ThisNext Blog

Who wants to downward dog onto a yoga mat made with anything but healthy, nontoxic, eco-friendly materials? Certainly none of the yogis at ThisNext. When it comes to shopcasting that most essential of yoga tools, ThisNexters tend to talk up the greenness of their favorites, choosing mats with some element of health-promoting, planet-protecting power. Which shows yet again how conscious consumerism pervades the product picks on ThisNext: In a post from Lime.com’s Stuff We Like blog, Paul Freibott reveals that not every yoga mat is so worthy of becoming lovingly shopcasted:

“PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a hard plastic softened with plasticizers called phthalates, has been the most common material for modern yoga mats until recently. (Traditionally, cotton rugs were used.) Scientific studies have linked PVC or phthalates to a wide range of health problems, including cancer, kidney damage, lupus, allergies, and improper reproductive development and function…Moreover, even if phthalates turn out to be safe in low levels or certain uses, as the plastics industry hopes, PVC is not recyclable.”

That’s why our members choose PVC-free products such as the Harmony Fusion Yoga & Fitness Mat, recommended by Lara. In addition to boasting “super traction and cushioning,” the Harmony Fusion is “biodegradable, environmentally friendly, PVC free and compostable,” Lara says. That same combo of superior traction and eco-consciousness can be found in Hugger Mugger Earth Elements Yoga Mat, according to Kasha (“They don’t use latex, PVC or rubber to make it,” she explains. “This leaves why it has such good traction a bit of a mystery to me…but I’m not complaining!”) And for David and Willow, it’s all about Jade Harmony: “I can’t live without it,” says Willow of her Jade Harmony Travel Yoga Mat, while David is made for his mat because it’s “made out of rubber (pvc free!) and has great grip and feel to it.”

Perhaps one of the fabulously treehugger-ish mats in the yoga studio, Green Yoga’s EcoYoga Mat is made from renewable materials. “It’s not local, but it’s a 100% sustainable yoga mat made from hemp fibers,” says shopcaster Dani. “Aside from being eco-friendly, the fibers help make the mat less sticky when sweaty.”

But for Peter, the “workhorse of all yoga mats” comes courtesy of Prana. Peter’s mat has “trekked cross country with me to Jivamukti Lafayette (Jivamukti Yoga) and Kula Project Tribeca (Kula Yoga)” and “seen me through many a sweaty vinyasa and bakasana (crow pose),” he writes at his blog Mahamondo. And although the mat does contain PVC, Prana does good for the environment with its Natural Power Initiative, an effort to raise awareness of renewable energy and ultimately convert all prAna retailers across the U.S. to run on wind power. In the meantime, the company’s signature mat has wowed ThisNexter Hannah with its perfect performance: “I stretch and it holds me in exact position,” Hannah says. “The grip feels magnetic.”