga poses that require being on the knees for a long time (although putting a folded towel or blanket under my knees has the same effect).
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| Thanks for all the responses!
I have certainly noticed that when people in my class jump, there is usually a "thud" but when my teacher jumps, she does not make any noise at all.
I guess it is best to wait to jump until you are really strong (especially core muscles) and can be controlled then, to avoid injury. I will continue stepping for a while.
Another question -- I use the (newer) mats my teacher provides at class, but my hands slip a lot more during downward dog on these mats. My teacher says that it's a matter of grounding -- when I learn to ground better, my hands will no longer slip, but it's frustrating!!! Any tips? |
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| Claire DVM - 2005-02-24 2:48 AM
Another question -- I use the (newer) mats my teacher provides at class, but my hands slip a lot more during downward dog on these mats. My teacher says that it's a matter of grounding -- when I learn to ground better, my hands will no longer slip, but it's frustrating!!! Any tips?
Claire, are you allowed to take the mats home? If yes, then maybe give it one go in the washing machine (no heat, no agents). Let air-dry afterwards. That should make the mat quite a bit more sticky. If the mats have to stay in the studio try it with your own. Once its a little older an occasional rub with a wet cloth should do the trick.
As for grounding: Spread your fingers wide apart and imagine you're a dog holding onto the mat with his claws. Try to spread the pressure evenly over the whole hands not just the palms. I found it astonishing what big difference one can achieve with some experimenting.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | kulkarnn - 2005-02-23 3:01 PM
2. Sticky Mat must never be used for jumping exercises where bottom of the feet and or palms are moving. Actually, NO mat should be used for jumpings.
3. If jumpings are hard due to impact, one must make the limbs stronger so that the jump itself should not be too impacting. Actually, this is one of the negative points in many practicing Ashtanga Style exercise today. For example, due to weekness in the arms, the legs, I means the toes, bang on the ground hard than they should. Actually, ideally, they should land on the ground like a flower!!! Mat is NOT a good solution for this.
Brother Neel,
What would you recommend as the best way to learn to practice jumpings? I agree with your
comment on Ashtanga yoga, in the sense that the class encourages you to do something
like 50 jump-backs in the course of 80 minutes or so, which can exceed the capacity one
has for landing gracefully. I've found that sometimes it is better to lift to Lolasana and
bring one leg at a time back behind you. This, of course, lacks the drama of the usual
jump-back (although it takes more upper body strength).
Bay Guy
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| Brother BG:
For getting the jumpings smoother, please consider the following:
1. Make the arms and particularly shoulder joints stronger and flexible using:
Handstands, Dvipadabhujapeedasana, Bakaasana, Plank Pose, Pinchamayuraasana.
2. Do simple jumpings without any noise gracefully. For example, try to jump from Urdhvamukhasvaanaasana to Adhomukhasvaanaasana may times. Or from plankpose (chaturanga dandaasana with straight elbows) to Padahastaasana. All these must come effortless.
3. In any case, whether you jump smoothly or not, I think the Ashtanga style jump where you raise the legs in the air and then and land on the toes, is a WRONG move. And, I am open to discuss this with any truely open minded person, including the Original Inventor of that move.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| Dear Neel:
In tyour earlier post you wrote that the landings should be like a soft flower and then later that you believe that landing on one's toes when performing jumps is incorrect. Could you please elaborate on that? Incidentally, the only flower I resemble when I land in my jumpings is a heavy cauliflower 
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Claire - afroyogi is right. You need to work the hands better. Root down through the bottom knuckle of the index finger and thumb especially well. Ask your teacher to see if you are too spread out in the pose. You want the angle of the body to be about 90 degrees (although it varies a little from person to person) and that helps with the slipping, too. Start out on your tip toes, LIFT the sitting bones really well, take your chest toward your thighs then press the thighs back to bring the heels toward the floor, taking as much of the weight of your body into your legs as possible. Let us know how it goes! |
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| Dear Hot Yogi: See my comments with ===>
Dear Neel:
In tyour earlier post you wrote that the landings should be like a soft flower
===> This means if you are determined to do that kind of jumping, then you should aim for landing like a soft flower.
and then later that you believe that landing on one's toes when performing jumps is incorrect.
===> The jumping is incorrect, because a) landing like a soft flower is next to impossibility for most persons. I mean they can spend their entire yoga practice time to achieve this feat while ignoring some other very important elements of practice. b) landing on toes does not serve any useful purpose c) And, due to a and b, one is likely to injure the toes and screw up the Yoga Practice in long run. Or, while doing the practice one shall be trying to protect the toes doing the jumpings in an incorrect way for protecting the toes rather than doing the poses correctly.
Could you please elaborate on that? Incidentally, the only flower I resemble when I land in my jumpings is a heavy cauliflower
===> Do not worry, most of the flowers in the Power Yoga class are Cauliflowers, not roses.
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| On Mats: I am using a Mysore Practice Rug that has helped the my slipping alot, though not entirely. In Downward Dog I still have to make sure my hands are grounded and also I will bring my legs in a slightly when holding the poses for a while. I am really sweaty, and the rug abosrbs all my sweat which makes for a cleaner, sturdier practice overall.
On Jumping: I am taking a short break from jumping back/though and focusing on strengthening the muscles needed to do them properly. I mentioned sore shoulders in an earlier post, which is one reason. My jumpbacks/throughs are quite awkward and ungraceful and I don't want to hurt myself. Instead I am focusing on chaturanga, navasana, headstand, etc so that I can move like the "flower" Neel suggestions, instead of the bag of potatoes I am currently resembling.
am
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | kulkarnn - 2005-02-25 9:56 AM
The jumping is incorrect, because a) landing like a soft flower is next to impossibility for most persons. I mean they can spend their entire yoga practice time to achieve this feat while ignoring some other very important elements of practice. b) landing on toes does not serve any useful purpose c) And, due to a and b, one is likely to injure the toes and screw up the Yoga Practice in long run. Or, while doing the practice one shall be trying to protect the toes doing the jumpings in an incorrect way for protecting the toes rather than doing the poses correctly.
I agree completely. Surya Namaskara can be done quite effectively by stepping back into
a lunge, then to plank/chaturanga etc. Jumping is not essential. |
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| Last night had a chance to see John Scott's Ashtamga DVD and now understand what Neel means by landing like a flower. John's "jumpings" seem effortless. He ssems to have som much control that they seem to be almost in slow motion.
Are there any yogic benefits to these jumpings besides looking like a ballet dance when done correctly? Are they meant to build "heat". If stepping back gives better alignment than jumping, does that take away from the "heat building"?
BKS Iyengar in LOY only mentions surya namaskar and jumpings once in the book, that too in the end of his Course 1 syllabus. He says those who wish to develop their arms and chest can prostrate before the sun and describes essentially Surya Namaskar A from the Ashtanga series. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| In Iyengar yoga we do jump from Tadasana to wide legged stances for Trikonasana and other standing poses and we introduce that right away. It does develop the legs and it does create some heat, especially at the beginning when we are "cauliflowers"  I will be using that in class today for sure! Other than that we save jumping for Sun Sals. My form does go all to h*ll in Sun Sals but maybe that is because I don't do them very often.  |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State |
The jumpings to wide legged poses don't impact the toes the way
a jumpback into chaturanga dandasana does....they are probably more
of a challenge to the knees, however.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Yep, gotta watch the knees and even for people with sore backs, hips, headaches etc. it is suggested to step. The jump to chataranga is just asking for broken or at least stubbed toes for folks like me |
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| About Heat Question from Hot Yogi:
The heat development is a terminology used in a particular style or by certain people. The same phenomenon can be described by various other terminologies such as metabolism (I think it is called Catabolism.). When any part of the body is moved, does not matter which part, the blood flow in that part is increased, wear and tear of that part is increased, and it also increases the temperature of that part, and also it feels like that part is heated. Now, it does not matter how you move that part. You can move that part by running, or by Ashtanga Style, by Iyengar Style, by Aerobics, or even by Swimming. It always generates heat.
By jumpings in particular way, particular parts get exercised to the core developing certain strengths of organs, muscles, and also attention of the nervous system or mind if yyou wish to call that way.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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Benefit of a thicker mat?
