Other than using it for exercise, did you know what is a yoga blanket and that there are other ways to maximize its uses?
With the right product, you can stay fit and even find a great way to spend some cash.
Are you trying to get fit and wondering if there is really a need to buy a yoga blanket to try out yoga?
Since yoga is not only good for your physical body but also mental health, so we assure you that you can use your yoga blanket other than laying it on the floor for you to sit on.
There are a lot of yoga blankets being sold on the market. If you’re starting to consider yoga, you might be thinking; any thick fabric should do.
However, if you plan to make yoga a part of your daily routine, we’re going to discuss some items you can take note of before getting one.
What Is A Yoga Blanket?
As the name suggests, the yoga blanket’s main purpose is for yoga.
Whether you’re new to this exercise, an experienced one or even if you haven’t started yet, yoga has some very noticeable characteristics.
You might’ve noticed that most of the time, it requires you to maintain a certain position for some time, with most of them done on the floor.
Doing things for an extended amount of time can leave you feeling some discomfort, especially on your first try, and this is where yoga blankets come in handy.
Yoga blankets help you by providing a warm, comfortable surface that helps support and evenly distribute your body weight and assist in body alignment.
They come in a variety of sizes as well as types of fabrics used. If you’re trying to regulate your budget, you might have seen people saying that any fabric will do.
However, some long-time yoga practitioners (also known as yogis) would beg to differ. Most of them would recommend using either cotton, Mexican or wool blankets for your yoga activities.
Yoga requires regular repetition, so you would want a soft but dense enough material for your blanket capable of retaining its shape and form after numerous usage.
Besides getting the most appropriate fabric, you also need to learn how to properly fold and maintain it.
Yoga blankets can be used on the floor, but other than that, it is also a valuable prop for some yoga exercises, whether it’s flat-folded, pleated or rolled.
Each of these forms creates different levels of support for your structure and ease of movement.
For example, a folded yoga blanket can be used on a Savasana pose, while a rolled yoga blanket can help you in Janu Sirsasana to support your knee.
Besides yoga, you can use your yoga blanket for other stretching, therapeutic and fitness exercises and relaxation.
Though it may not be suitable on some surfaces, yoga blankets are made to be versatile to fit all types of users and washable so that you can clean them every after use.
What are yoga blankets made of?
Yoga blankets are made with materials ranging from a recycled blend of cotton, acrylic and polyester or new cotton or wool fabrics.
They also come in various dimensions, shapes, colors, thickness and patterns.
Traditional yogis recommend using Mexican yoga blankets, with cotton blankets gaining more and more popularity.
- Mexican yoga blankets are mostly hand-woven from highly absorbent fabric, which can last for years of usage.
These blankets are often preferred for Iyengar, and regenerative yoga poses.
- Wool yoga blankets, on the other hand, are woven to have a smooth, finished side for restorative asanas and conveniently allows machine washing.
- Cotton yoga blankets are more non-traditional which features tighter weavings that make them denser ideal for support and stability.
It would help for you to consult some yoga practitioners before buying a certain product.
We also recommend that you check the blanket’s texture before buying it since some of these blankets might cause discomfort or allergies.
How To Wash A Yoga Blanket
Since you’d have to place it on the floor a lot then lie on top of it, you need to wash your yoga blanket every after use despite tags of stain resistance on the fabric.
This is especially important if you like doing your exercises outdoors. Here we’ll share three easy steps for washing them.
Step #1. Rinse the yoga blanket
To soften and remove some dirt, rinse the blanket on a basin full of cold water.
Open up the blanket while submerged in water so that you can see all of the stains on it. Whirl it for a bit to help water absorption, then squeeze off all the water.
Step #2. Hand-wash or machine wash the blanket
After rinsing, hand-wash or machine wash your blanket with enough soap and water.
As much as possible, do not wash your blanket with other garments to avoid damaging its texture as well as getting bled outs.
The choice between hand and machine washing will depend on what material is your blanket made of. However, we recommend hand washing for handwoven blankets.
Step #3. Rinse and dry off
Rinse the blanket at least three times with clean cold water.
You can add more rinsing basins as you see fit according to how much suds and bubbles remain after every batch.
Squeeze off all the rinsing water, then hang your blanket to dry or use a low to no-heat drier.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve learned much about what is a yoga blanket as well as how they’re made and washed, we hope we helped you decide whether to get one or not.
Exercising and staying fit has been so important for our generations, so we recommend getting the best tools for all your activities.