Enhance Yoga by Learning how to Clean a Yoga Mat
 |
 |
 |
 |
Yoga provides a great way to center and ground oneself through rhythmic breathing and stretching. It is a system of practice and routine that enhances both the mind and the body. To go even deeper, into the spiritual realm, it also enriches the soul. It is said that the body has points of energy called chakras, and these points of energy come into alignment when one is performing yoga.
What is interesting and engaging about yoga is that is layered in practice. In other words, it is not just about breathing and stretching, but also about a way of life.
One of the themes of yoga is the idea of simplicity. In simplicity, one can often find a sense of peace, and even enlightenment. There are many ways to live yoga-like life when not in the yoga studio. This can be through things like changing to a wholesome, vegetarian diet, or it can be through learning how to clean a yoga mat.
Changing your diet can have a huge impact on your life in all areas. When we eat well, we often feel well. This feeling of wellness translates into our energy levels as well as mood. The idea of simplicity present in yoga can be very much made manifest in a vegetarian diet.
There is a saying that “cleanliness is next to godliness.” In yoga, learning how to clean a yoga mat is going to actually be a major part of your path in yoga. It has to do with integrating ritual and purging from material things to the physical. In other words, a dirty yoga mat can symbolize the toxins and such in your body, which yoga helps to overcome. In this way, knowing how to clean a yoga mat can become a ritual that you perform after every yoga session.
You can think of it as part of the ritual that you have experienced physically, and which now you are brining into your material surroundings.
Before you wash your yoga mat, it is important to note the type of material that it is made from. Different materials are going to require different washing methods, and so you want to know what you are dealing with before you wash your mat and potentially ruin it.
Learning how to clean a yoga mat means starting with the right knowledge about what your mat is made from and therefore safeguarding yourself from having to get a new one.
Also, this simple knowledge can very much edify your sense of purpose as you bring the cleaning of your yoga mat into your overall yoga practice. Typically, the best way to go is to follow the manufacture’s instructions for cleaning the mat, but you can often just spray the mat lightly with a cleaning solution, and when it is very dirty you can submerge it in warm, soapy water for a period of time.
Cleaning your yoga mat can be a ritual in and of itself that you can tune right into your daily or weekly yoga sessions. Yoga need not be just about exercise, it can be about a way of life.