Let’s face it, even if your favorite yoga mat is bulletproof and will never ever wear out, there’s still a decent chance that you have a collection of yoga mats laying around the house, most likely never to be used for their intended purpose ever again.  Eventually, one day you may decide to tidy up the place and gaze in astonishment at all your mats. First, you’ll wonder where the heck they all came from.  And second, you’ll wonder what the heck to do with them since you really don’t need old, worn-out mats filling up the corners of every room in your house, do you?

Well, it certainly looks yogic to have a mat in every corner, but then you think to yourself there must be something practical I could do with all these extra pieces of large, spongy, colorful, plastic rectangles.   The simple answer:

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

After a little personal introspection and Internet research, I compiled this list of 43 creative ways to reuse, recycle, and extend your old yoga mats’ non-yoga related usefulness.  Sound fun?  Get your scissors ready.  Off you go:

My Personal Top 10 Reuse/Recycle Options:

1. Turn your mat into a bleacher cushion.  Great for those hard bleachers when watching sporting events.  Here’s how:  Step 1) Cut the mat into equal pieces to make one top and bottom (the size of a newspaper laid flat); Step 2) Punch holes about every 2 inches with a paper hole punch all the way around (both top and bottom); Step 3) Take a couple of days worth of newspapers and lay them between the top and bottom (or if you have another old mat to sacrifice, chop it up and use it as the cushioning); Step 4) Use yarn, ribbon, rawhide, etc. to lace the holes and tie off.  Oh yeah, pretty sweet, huh?  To re-stuff, untie and add new newspaper.  Easy to store, lightweight, washable, reusable, and comfortable
2. Leave the beach towel home and bring your old yoga mat to the beach instead (caution! may induce spontaneous yoga poses on the beach
3. Save your floors and roll out the old mats for the kids to do messy craft projects on
4. Along the same lines as number 1, fold mat in four, place in a pillow cover, and you have a cheap and comfy meditation cushion
5. Donate your old mat to a mat recycling program such as Recycle Your Mat, an eco-conscious organization whose goal is to re-purpose or recycle the world’s unwanted yoga mats.  Apparently Manduka offers 20% discount on your next mat purchase if you go this route!  Jade Yoga also offers a 3R Program where yoga students can drop off their used up and unwanted mats to participating studios who, with Jade’s help will find local resources to reuse or donate the mats.  I’m sure there’s more recycling programs like these, so feel free to comment if you know of other programs that deserve a mention
6. Enjoy yoga in the wild! Use old mats as a “Guerrilla Yoga” mat alternative (okay, I just mean plain old outside yoga, but Guerrilla Yoga sounds so much more primitive).  Most, if not all, “eco” mats are susceptible to damage by the elements and using them for outside practice is not the best idea.   Now you don’t have to jack up your good mat doing it
7. How could the computer geek inside me resist a nice, thick, cushiony yoga mouse pad for surfing the Internet
8. I really hate rattling stereo speakers.  Place cut out yoga mat squares under those noisy stereo speakers to reduce vibration rattle
9. Do you absolutely love the feel of yoga mat on your feet?  Why not cut out yoga mat insoles for all your shoes.  Now you’re a true yogi!  Oh, wait, no your not unless you’ve tried number 10…
10. True yogis don’t wear shoes, right?  Why not make a pair of flip-flops out of your yoga mat?!?  Click the link and/or watch the video below for everything you need to know.  You’re going to need these for going to the beach (see #2 above)

Click through the jump to see the rest of the list…

33 More Creative Reuse/Recycle Solutions

1. Place small squares under furniture legs to protect wooden floors (glue on with non-toxic adhesive)
2. Cut squares for nonskid pads to cushion hallway carpet runners
3. Use for a cushy lining and fabric anchor on baby’s changing table
4. Most mats are waterproof and serve well beneath leaky flowerpots
5. Double up old mats as sleeping bag pads for camping (you might even end up sneaking in a little yoga in the woods)
6. Roll out old mats as floor coverings during painting projects
7. Fold up and use as a prop or knee padding with your new mat
8. Use mat as extra bedding for pets
9. Give your yoga mat a new life as a weed cloth cover
10. Cut your pad into smaller pieces, tape them together with duct tape and you’ll have a fabulous knee pad for gardening
11. Donate to homeless shelters as sleeping pads
12. Protect the leather in the back seat of your car from sharp, scratchy objects by rolling an old mat out on the seat
13. Cut to size and line your kitchen shelves with a non-slip surface
14. Cut out four squares to use as bases for a neighborhood baseball game
15. Clean up your old mat and cut out drawer and shelf liners for your closet
16. Use as padding around kid’s playground equipment, cushions slide landings
17. If you have lots of old mats, chop them into small pieces and donate to a neighborhood playground for ground cover
18. Cut out palm-sized jar grippers
19. Sit just about anywhere you want (wet grass, mud puddle, pile of rocks, etc) with a cushy mat padding
20. Place underneath children’s car seats
21. Cut into small pieces and use as packing material for fragile items
22. Use as a door mat when camping to keep your tent clean
23. Place inside pet carriers for padding and footing
24. Create safe and colorful step treads for stairs. Cut your mat into rectangles slightly smaller than the size of your stairs — glue on for a permanent solution or let the mat’s inherent stickiness hold it in place if you prefer easy removal
25. Roll out onto the pavement for comfortable do-it-yourself car repairs
26. Cut out circle or square party coasters
27. Fit open laundry room space with mat area for muddy shoes
28. Going on a long trip?  Place on top of car for protection when luggage exceeds interior car space
29. Use as insulation: stuff into small spaces around doors, windows, etc.
30. Make insulated beverage sleeves
31. Shower mat
32. Use as a place mat for animal bowls
33. Place in trunk of car as a liner to keep upholstery clean and/or prevent things from sliding around

The list could go on!  Just remember, the re-purposing uses of a yoga mat are only limited by your needs and imagination.

Feel free to share in the comments any other creative ways you can think of for reusing or recycling old yoga mats.  I’d love for this list to be HUGE!

[Inspiration for some of the ideas:  lots from Gaiam Life, Bamboo Yogini, wikiHow, Yoga Maendy, RecycleThis, Eco Yogini, my own head]

Came across this great shoulderstand video on Rand(Om) Bites.  Do it right and it feels great; do it wrong and…just don’t do it wrong, okay.  Better yet, this is one of those poses best learned at the hands of a skilled teacher before you get too wild and crazy on your own.

Also, check out this snazzy Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga poster.  I love cool yoga posters.

Question of the day:  Can Yoga Save the World?

Doesn’t your day just feel messed up if you don’t get in at least a few Sun Salutations?  Kermit the Frog thinks so.   Though yoga for dogs used to be the rage, apparently yoga for frogs is the next up-and-coming craze.

Er, maybe not, but you’re more than welcome to enjoy the singular experience of brushing up on your Sun Salutation skills with everyone’s favorite frog.

.

There’s more where that came from….

[inspired by YogaDork]

A few months ago I experimented with removing running from my exercise routine because I wanted to see how much flexibility I could gain by laying off the daily pavement pounding and sticking with a daily yoga practice. I have a propensity for inflexibility in the first place, but to my surprise, the lack of running really didn’t make that much of a difference in terms of increased flexibility.

However, when I decided it was time to get back out on the streets again, my lungs felt like they were going to collapse. It was at that moment, when the side-cramp and wheezing reached a critical zenith, that I realized I needed to balance out my yoga practice with aerobic exercise.

I still needed running.

While running has many benefits, it can also beat up on the body a little bit, which is why yoga complements it so well. Try some of these recommended stretches/poses from Runner’s World to stay loose and flexible after your next workout.

I also recommend checking out Yoga for Runners at Yoga Journal.

Have a hard time fitting yoga into your day?  Consider this simple thought:

“Instead of finding time to practice Yoga, practice Yoga all the time.” ~ Bob Weisenberg

I guess there could be worse things to be addicted to than books.  Every time I walk into a book store, the yoga section in particular tends to keep me occupied weighing the pros and cons of whether I need to buy another yoga book.  While I don’t think I’ve ever regretted purchasing a new yoga book, over time I’ve recognized that there are certain books I return to over and over again such as David Swenson’s Ashtanga Yoga Manual and B.K.S. Iyengar’s classic  Light on Yoga.  I can find answers to most of my yoga questions from those two books alone.  Even still, there are tons of other yoga books that I’ve enjoyed and am happy to include in my collection.

Although it’s nice to have the books sorted neatly on shelves at home, I’ve also found it’s nice to have them virtually organized on one of my favorite book websites, LibraryThing.com.  I bought a lifetime membership to LibraryThing for $25 over three years ago (still the same price) and have happily enjoyed adding books to my virtual book collection ever since.   For book lovers, LibraryThing becomes an extra valuable resource after they’ve entered most of the books from their personal library, wishlists, library books read, e-books, etc., because of the powerful recommendation/anti-recommendation features LibraryThing incorporates.  Want to find a new book?  Look no further than LibraryThing to steer you in the right direction.

I love shopping for books on Amazon.com, but LibraryThing takes book hunting to a whole new level with its “will you like it?” feature.   For example, I ran across the book, “Yoga for Wimps,” clicked on the “will you like it” button, and LibraryThing told me with a “low” degree of certainty that I will probably like the book.  From there I searched through the book recommendations on the same page, thought Donna Farhi’s book, “Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit“ looked interesting, clicked on the “will you like it” button, and found out that I will love the book.  Hmmm…I might have to check that out next time I’m at a decent bookstore (as in, not in Iraq…).

So even though I love buying and reading new yoga books, I also love keeping them organized, recalling what I enjoyed about each book, and finding future reading material in a fun, simple manner.  LibraryThing has a ton of other features, and for the yoga book lover, or just plain old bookaholic looking for a little virtual book organization, I highly recommend LibraryThing.

Without the breath, yoga is just a lot of bending.  With the breath, yoga transforms.  Ujjayi breath provides the  mind-calming rhythmic hum that  naturally moves the body from one moment to the next.  The sound of the Ujjayi breath reminds me of ocean waves crashing onto the shore, running back out to sea, and then crashing back into the shore again, and again.  So peaceful and relaxing, yet so full of strength and power.

Consider these simple  tips on correct yogic breathing from Lino Miele, who states:

Awareness (consciousness) of the breath is the basis of a correct practice of the asana (posture). Practice Ujjayi breathing. Keep the throat relaxed and open, and apply a slight closure of the glottis. The air that enters and exits will produce a sound; the quality of the Ujjayi breath should be gentle, deep and strong. The breath is complete when the lungs are either completely full or completely empty. A deep exhale ends below the navel. A deep inhale will expand the back and the thoracic cage, filling the area around the heart.

Though somewhat simple to describe, correct Ujjayi breathing takes persistent practice, usually with continual reminders to refocus on the breath.  Sometimes it’s tough to not rush through a practice, giving half breaths for each of the movements.  With Lino Miele’s breathing advice in mind, I recommend paying extra attention to feeling your lungs expand on inhale and contracting your lower abdominals upon exhale.  Imagine your torso as if it were a sponge filling up with water on inhale and wringing itself dry on exhale.

One last visual description of the breath from Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki:

When we practice zazen our mind always follows our breathing. When we inhale, the air comes into the inner world. When we exhale, the air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless, and the outer world is also limitless. We say “inner world” or “outer world,” but actually there is just one whole world. In this limitless world, our throat is like a swinging door. The air comes in and goes out like someone passing through a swinging door. If you think, “I breathe,” the ” I ” is extra. There is no you to say “I. ” What we call ” I ” is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves; that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no ” I , ” no world, no mind nor body; just a swinging door.

Breathe in, breathe out…Open door, shut door, open door…

I sat down tonight to read a few pages in the September Yoga Journal and came across the many wonderful “reflections” paid tribute to Pattabhi Jois.  In one of the reflections, David Williams recalls the introduction and training in Ashtanga yoga he received from “Guruji,” including one of Guruji’s early visits to America  in 1975.  After two months of teaching daily Mysore-style classes, Guruji had one night before returning home, and Williams sought parting words of wisdom.

I asked, “Guruji, you have seen my life, you have met my friends. As a big yogi to a little yogi, do you have any advice for me?”

“Yes,” Guruji replied. “Each morning wake up. Do as much yoga as you want. Maybe you’ll eat, maybe you’ll fast. Maybe you’ll sleep indoors, maybe you’ll sleep outdoors. The next morning, wake up. Do as much yoga as you want. Maybe you’ll eat, maybe you’ll fast. Maybe you’ll sleep indoors, maybe you’ll sleep outdoors. Practice yoga, and all is coming!“

Not only do I love that story (and all the rest of the tributes) for the great history it captures, but also for the truth of the philosophy conveyed in such simple words:

• Wake up every day
• Practice yoga every day

Accomplish those two tasks and the rest of life’s little details take care of themselves.

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Don’t make excuses – make good.  ~Elbert Hubbard

Many people talk themselves out of starting a yoga practice with a variety of excuses.  It’s especially true for beginners who have never been to a class before and don’t really know where to begin.  It can seem a bit intimidating at first.  I know from experience — we all have a million excuses for avoiding a healthy lifestyle.  Not enough time.  No place to work out.  Don’t know the poses.  Too tired.  Out of shape.  Don’t have the money for classes.  Body doesn’t look right or bend right.  Lots of excuses.  While I don’t blame anyone for making these excuses, because I made them myself, the truth is, most of our excuses are merely rationalizations so that we can continue to be lazy, tired, and out of shape.

But getting into the yoga habit isn’t nearly as hard as you may think.  While it’s probably best for beginners to take  a few classes to get the fundamentals down, the beauty of yoga is that it does not cost a lot of money, doesn’t [have to] take tons of time, only requires enough space for a yoga mat, and it rejuvenates the tired body and wandering mind.  Once you get some of the basics down, yoga is a simple and effective tool for creating the healthy, happy, fulfilling lifestyle that we’re all seeking.

So, if you’re one of those people who would like to do yoga, but have been held back by lame excuses, now is your chance to take the initiative for your physical and mental well-being.  Overcome fear of the unknown and enjoy this hour long yoga practice from Yoga Today, designed specifically as an introduction for beginners.  No more excuses!!  Make good.  Make yoga!

I always find it surprising how much better I feel at work if I take a few minutes every now and then to sit up, stretch my body, and take some relaxing breaths.  I found this refreshing routine at Yoga+ Joyful Living written by Greg Capitolo.  Enjoy!

Extended periods of sitting seem to be an occupational hazard in today’s information age. Even if you have good posture habits and the best ergonomic chair, your body will need a break to release muscle tension, stress, and stagnation in the joints. Fortunately, it’s easy to adapt some yoga postures for the office, allowing you to reap the benefits of hatha yoga without ever leaving your chair. Treat yourself to a five-minute break with this revitalizing sequence.

1. Breath Awareness To begin, sit at the front edge of your chair so that your ears, shoulders, and hips are in a straight line. Adjust the height of your chair so that your knees are even with the hip joints and your feet rest on the floor directly under your knees (if your chair is not adjustable, prop books under your feet or hips). Close your eyes and focus on establishing smooth, even diaphragmatic breathing; feel the upper abdomen and lower ribs expand with each inhale and fall with each exhale. After one minute, move on to the gentle stretches below, starting each exercise from this basic seated posture.

2. Shoulder Rolls On an inhale, draw the shoulders up toward your ears and back; then down and forward on the exhale. Repeat two more times, then reverse the direction. This exercise increases mobility in the shoulder joints and opens the chest.

Read More…

You’ve probably already seen the news story reporting researchers’ findings that organic food has little to no nutritional or health value over good old-fashioned give-me-all-the-pesticides-you-can-take food.  Even still, armed with that knowledge, my eating habits won’t change much since about the only organic food I eat on a regular basis is the slightly more expensive cold cereal that I buy just ’cause it tastes better.  When I’m home, I eat whatever my beautiful wife makes, and since she’s so super practical that it pains her almost to buy even the more expensive organic cold cereal I like, and she does most of the grocery shopping, we just don’t do too much organic at our house.

As for the scientific study, the research team reviewed 50 years of research comparing different nutrient levels in plant and animal foods produced by organic and non-organic farming.  The researchers concluded:

A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance….[T]here is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority.

Though I don’t buy a lot of organic food, my brain still works well enough to know that this kind of report will certainly get organic food proponents fired up since surely there is more to the organic food market than just nutritional values.  I guess I haven’t really looked into it much, but I’m just wondering if I’m missing out or making a big mistake by not making a more serious examination of the other benefits of an organic food diet  in terms of taste, environmental effects, and other feel-good factors.

If anyone wishes to educate me or point others to additional resources on the subject of organic food benefits, feel free to leave a comment.  Maybe you can persuade me, or maybe I’ll just feel smug knowing I didn’t give into the organic food craze when I didn’t have any money during law school. 

After yesterday’s triumphant announcement about completing the 30 day yoga challenge, I just about blew it on the last day.  I got home from work, sat down in my chair to read a book, decided the bed looked more comfortable than the chair, relocated myself to the bed, clicked through a couple of pages of Pride and Prejudice on my Kindle 2, and then next thing I knew I woke up a couple of hours later; which happened to be much later than my normal evening yoga time.

As I groggily came to my senses, I realized it was going to take some serious will-power to roll off my bed and onto my mat instead of crawling under my covers and calling it a night.  Despite the invisible hands that were pulling me back towards my comfortable sheets (the bed’s a whole different story though — a military cot might be more comfortable than this spring-loaded nightmare), I managed to flip open my May copy of Yoga Journal to the “home practice” section.  I did the ten poses just like Patricia Walden instructed, took a shower, and then laid in bed wide-eyed for most of the rest of the night.  That’s pretty much par for the course after a two hour nap just before bed. Enough to make a person crazy!  But I don’t get crazy ’cause I do yoga, right?

As penance I dragged myself out of bed again this morning at 4:30 and did the hour long abbreviated Ashtanga Primary Series sequence I’d planned to do last night.  This last week or so, I noticed my motivation and dedication levels declining, which was probably caused by exhaustion from all the running I was doing on top of my daily yoga practice.  I think I sort of used running as a crutch because I started to doubt whether yoga alone would be enough to keep me fit.  Running and yoga every day was a bit much though, and the intensity of my practice suffered.  By the time evening rolled around and my dinner digested, I had a hard time getting pumped up about working up a good sweat.  I was just ready to chill out and relax.

But now that my 30 day challenge is actually complete, I’m beginning to feel the fire building up inside again and I have a new plan.  I’m going to cut back on some of my running so I have more energy for yoga and I’ll move my yoga time to the mornings so I can jump into it while I’m fresh and on an empty stomach.   I should be able to get to bed earlier and the early mornings shouldn’t feel like a drag.  The perfect way to start the day.

When all is said and done, I believe in yoga.  I believe in its power to make my body and mind healthy and happy.  And for me, yoga attunes my spirit to follow with more dedication and devotion the sacred and spiritual path that guides every thought, decision, and action in my life.  When my yoga practice is strong, my spirit is strong, and I feel more unity, peace, and balance in my body and in my mind.  And so, though my 30 day yoga challenge may be history, I remember once again the famous words of the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who said simply, “Practice, and all is coming.”  Having caught only a sliver of a glimpse of the fruits of a dedicated yoga practice, that sliver is more than enough motivation to regain my balance and coax my sleepy head out of bed for many more days to come.

I pulled out my calendar yesterday to figure out how many more days I had for my 30 day yoga challenge and realized that I only had one day left to go.  Barring any unforeseen disasters today, I should be able to check this one off my box by the time the day is done.  What an interesting month it’s been to sweat out my stress every night on the yoga mat with a commitment and dedication I didn’t know I had within me.  I’m the sort of person that’s great at starting things, but not so good at finishing sometimes.  I get bored easily and flit around from one good idea to the next. Oh, it’s just the worst with books, and it drives me crazy, but I do it nonetheless.  There’s just too many interesting things to learn and do in this world, so I have a hard time channeling my attention in one direction for too long.

But I’m glad that I can say that for at least the last 30 days I conquered my short attention span and got in some serious yoga time, not to mention five days a week of running as well.   As a deployed servicemember, there’s really only about three things to take pleasure in:  food, sleep or exercise.  For this month, at least, I chose exercise.  Because of that decision, there’s now about seven pounds less of me in the world.  One of the most interesting changes in my body after a month of daily yoga is that I have these crazy tendons or something like that on the back of my hands.  It’s like I have muscles on the back of my hands now.  Never seen that before in my life.   Having fairly well shunned the gym for a month, I’ve slimmed down a bit and noticed a redistribution of muscle mass from my arms and chest to my back and shoulders.  Incorporating abs into my daily yoga routine also yielded noticeable results, which probably would have been even more noticeable if I hadn’t succumbed on a semi-daily basis to my other new addiction:  Hot Tamales.  Don’t know that I’ll ever eat another Hot Tamale in my life when I finish my deployment, but for now if you stick a bag in front of me it disappears rather rapidly.  Oh well, I’m not perfect.  Maybe that’s why I threw the running into the mix so I could justify 600 calorie candy splurges.

As of today, I’ve certainly got a long, long ways to go with my yoga practice.  It’ll probably always be that way.  I’m not ready for a day off yet,so I’ll just keep on rolling out the mat.  I think tonight I’ll do this First Series practice from Yoga Today.

Today is officially day 15 of my 30 day yoga challenge.  Besides a little bit of wrist soreness due to not practicing this much in a long time, it’s been great getting on the mat every day for an hour or so.  Although I throw in a couple of asana variations, I pretty much have a routine set of poses I go through every day that I know get the sweat flowing, especially if I turn the AC off in my room.  It’s about 8:15 at night right now and the temperature is 109 degrees here in lovely Baghdad.  Needless to say, my room warms up rather quickly without AC and sweating is not usually a problem.  I’ll probably post what my typical routine looks like in a couple days.

For the most part I’ve practiced in the evenings, about two hours after dinner.  Unfortunately, after a few days of that I started feeling wiped out and lethargic by the time I was supposed to hit the mat.  By the time my dinner settled I just wanted to go to bed instead.   I persevered, but let’s just say I had a couple of rather lengthy nights of savasana.

I also took a week off of running, which was both good and bad.  The good part was that my body, especially my knees and hips, really loosened up.  The bad part was that I really love running and missed it a lot.  So, I decided I needed to make time in my schedule (like I have tons of free time?) to get a regular run in as well.  About the only thing I could come up with is getting up earlier, as if 5:30 am wasn’t early enough.  Although it’s taken a lot of discipline, mostly to go to bed at a reasonable hour, I’ve gone for 4:30 am morning runs the last few days.  It felt great to have running back, especially since it kind of takes the pressure off trying to make my evening yoga practice so physical all the time.  Sometimes it’s nice to not have to rely on a super-vigorous yoga session as my only form of exercise for the day.  And then this morning I decided to take a day off of running and throw in an hour of morning yoga.  I’m not going to complain too much beyond saying that apart from yoga this morning, my day totally sucked, but at least it got started off on the right foot.

Anyhow, I think I’ll wrap this up and lay out the mat for a few minutes before bed.

By the way, if any of you are interested, you can get Daily Cup of Yoga updates on Twitter as well.

Today was day 10 of my 30 day yoga challenge.  So far, so good, other than it was the first day where I felt like going to bed instead of throwing out the mat.  It was just a long, exhausting day of work.  And even once I convinced myself to get practicing, every movement felt like it required more energy than I had inside me.  I ended up modifying the intensity of today’s practice so I didn’t collapse in defeat on my mat.  Nonetheless, I still practiced for an hour before I relaxed into a savasana that turned into a one hour nap.  Obviously a signal that I need more sleep.

Despite today’s struggles, it’s been great to get on the mat every day.  I can feel my body loosening up and becoming more skillful at the less difficult poses as it prepares to take on more difficult asana challenges.  I usually like to run a lot, but I haven’t ran at all this week because I wanted to see how pliable my body could become if I only focused on yoga.  Of course this is a slow, gradual process and most developments only seem noticeable when comparing beginning and end performance, but not necessarily day to day progress.  I’m just going to keep moving along in my practice and hopefully a good night’s sleep will bring more energy to tomorrow’s efforts.

You don’t want to be that person, you know, the one who everyone  stays as far away from at yoga class because their mat reeks so bad and has so much sweat and bacteria growing on it that it might very well be  the next step in the evolution of yoga.  The living, breathing, stinky mat.

But no, oh no, not your mat.  You would never sweat all over your mat, roll it up sopping wet and then throw it in the sweltering trunk of your car.  Trust me, it’s not going to be so hot in the trunk that it cooks the little suckers who are throwing a party on your yoga mat.  The heat just gets them even more riled up and excited to plant a foot fungus on your forehead the next time you rest in child’s pose.  Now that’s a lovely thought isn’t it?

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve written about how to clean a yoga mat, and since I initiated my freshly-delivered yoga mat last night with more than just a few drops of sweat, it’s about time for a re-attack.  Feel free to chime in with any tips or advice (“yogahacks”) if you’re already one of those who knows how to baby your mat like it’s a Rolls Royce.

First off, the method you use for cleaning your mat depends on what type of mat you have and how dirty it is.   For daily preemptive action, you should at least wipe your mat off with a towel after each use.   Some like to spritz their mat with a little mat spray before toweling it off or they use a handy wipe or it’s costlier cousin, the yoga mat wipe, to scrub away the nasties.  Beware, however, that you don’t use mat spray just to cover up a smelly mat problem.  Some people are allergic to it as well.

Even if you take the time to regularly wipe down your mat, it could still use a more thorough cleansing every couple weeks if you use the mat a lot.  Cleaning a lightly soiled  mat is as simple as grabbing a sponge or rag and rubbing out the oily spots with a solution of two cups of water and four drops of dish soap. If you don’t want to use soap, you can also create a 50% water/50% organic cider vinegar solution, which is what Manduka recommends for the Black Mat Pro and eKO if you don’t want to fork over the dough for actual yoga mat wash.   Once the mat is clean, rinse the solution off with fresh water, and then rub the mat down with a dry terry cloth towel and hang it out to air dry.

The true stinky mat. If you’ve neglected your mat for so long that it’s practically alive, then you may want to choose to fully submerse it in a solution of warm water and mild detergent or mat cleanser.   Once the mat is scrubbed off and rinsed clean, squeeze out any excess water, roll the mat up with a dry towel,  and then smoosh the moisture out by stepping on it.  Finally, hang the mat up to air dry.

One final method for dealing with a dirty mat is to throw it into the washing machine on the gentle cycle with a little detergent and cold water.  I’ve never personally used this method, so I can’t vouch for the effect the washing machine has on a yoga mat, or vice versa, but can confirm that some manufacturers like Manduka highly recommend against using the washing machine, both for the sake of the mat and the machine.  If you do choose to go this route, at the very least, remove the mat before the washing machine hits the spin cycle.

Obviously these are only a few of the numerous methods for keeping a yoga mat healthy and clean.  Just remember, don’t be “that guy.”  If you have a proven method that works for you or your particular mat and would like to share, please leave a comment.

“Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success.” — Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Okay, so my last blog entry was written not only for everyone else who wants to take on the challenge of a daily yoga asana practice, but also for myself. Right now I’m on day five of my own 30 day yoga challenge. Prior to the last five days of yoga, it’s been a while since I had strung out any number of consecutive days that resembled anything like a dedicated yoga practice. My list of excuses for a “lazy” practice goes go on and on. I’ll spare you the details.

Right now, even though I basically work 90 plus hours a week (12+ hours a day, seven days a week, tis my life in the military these days), I probably have more free time in my day than I have had in a long time. I go about doing my military/lawyer stuff over here in Iraq during the day, and then I’m lucky enough to have a little time in the evenings to go back to my room and chat with my family, relax, and get some exercise. A few weeks into my little adventure in Iraq, I realized that despite the nasty dust storms and wicked-awful heat, I could make my six months here memorable by really focusing on building a “constant” yoga practice; a yoga habit if you will. Funny thing is, I don’t even have a mat yet (though one is on the way). I bought a six dollar blanket that I fold in half and throw out on the floor. The idea was good in theory, but in reality it’s like a two hour battle with a large piece of polyester, with all the bunching and slipping and shifting around it does. Despite the less than perfect floor covering, I have a totally quiet room, with nothing better to do than to sweep the floor, lay out the blanket, turn off the A/C and work up a dang good yoga sweat.

Thanks for stopping by Daily Cup of Yoga and indulging me as I share a few details about my life sprinkled with tidbits of yogic wisdom. Namaste!

P.S. Don’t forget to visit Daily Cup of Yoga’s new website!

Posted in exercise, health, mindfulness, yoga ]]> http://dailycupofyoga.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/30-day-yoga-challenge-day-5/feed/ 3 bc call strength http://dailycupofyoga.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/the-yoga-habit-30-day-yoga-challenge/ http://dailycupofyoga.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/the-yoga-habit-30-day-yoga-challenge/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:01:00 +0000 Brian http://dailycupofyoga.wordpress.com/?p=402 ]]>

“This practice becomes firmly rooted when it is cultivated skillfully and continuously for a long time.” – The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali 1:14

If you’re anything like me, then you may have noticed that the intensity of your yoga practice surges at times and then peters out at times.  You practice regularly for a week or two, and then nothing.   You move on to something else for a while and then realize one day that you haven’t seen your yoga mat for a month.  It’s a strong likelihood that this pattern of inconsistency affects not only your yoga practice, but other aspects in your life.  It’s human nature.  While this pattern is certainly natural, for many people it becomes a habit that hinders them from taking their performance and skill in any activity to the next level.  For most people, myself included, it’s not that they one day decide they don’t enjoy yoga practice, it’s just that they have not taken the necessary steps to develop the yoga habit.

Habits

“It seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man’s life is made up of nothing but the habits he has accumulated during the first half.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Habits are powerful, unconscious patterns of behavior that once formed, play a large role in influencing the direction of one’s life.  To a certain degree, our lives go where our habits take us.  Our bodies, the vehicle; our habits, the chauffeur.

How to Form a Habit. Habits can be both good and bad, and interestingly enough, creating a good habit pretty much involves the same process as making a bad habit.  Without delving into neurological explanations for habit formation (check out Scott Young’s great explanation here), the bottom line is that habits form through REPETITION. The philosopher Aristotle nailed it on the head: “We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

To form a habit, all you need to do is repeat the activity over a period of time.  Opinions vary on the length of time it takes to form a habit, but most agree that it takes anywhere from three to six weeks of conscious, consistent, repetitive, and focused behavior to develop a new good habit.  It’s not always easy, but the end results are almost always worth it.

The Yoga Habit ~ 30 Day Yoga Challenge

If you want to consistently enjoy the benefits of yoga, then you need to take the steps necessary to make it a habit.  One of the best ways to develop the yoga habit is to commit to a 30 day yoga challenge.  

30 Day Yoga Challenge.   The heart of the 30 day challenge is commitment.  It means making a promise to yourself and following through on it.   It means banishing from your life all your old wimpy excuses for failure.  It means promising to practice for a certain amount of time each day and just doing it.  If you commit to 15 minutes a day, then you practice for 15 minutes every day.  If you commit to an hour each day, then you practice for an hour.  Don’t set unrealistic expectations, but commit to a goal that pushes you.  Whatever you commit to, do it for 30 days and you will drastically improve your chances of turning your yoga practice into a habit.

Here are a few suggestions for succeeding in creating a yoga habit.

1.  Make yourself accountable. Another aspect of commitment is accountability.  Write down your goal and/or tell someone about your plans.    Memorializing the commitment on paper or telling a friend helps set it deep into your mind that you will practice yoga for 30 days in a row.  Make yourself accountable to prove that you can do anything you set your mind to.

2.  Prioritize your life. If a 30 day yoga challenge is something you want to commit to, then make it a priority.   Use these 30 days to simplify and streamline your life.  Examine your current daily routine and activities and determine what really needs to stay and what needs to get the axe.   Maybe that means watching less TV or cutting back on social web surfing so you have time to dedicate to your practice.  Most people have plenty of time, they just don’t use it well.  Depending on how high the yoga challenge ranks in your priorities, you may also decide to temporarily give up otherwise worthwhile activities to create the necessary time.  Chances are if you cut something out of your life, you won’t even notice it’s gone in a month.

3.  Set a time and have a practice plan. A lot of our daily routine, i.e. when, where, and how we do things, is determined by our habits.  Since you’re trying to make yoga a habit, figure out the best time in the day and place for you to get on your yoga mat.  Morning or night doesn’t matter so much as picking a time and then sticking to it as best as possible.   Maybe there are certain yoga classes you want to attend.  Plan for it.  Remember, you’re trying to form a habit, and consistency will help with that.  Not many people can make it to the yoga studio for 30 days in a row, so you will also have a chance to work on your home practice.  For many people,  myself included, home practice is the only option available.  My advice is to go to bed a little earlier so you can practice in the quiet of the morning before the world wakes up.  However, when setting your schedule, also allow for some flexibility.  Life would be boring if there weren’t any surprises.  If you know your regular practice time won’t work one day,  or something unexpected pops up, have a backup plan in place already so you’re not tempted to skip a day.

4.  Educate yourself. This is also a very important step in maintaining your motivation throughout the 30 day yoga challenge.  Spend some time at the bookstore or library and browse through the yoga section.   If you see a book that interests you, buy it; you’ll probably never be more deserving of a purchase for yourself.   Throughout the month, turn to your yoga library and other yoga-related magazines, DVDs, and websites to increase your understanding of whatever aspect of yoga interests you, be it asana sequences, philosophy, history, whatever.

Here are a few good places to start:

• General Yoga Sites: Yoga Journal; Yoga.com; ABCs-of-Yoga; Himalayan Institute
• Online Yoga Tutorials & Classes: Yoga Today; Yoga Download; My Yoga Online
  
• Yoga Podcasts: Hillary’s Yoga Practice; Yoga Peeps; Elsie’s Yoga Kula; YOGAmazing
  
• Yoga Books, DVDs, & Music: Visit the Daily Cup of Yoga Store for recommendations and reviews!
  
• If you have TONS of time, check out my ever-expanding list of yoga links on delicious.com (close to 600!)

5.  Write about it. Keep track of your 30 day yoga challenge by writing about it in your journal or blog.  You may even consider following this 30 day yoga journey designed by Florian Yoga Companion.  If nothing else, at least have a calendar to mark off each day that you practice.  Nobody wants to have an empty square on their 30 day yoga challenge calendar:) If you do  decide to write about your 30 day yoga challenge, let us know so we can cheer you on!

Just Do It!

Completing your own 30 day yoga challenge will require discipline, commitment, focus, and sacrifice.  It won’t guarantee that you have a yoga habit for life – you can fall out of good habits just as easily as you fall into bad ones – but it will be a step in the right direction.   So take the leap, start a 30 day yoga challenge, and enjoy the journey of a daily yoga habit.

Posted in exercise, health, mindfulness, simple living, yoga, yogahack ]]> http://dailycupofyoga.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/the-yoga-habit-30-day-yoga-challenge/feed/ 3 bc call Hatha Yoga by myyogaonline http://dailycupofyoga.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/the-yoga-kirtan-yoga-playlist/ http://dailycupofyoga.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/the-yoga-kirtan-yoga-playlist/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:00:25 +0000 Brian http://dailycupofyoga.wordpress.com/?p=399 ]]>

I just found an amazing Kirtan Yoga Playlist at Yoga+ that I had to share.  It’s not one of those “click on the title to download” kind of playlists, but ten actual songs that you can listen to the whole 13 minute song for free and really enjoy.  Not old stuff either.  Very current and great sound quality.   I highly recommend.  If that weren’t enough there’s a bonus playlist with another seven songs.  Just one of the fruits of my new yoga magazine purchases, which I’m also slowly enjoying.

When you listen to “Amba Parameshwari,” close your eyes and imagine yourself standing in a beautiful forest next to a flowing river.

Come visit the new Daily Cup of Yoga!