Which yoga mat for Yin Yoga?
Yin Yoga, what a special style of yoga! Founded in 1970 by Paulie Zink and taught mainly by Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers, Yin Yoga is a gentle practice of yoga, closer to meditation. Through this article, the goal is to provide you with a list of affordable equipment (mats, accessories) and resources for a good and comfortable yin yoga practice.
SUMMARY
- The idea behind Yin Yoga
- Mats adapted to the practice of Yin Yoga
- Accessories to practice Yin Yoga
- Resources to improve your understanding of Yin Yoga
Yin Yoga is therefore a gentle practice of yoga, but what does it mean in concrete terms ?
To put it simply, unlike the majority of yoga postures that aim to strengthen the mind while strengthening the body, Yin Yoga postures will focus on self-awareness, and therefore the mind.
Indeed, the muscles are not solicited during the practice of Yin Yoga, it is absolutely not a form of yoga testing, as can be the Bikram Yoga in particular.
The objective is to empty oneself, to remain in a comfortable immobility allowing to become aware of each part of one’s body and to learn to control one’s breathing, by linking long and deep inspirations and expirations. By releasing tension in the tissues, Yin Yoga helps to promote relaxation.
During the practice of yin yoga, the postures are few and generally in a sitting position. It is important to take your time to get into position. Indeed, Yin Yoga is characterized by positions that must be held for long minutes.
In order to be in the best conditions to prepare one’s mind for meditation, and thus become capable of entering into a phase of self-introspection, it is necessary to have adequate material.
To avoid physical discomfort, resulting in a lack of concentration, it is essential to get comfortable equipment.
It is important to get a mat that is thick enough to practice on any type of floor. The fact that all the postures are done on the floor also requires a large mat, otherwise you won’t be able to do some postures!
Also, Yin Yoga requires a mat with a pleasant feel and smell. You’ll be spending long minutes on your mat in positions close to the ground during your practice, so you might as well have all your senses enjoying your Yin Yoga mat!
A/ The yogom wool carpet
Belonging to the Softness Range, the natural yoga mat is, with the cork yoga mat, the most ecological yoga mat of YOGOM. Its organic sheep’s wool cover certified OekoTex and its organic natural rubber base are of a very high quality, making it extremely comfortable.
With a very good ecological footprint, this yoga mat is made in Europe. Indeed, this yoga mat is made in Lithuania!
This yoga mat is perfect for any user (beginner or experienced) and its resistance allows a daily yoga practice. The extra-large size of this rug (200 x 75 cm) is ideal and does not make it bulky. Indeed, it is a rollable mat and especially foldable, which is rare and very interesting for a yoga mat.
In addition, organic cotton ties are included in the order of your carpet! These cotton ties make transporting your carpet much easier! It is also a fairly light yoga mat (2 kg) and an ideal thickness (4mm).
Be careful though, this is a mat reserved for the practice of yoga! If you wish to practice other more intensive disciplines such as pilates or fitness, we recommend you to choose the Performance Mat from YOGOM.
B/ The YOGOM performance mat
The YOGOM Performance Line yoga mat is a comfortable mat made of high quality biodegradable natural rubber and a non-slip microfiber cover. It is almost as non-slip as a cork mat, which is known to be very non-slip.
The microfiber coating, in addition to being non-slip, has a very soft and unusual peach skin or velvet touch. Indeed, usually the yoga mats are rather plastic: they stick, slip and smell bad! And they are not environmentally friendly.
The natural feel of this yoga mat makes it ideal for the practice of Yin Yoga but more generally for all types of gentle yoga. Its coating is very pleasant for dynamic yogas that require fluid transitions between postures (Vinyasa Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga…)
This yoga mat is foldable which allows you to have a double thickness under the knees. You can also fold it in 3 to put it in a suitcase
The microfiber is absorbent, so it is very well suited to practitioners who sweat easily. Indeed, when in contact with perspiration (moderate to abundant), the carpet becomes particularly non-slip, hands and feet are slowed down but you still keep a great fluidity of movement.
A/ The YOGOM wool bolster
Cylindrical cushion, the wool bolster from YOGOM is extremely comfortable and a must-have for relaxation. It is ideal for the practice of Yin Yoga, it is then generally placed under the knees or under the sp ine!
This object allows, in addition to its main function which is to relax its user, to find energy and facilitate digestion, while strengthening the metabolism.
Allowing you to adjust your position during yoga exercises without injuring yourself, it is perfectly adapted to this practice. It is also easily transportable and washable.
For people who want to do their own padding, YOGOM also offers a bolster cover to fill (with unused clothes for example).
B/ The YOGOM wool blanket
As Yin Yoga practice advocates still postures in order to enter into a meditative phase, it is natural that the body cools down during the practice. To compensate for this, it may be appropriate to have a cover in order not to be disturbed during your self-introspection. The YOGOM catalog contains an extremely soft and comfortable blanket that will allow you to practice different postures as serenely as possible
100% natural and made of merino wool, it is also certified by the OEKO-TEX standard, and is therefore not harmful to the skin and health. It is produced in Europe and is washable!
C/ YOGOM support bricks
Like any style of yoga (Vinyasa Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga…), it is nice to do Yin Yoga with a support. That’s why YOGOM decided to offer support bricks, to be used in addition to a yoga mat!
Acting as an extension of your arms or as a support for your body, having yoga bricks is very useful to practice serenely. YOGOM offers 100% EVA bricks (recyclable material) by the unit or in batches of 2 at a discount.
It is strongly recommended to get 2 bricks, the body parts supported by them are usually in pairs (arms, knees, etc.)
D/ The Palo Santo
In order to reach a state of relaxation through meditation, YOGOM also offers sacred wood to burn from Peru, the Palo Santo. Once burned, Palo Santo has impressive relaxing properties. During the combustion, a fragrant smoke is released, allowing to promote the calmness of its user.
Perfect for a serene practice of Yin Yoga, the Palo Santo is also ideal for all other forms of yoga (Vinyasa Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga …)
To better understand the ins and outs of Yin Yoga, and thus enter into a deeper phase of meditation, you can find in the special yoga folder of the YOGOM blog various articles on Yin Yoga. Among them :
- A Practical Guide to Yin Yoga
- An article to train with Yin Yoga experts
- A functional and anatomical approach to Yin Yoga
You can also find here a playlist with many videos on Yin Yoga, including several Yin Yoga classes of more than an hour! On the blog and on the YOGOM YouTube channel, you can also find information on other types of yoga, such as Vinyasa Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga or Hatha Yoga!
In order to reach a state of calm conducive to meditation, YOGOM has also put online on deezer a playlist, “Yogom Best Of” including many soothing music that can accompany you during your practice on your yoga mat!
To summarize
Yin Yoga is a gentle form of yoga characterized by long postures and slow movements, whose objective is to strengthen the mind rather than the body.
This gentle form of yoga is very close to meditation and requires a comfortable, pleasant to the touch and soothing smelling material. It is therefore very important to have a mat with these characteristics, such as the wool yoga mat or the performance yoga mat from YOGOM. In addition, accessories such as the wool bolster or support bricks can be added to make the practice more comfortable.
If you don’t know which yoga mat to choose, check out our comparative buying guide here !
