Yoga is good for you for many reasons, for example it boosts your immunity, hence try to practice regularly. Even if you’re not feeling well, you can still practice, at home, a soft and slow routine adapted to your needs of that moment.
As people are feeling more insecure about their own health for the moment, it’s wise to take a good look at health & your yoga practice, at home & in the studio.
- Practice basic common sense, first of all, if you don’t feel well (under the weather, coughing, sneezing etc.), please refrain from going to your yoga group practice, as you don’t want to share your germs with your fellow students or teacher.
- Washing hands regularly obviously should be a normal practice.
- Basic hygiene rules for coughing & sneezing.
Practice neti pot cleansing regularly to facilitate Pranayama and keep your nostrils clean and clear (for sale in your yoga studio).- Use a tongue scraper to keep your tongue & mouth free of germs (for sale in your yoga studio).
- Furthermore, I would like to share with you the importance of having your own yoga mat. When you practice yoga, you most likely sweat a bit (or a lot) and lose some cells caused by the friction on the mat, these you better keep to yourself, so don’t lend out your yoga mat either preferably. More importantly, every time you practice your yoga asanas you generate energy and this energy goes into the yoga mat. You want to keep this energy flow to yourself and not get someone else’s energy mixed with your own by using another person’s mat. So my advice is to buy a yoga mat that you can take with you to your class, use at home and bring on trips as well. If you don’t yet have your own mat, you can bring a (yoga) towel to the class to cover a studio mat until you’ve gotten your own.
- Clean your mat after your practice.
- Change your yoga clothes regularly (preferably after each practice).
Nowadays it’s easy to find affordable good quality mats, a reliable online store is yogashop or buy one in Sampoorna Yoga Studio in the center of Brussels.
Some do’s & don’ts regarding your yoga mat
- Be careful when using soap when cleaning your mat, the soap can leave a film on the mat which causes it to be slippery. Best to rinse it with some water and air dry or use a cloth and (homemade) cleansing spray.
- Always let your mat air after practice.
- Avoid lending your mat to a friend, for hygiene and energy reasons as explained earlier.
Example: my yoga mats
home practice: a very good choice as very comfortable, it’s quite expensive but will last you forever. I use this Manduka mat for my home practice. It’s thick & heavy, so not easy to carry with you to yoga practice outside your home. It’s easy to keep clean (use a cloth and your homemade cleansing spray).- travel mat: ultra thin mat that folds and is easily added to your luggage. It’s a good choice if you want to practice yoga on for instance the hotel carpet floor but don’t want to carry a big yoga mat with you while traveling. Also practical to bring to the yoga studio to place on top of the mats they provide for you.
- yoga towel: excellent choice to use in on top of your yoga studio mats, this one has good grip, is easily washable and light.
- ECO: a very good choice for ecological purposes and also very high comfortable rating! It’s 6mm thick so this is particularly nice if you have a sore neck from Sarvangasana (shoulderstand). It’s heavier and rolls less easily, so this is more a mat for home practice.
Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति
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