“stay on your mat”
“take your practice off the mat”
“get on your mat every day”
“don’t touch other’s mats”
“all you need is a mat”
The metaphors for yoga mats in practice are endless, but should the use of a mat be ubiquitous? What’s special about a yoga mat that differentiates it from other props?
Maybe the best way for students to take the practice off the mat is for teachers to encourage students to practice without it during class. Balance is more stable on a solid floor and requires mindfulness regarding weight distribution in the feet for most standing poses. Mats offer little help and cause a logistical nightmare when practicing asana against a wall in a large class since there may not be enough wall for everyone to have their full “mats width” against it.
Do we really need to mark our territory? If I’m in the room, I’m in “my spot”. We often don’t need the whole space the mat takes up and occasionally need more room. Spatial awareness is part of the practice and shifting position in a crowded room is an excellent practice. I’ve been in “mat-to-mat” classes where the teacher has had all students fold their mats in half and it definitely makes for a less claustrophobic practice when there’s more open territory available.
One reason I and others go to yoga classes is to connect with others. In a world where we’re buried in our screens, cars, and homes, there are few communal spaces for people to come together and share an experience. Should we be using a yoga mat as another island to isolate ourselves?
In my personal practice I rarely use a mat. The room I practice in is carpeted and if I’m working on standing/balancing poses where the padding of the carpet interferes, I go to a hardwood portion of my home to practice on the solid floor. In class I frequently practice savasana directly on the hardwood floor. I like the coolness and slipperyness that helps me get into position. I’ve also been known to practice headstand directly on the floor because my head on the solid floor is grounding and I feel more stability.
A yoga mat is not a prerequisite for a yoga practice, thank you for allowing me to share mine.
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Corey's Yoga Blog 
2 thoughts on “Detach from your Mat”