Health, Hygiene, and the Yoga Towel
So, what’s all the fuss about a yoga towel? A towel is a towel, right? No, not really. But, before we extol the many rewards of a good yoga towel, let’s talk a little about Yoga, itself.
Yoga Mind/Body Benefits
Consistent yoga practice will enliven your mind as it enlivens your body! Doing each pose flawlessly requires your undivided attention, and such focus awakens your mental awareness. Your “outer body” is enriched as each pose nourishes, energizes, and revitalizes every cell, fiber, and tissue as a result of enhanced breathing, flexibility, strength and alignment. The goal of yoga practice is to create a union between the body, mind and spirit.
Patience is not only a virtue, it is the “key” to mastering a yoga pose, particularly when combined with ample time and commitment. A beginner should not be disappointed if they don’t do a pose precisely on the first try. But, slowly over time, as you practice and try to perform each pose correctly, without pushing yourself too far physically or beating yourself up mentally, you will find that you are developing flexibility, strength, and energy physically and feeling more peaceful and clear mentally.
Choose a fresh, graceful space for your practice area, and if you can, one with a bare floor and an accessible wall. It’s important to turn off your cell phone while practicing your yoga routines to avoid any distraction. Ideally, you should not eat for at least 2 hours before practicing. If this is not possible, then try to eat something light, such as a piece of fruit, but no more than 1 hour before you start your yoga practice.
If you should feel pain or discomfort as you attempt a pose, pause or stop, then try again with more mindful movement.
Yoga props and yoga accessories, such as yoga mats, yoga bolsters, yoga straps, yoga blocks, yoga mat bags, and even yoga towels are designed to help you in moving deeper into a pose, in performing a flawless pose, and in practicing in a wholesome way.
Yoga prop benefits are numerous, but principally they assisting you in avoiding, or relieving pain and discomfort that sometimes accompanies the more challenging yoga poses, especially in the beginning.
Until you’ve developed core structural strength, yoga props can assist you in avoiding injury to yourself.
Relief from tension and relaxation benefits are an integral part of any yoga practice. Yoga props can provide necessary support so you’re not tempted to “stress out” because you’re unable to do a certain pose.
The plumb line, that is, “head-over-heels” body alignment, is important in doing yoga poses accurately. Yoga props encourage appropriate alignment.
Ease and flexibility of movement are are another healthy part of the benefits to using yoga props. When your joints move with ease, instead of “rubbing you the wrong way,” your yoga poses are more fluid. Certain props actually open space in the joints.
As we mentioned earlier, yoga practice is concerned with unifying the mind, body and spirit through the development of a deeper awareness and the development of mindfulness. How can yoga props assist in this great goal? When you are able to simply focus your awareness on doing your yoga poses perfectly, rather than concerning yourself with transitory limitations, you will go deeper into that balance of mind, body, and spirit.
The Big, Beautiful Yoga Towel
A yoga towel does more than you might think! Most often, when you think of a towel, you think about absorbency, expressly if you’re a hot yoga (think Bikram) enthusiasts. There are lots of super-absorbent yoga towels available, some consisting of microfibers, that wick away moisture (and sweat!) during and after an especially energizing routine, and they dry in half the time of a cotton towel. They are manufactured with ease of washing and drying in mind, and most are made with organic dyes and other healthy ingredients. Though you may want to get more than one size towel, if you want to place a hygienic layer between you and your yoga mat, make sure to get at least one mat-size yoga towel.
Absorbency, however, is crucial, but your yoga towel offers even more. In addition to promoting good health and hygiene, many yoga towels are made implicitly to prevent slipping while while you do your yoga poses. Several yoga towels have “silicone eco nubs” on one side, others have clear rubber dots, still others have a latex-free “gripping” agent. When placed face down, the nubs or dots, or a similar gripping agent, grip your yoga mat (or the floor if you’ve forgotten to buy a yoga mat and there isn’t one available!). The gripping action actually begins as you distribute your weight in a yoga posture. Yoga towels are essentia for a steadier, more stable practice.
A yoga towel works as a top layer for your yoga mat, as a yoga mat substitute if you’ve forgotten your mat, or as brought up previously above, while doing “hot” yoga, such as Bikram. Because most yoga towels are of super-absorbent fabrics, they are more utilitarian than a regular towel. The same size as a average yoga mat, the towel is somewhat fashionable and very effective.
There are a variety of yoga towel colors available, but most come in earth tones.
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