My first experience doing yoga was a Bikram yoga class in Byron Bay in 2009.
In the years since then, especially after having children and not having the ability to commit to Bikram’s 90 minute long class, I tried other forms of hot yoga (all of which by the way, ended up paling in comparison to what I now know is my one true hot-yoga-love, Bikram). But anyway.
In trying all these forms of hot yoga, I now know that hot yoga encompasses a variety of different styles – each with their own unique approach and temperature settings:
- Bikram Yoga (40°C)
- Hot Vinyasa (32°C to 37°C)
- Hot Power (33°C to 37°C)
- Hot Hatha (35°C to 38°C)
- Hot Yin (27°C to 32°C)
- Hot Fusion (35°C to 39°C)
- Hot Ashtanga (32°C to 35°C)
- Warm Yoga (27°C to 29°C)
Hot yoga has become a popular practice for those looking to push their limits, improve flexibility, and (if you believe this can be done) detoxify their bodies through intense, sweat-inducing sessions.
However with all that sweat, having the right gear is crucial to maintain grip, comfort, and enjoyment throughout your practice. Two essential pieces of equipment for hot yoga are your hot yoga mat and yoga towel.
In this comprehensive guide I’ve outlined the important things to keep in mind when buying a yoga mat and yoga towel for hot yoga.
You need a yoga mat and yoga towel that copes well in moist conditions:
- Hot Yoga Mat: Ideally you want a yoga mat that doesn’t absorb fluids (in other words, sweat). Yoga mats are either ‘open-celled’ or ‘closed-celled’. If the mat is open-celled, this means that the mat’s cells are porous and so absorb moisture and sweat. Natural rubber, PU topped yoga mats and cork yoga mats are open-celled. Closed-cell mats don’t allow moisture to soak into the mat. Closed-cell mats are also easier to maintain as they don’t take days to dry out like open-celled mats.
- Yoga Towel: Ideally you want a yoga towel that has sweat-assisted grip. Towels like this get grippier the wetter they become, meaning that you skid around less on the surface you’re practicing on.
Antibacterial yoga mats and yoga towels are a must:
- Hot Yoga Mat: Germs THRIVE in warm and moist environments and hot yoga rooms are pretty much the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. When used in hot rooms, yoga mats and yoga towels often suffer from high bacterial and fungal growth. ANTIBACTERIAL yoga mats inhibit the growth of these germs and go one step further, being anti-fungal and anti-mould as well.
- Yoga Towel: Likewise, because of where they’re used, hot yoga towels are the perfect incubator for germs and in a hot yoga room a non-antibacterial towel can have 5,200 microbes per square cm[1]. Antibacterial towels kill bacteria, mould and fungus, and stop the transfer of germs to your skin. Skin conditions triggered by microbes (i.e. pimples, athlete’s foot, dermatitis) can diminish when an antibacterial yoga towel is used.
Having an odour-resistant yoga mat and yoga towel makes practicing more enjoyable:
- Hot Yoga Mat: Strangely, you can’t see bacteria, but you can smell it – that’s how you’ll know if your hot yoga mat has bacteria multiplying on it – it will have “that smell”. Antibacterial yoga mats kill bacteria and therefore help to prevent bad odours.
- Yoga Towel: Same as the above, antibacterial towels kills germs and so prevent bad odours, meaning these towels always smell fresh and clean.
Durability matters:
- Hot Yoga Mat: You need a yoga mat that won’t melt in the heat or flake and warp. Yoga mats don’t need to be replaced every one to two years as some people think. If you buy a good quality yoga mat from the start, one that is antibacterial (so you’re not having to replace the mat because you can’t handle its bad smell) and durable (it should have an internal membrane that runs through the middle of the mat, reinforcing it and preventing warping) there’s no reason why you can’t have your mat for 15 or more years. I still have in rotation some of the yoga mats I made in my very first production run and that was 14 years ago now. They perform just as well as brand news mats from my most recent production run - if anything their grip has gotten better over time.
- Yoga Towel: You need a yoga towel that has double stitching along its edges to prevent misshaping and fraying. You also need a towel that’s machine washable for ease of care and can hold up to being washed after every class.
Eco-friendliness plays a significant role in some people’s decision making:
- Hot Yoga Mat: Whilst it might not be a massive priority of yours to buy an eco yoga mat, I understand that for some people buying sustainably is a non-negotiable. If you are going down the eco-friendly route, I would say that the gold standard is a yoga mat that’s landfill-biodegradable and, generally speaking, that’s mats made from PER, NR, and some cork mats. Eco yoga mats are also typically free from harmful chemicals which is good for the user and for the planet.
- Yoga Towel: Recent technologies have allowed discarded plastic bottles to be shredded into flakes, then melted down into pellets, which is then extruded into yarn. This yarn is used to create eco-friendly yoga towels that, by being made from discarded plastic bottles, help prevent these bottles from ending up in landfills or oceans while also reducing the demand for new virgin materials. To be honest, towels made using recycled plastic bottles are commonplace these days – there would easily be 15 or so brands in Australia selling them, but the gold standard is one that is endorsed by the Global Recycling Standard. You should also be looking for towels made using water-based (not plastic-based) inks.
A lightweight yoga mat and yoga towel gives greater convenience:
- Hot Yoga Mat: Yoga mats range in weight from 1kg to 6kg. Ideally, you’re after a mat that weighs between 1kg to 2kg – this will make it easier for you to transport the mat to and from class (especially if you’re walking or biking) and to roll it up and store it when need be.
- Yoga Towel: A compact yoga towel is a definite help here. This will make the towel easier to transport but also to wash in your washing machine at home. Compact towels also tend to dry faster.
Comfort is a factor:
- Hot Yoga Mat: If you’re buying a yoga mat that weighs roughly 1kg to 2kg, the yoga mat thickness will be around 5mm – which is enough thickness to allow for some cushioning, whilst not being so thick that the mat starts to become too heavy. Remember that thicker mats can offer more comfort, but for this comfort, either sacrifice portability or stability, as they become “bouncier”. Most standard yoga mat lengths sit at around 165cm to 180cm.
- Yoga Towel: With yoga towels, the areas where comfort comes into play, are the areas of absorption and softness. Ideally you are looking for a towel that “wicks” or “draws” moisture away from the surface and into the fabric fibres, meaning that sweat won’t pool on the surface of the towel and grip can be maintained. Here you’re aiming for a towel that can hold 2 to 3 times its weight in water. As for softness, most modern day towels are soft (no manufacturer aims to make a scratchy towel!) so you will be fine with the vast majority of brands. In terms of size, make sure the towel matches the size of your mat. Some towels are designed to fit standard mats perfectly, while others may be smaller or larger. You are really aiming for a towel that fits your yoga mat size perfectly (so isn’t under or over in size).
Conclusion
Choosing the best hot yoga mat and yoga towel is about finding the right balance between key factors that can significantly effect and hopefully enhance your practice. Moisture resistance, antibacterial properties, odour prevention, durability, eco-friendliness, portability and comfort all play vital roles in your overall experience.
I developed The Pure Mat™ and The Pure Towel™ with all of the above factors in mind – in fact they were developed while I was obsessively deep into my Bikram yoga practice - so I knew like the back of my hand, the intricacies and specific demands that hot yoga styles place on the gear that’s used in them.
Both The Pure Mat™ and The Pure Towel™ satisfy all of the requirements I have listed in the article above. In fact they are the only products of their kind on the Australian market. I advise that when used in hot yoga classes, The Pure Mat™ be used in conjunction with The Pure Towel™, so that you can attain maximum grip and sweat absorption.
For reviews on The Pure Mat™ and The Pure Towel™ head here.
Hot yoga is a beautiful practice that captivated me from the very first class – whichever yoga mat and towel you end up choosing I wish you a wonderful class and a life of good health.
Andrea x
[1] Data taken from Industrial Microbiological Services Ltd, Certificate of analysis, Towel fabric was inoculated with the common bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and kept at 35°C and at 24 hours tested for 5,200 bacteria per square cm. Test performed 15/04/2020