Yoga Mat Folding: A Review

Do I have any yogini readers out there?  Has anyone ever tried 'power yoga' or Bikram or Ashthanga yoga?  Don't you just love the fact that you sweat buckets onto the floor?  Just think of all those toxins you are releasing!  Some popular classes can even have dozens of people, or more.  I often observe staff whipping around the floor with a huge industrial-sized mop after each class.  Mind you, they are not using bleach or cleaner...they are just combining everyone's sweat and spreading it around.  Less of a slip hazard than puddles I presume?

Now I'd like you to do something just for fun.  Go into the studio just after the last class let out and lay on the floor with your bare skin.  You can even smush your face onto the floor if you wish.  Why would I ask you to do that? Because if you are simply rolling your yoga mat after each class, then you are pretty much doing this, every time you step on your mat.  Why?  Because when you roll the mat, the dirty underside (sweat, toxins, bacteria, spirochetes, prions, goodness knows what else) come into contact with the clean side of the mat that your body & face will touch.  Yucky.

This photo from my original yoga-mat-folding post two years ago amuses me.  First, I felt the need to share my leopard yoga bag with my readers.  Second, my hair was about a foot shorter than it is now. Finally, I'm wearing the same dress that Ellie decided to eat last week.

2009: Short hair and intact dress

2011: RIP cute dress.  Ellie in background, exhausted and obviously innocent. (Hairy arm, not mine)

(I probably should give her a time-out or at least revoke her blogging privileges but I guess I'm just a sucker for a pretty face) 


Back to the topic at hand...

Yoga mat Folding 101A:

1. Fold mat in HALF!! I will repeat this part: Fold mat in HALF!
2. NOW roll mat as usual. See how easy that is?   

 Q:  Do you practice yoga? Do your otherwise perfect animals or children destroy your personal possessions?
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Now on to something really important...
 

The Great Fundraising Act is in full force! Hundreds of healthy living/food bloggers are banding together to donate items to auction to supplement our fellow blogger, Susan's cancer fund.  

For full details on Susan's story and a list of some of the loot for sale, please go to Meals and Moves. This bake sale/auction includes writers of some of the 'biggest' blogs out there, as well as small but fabulous blogs.  Anyone can buy any of the auctioned items, so please consider buying some great stuff. You can also help by donating items to the auction.  If you have a specialty that you make and can ship, please leave Janetha a message and she'll give you the details. 

I personally will be donating some home-made spiced hazelnut butter and my very own protein muffin mix (all you need to do is add egg whites and pumpkin or other starchy carb!) Mr. SmoothieGirl aka Derek, will be donating a weekend at the Universal Studios Sheraton (breakfast/parking included) and two passes to Universal Studios Tours (California).  Also on offer:  a weekend shopping expedition to the Camarillo outlets in southern California, two nights at the Courtyard Marriott Camarillo, $50 dinner voucher at a local Mexican restaurant, $50 spending money at the outlets and a day trip to an island off the coast!  I'll provide more details next week!  

EDITED TO ADD 7/16/11 I'm also donating a BRAND NEW DEHYDRATOR!!! Tell your friends- Raw foodies this is for you!!

Brand new dehydrator for auction July 25! (Gorgeous 16 yr old cat not included)

If you wish to donate money to help Susan, I have a PayPal icon on the right side of my blog at the top. Minimum donation US$1.  Thank you for all of your support and kind wishes for her speedy recovery!