Well, I haven't been blogging much, but I have been on my mat! So much so that the other day I noticed I had some pretty grimy patches where I stand in mountain pose and where my hands usually rest in downward facing dog. Gross. I looked toward the back of my mat and there were another two spots where my feet rest in down-dog, or warrior 1 and/or 2. Double gross.
You probably couldn't tell by looking at it, but I love my yoga mat. I splurged out some money and bought it during a very trying time in my life. This mat has been through a lot with me and has helped me get through a lot. It's not fair for it to look dirty and neglected. I decided that I need to show my mat some love in a way that doesn't involve my asana practice. Plus, I need to be more conscious and aware of the little things in life. Thus was awakened the motivation to clean my yoga mat!
I figured I could probably just clean it with a vinegar-water solution and call it good, but I wanted to double check online before I accidentally ruined my mat. Sure enough, the most common, convenient, and least expensive way to clean a yoga mat is with vinegar and water. I used a 3-part vinegar to 1-part distilled water solution (in a spray bottle), dabbed 5 drops of tea-tree-lavender essential oil and 10 drops of eucalyptus oil and shook it all up. All I did was spray down my mat, let it sit for a minute or two, and then wipe it with a damp cloth, did the same thing to the other side, then I hung it over the stair railing to dry. Voila! Fresh mat, fresh scent!
I used my tea-tree-lavender oil because of tea tree's anti-fungal, -microbial, and -viral properties and lavender's benefits to the nervous system. I used the eucalyptus oil because it's my favorite scent right now, and it also has anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, decongestant, deodorant, antiseptic, antibacterial and stimulating benefits. Obviously I won't get all of those benefits just by spritzing my mat, but the stimulating, antibacterial, deodorant, etc factors will help. Not to mention I'm usually congested so my nose will appreciate the pick-me-up!
What methods have you tried to clean your mat? What essential oils would you use or recommend?
