How to be a Toxic-Free Yogi
Yoga has been around for centuries, but only within the last 50 years has it grown to become incredibly popular in western culture. It is estimated that there are about 36 million practitioners in the US alone! People are practicing at home, in studios, at national parks, all the different styles of yoga. Yoga isn’t just for affluent people; yoga can be done whether you’re a person of color, fuller figured, disabled, older or low income. Yoga is meant to help one connect the mind and body in a healthy way.
This growth in popularity has been due to an increase in accessibility and understanding of all the benefits from the newfound research of having this mind-body practice in our daily lives. Some benefits one can gain are improved posture, flexibility, muscle strength, mental health, increased breathing capacity, better sleep and digestion, and much more. For me, it makes everyday life tasks easier; I wake up feeling well-rested, can bend over to pick up my plants without injuring myself, helps my slouchy back from working at a desk all day, and just makes me feel overall happier.
With such a growing group, there is an increase in demand for the products needed to be able to practice safely and successfully. As with anything, there are potential toxins from yoga-related products that can cause harm to both the yogis and the environment. Let’s take a look at the top 3 sources of potential toxins.
Yoga Mats
Having a good yoga mat is important for a few reasons. You need one that is long lasting, has good grip and is easy to clean up. Cheaper mats do all of that but with a major cost to the health of ourselves and the environment. Most yoga mats are made with Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), the same type of plastic our debit cards, water bottles and piping is made of. PVC gets softened so that it can be shaped into yoga mats that have those three key benefits aforementioned.
The problem then lies with PVC not being a recyclable material. So discarded yoga mats end up just in landfills and incinerators filling the soil, air and waterways with chemicals like dioxin. Not to scare anyone but dioxin is a known human carcinogen identified by the World Health Organization.
A good solution is to look into yoga mat companies materials list to see if they are PVC free and are biodegradable. I suggest a Liforme Mat because it is eco-friendly, stylish and the best mat I have ever practiced on.
Yoga Mat Cleaners
After a sweaty practice, yogis must clean their mats. It is easy to run to a local shop and grab a mat cleaner spray. However, some of those spray can have chemicals and high alcohol levels in them that can be harmful to breathe in let alone make your mat disintegrate faster. I suggest just making your own!
Yoga Mat Spray Recipe
Spray Bottle
1 part witch hazel or white vinegar
3 parts water
A few drops of pure essential oils*
Try out different scents you like the most like Tea Tree, Lavender, Eucalyptus, etc.
Yoga Blocks
Last but not least, yoga blocks. These are a prop used to help modify poses. Most blocks are made from petrochemicals that come from petroleum production. We are all aware of who oil production has wrecked our environment with spills in the oceans and fracking. So to avoid contributing to that massive polluter, look into getting a cork yoga block. They are sustainable and very sturdy. I like them a lot because there’s no give in the material whereas the softer, foam ones cave in and rip over time.
Carrington’s beautiful Moon Phase Yoga Block by Yoganomolous are no longer available, but there are lots of great, non-toxic cork blocks available like these from 42birds.
In essence, it is all about conscious effort and trying your best on and off the mat. Ahimsa is taught in the philosophy of yoga. It means non-harming to yourself and to others in Sanskrit. We all can practice ahimsa by detoxifying our yoga products in order to live a happier, healthier life with a clearer conscience.
Carrington Kernodle
Carrington is a small town, vegan, yogi, plant mama taking over the world one yeehaw at a time. She runs her own business called Parts Homegrown with Carrington where she focuses on vegan food and lifestyle. Her perspectives come from her studies at the UVa where she double majored in Philosophy and African-American & African Studies with a minor in Global Sustainability. You can typically find her in the Whole Foods produce section, at a plant shop looking for her next plant baby, or on a yoga mat.