So you’ve bought yourself a new yoga mat and you have your reasons for doing so. Maybe you got tired of your old one and decided that it is time to buy a new one or maybe you just wanted an extra one. You may have bought a rubber mat, a bamboo mat or a PVC mat. You may have even “googled” which one would suit you best. But you have not thought that far and realized that your yoga mat may have an odor that would not suit your senses.
I also find new yoga mat to be slightly slippery when used the first time. Especially when you’re doing triangle pose or warrior pose turned into a split pose, because your feet slide on the mat. This one is not good for your knees.
Try these out and you are bound to love your new yoga mat as much as you did the old one or maybe even more.
- Well, first of all, you have to figure out if you are indeed annoyed by the smell of the new mat. Unroll it and try to take in a bit of the odor of the mat. Does it make you want to throw your mat away? If so, then proceed to the next step. But otherwise, just keep on using your mat until the odor eventually fades away.
- A little bit of fresh air may do your mat some good. So why not try hanging it outside and let nature do the work? If you have a natural rubber mat like mine, it might not be a good idea to keep it outside where the sun can reach it directly because it might be a bit photo-sensitive.
- If that fresh air still brings you no good, you can always try to keep it unrolled more often because the tighter you roll it, the longer the smell will hold.
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Soaking yoga mat in water with a bit of dishwashing liquid ( I use Quandong & Lime Dishwashing liquid) helps in eliminating the waxy slippery effect of the mat. Slightly scrub it with a sponge the rinse it with water.
Then let it dry. “Exfoliating” is another good one to try, use one cup of salt mixed with a bit of water then gently scrub your yoga mat with this mixture. Rinse with water then let it dry.
If all else fails and you do not have too much time you can always try and use Kukai Yoga Mat Spray and let the bottle do its magic. Just spritz it on your mat, wipe dry and see for yourself how it helps eliminate the odor.
Once you’ve eliminated the odour of your new yoga mat and that waxy feel, you are sure to have more stability in your poses and more time enjoying your practice.
Namaste!