My Favorite (Eco-Friendly) Yoga Mat
This is me. On my yoga mat. Do you like it? Yep, I’m still practicing Pilates (in Pilates class, I just place this mat on top of one that’s more cushion-y at my local gym as not to hurt the spine) at nearly eight months pregnant, and I couldn’t be happier with it. The first time around with little C., I quit at the end of the first trimester, and this time, while I have tons of modifications (I’m not taking a prenatal class…just the regular one I usually take…and I’m the only pregnant one), I’m so glad I’ve stuck with it.
And the mat? LOVE. it. Jade Yoga sent me this mat to try out once my old mat became, well, old, and started fraying so much I was rather embarrassed to carry it into the gym. It was pretty bad! So now that I own my very own Jade (oooooh la la), I’m rather hooked. I can certainly tell this is gonna last way longer than the year my last one made it. It’s super-duper sturdy, you guys!
Love the color, love the grip (it doesn’t slide, which is important) and love the fact that it’s eco-friendly. Who really wants to press their nose against nasty chemicals, am I right? (I also like taking my own mat to the gym because I know it’s clean and the germs are all mine.) Just a little info…Jade mats are made sustainably with natural rubber tapped from rubber trees, a renewable resource and unlike other mats contain no PVC, EVA or other synthetic rubber and are made in the United States in compliance with all US environmental, labor and consumer protection laws. And, for every mat sold Jade plants a tree in an underserved community through Trees for the Future. Gotta love that!
I’m so glad I discovered this brand (did you know I’ve seen some mats in retail stores lately that warn about bring harmful to your body? So scary! No wonder they’re $9.99, eh?). You can get a mat like this one for $69.95, and it’s an amazing investment if you practice three times a week (for almost seven years!) like moi. Never turning back here!
Namaste, y’all.
P.S. I’ve actually found wearing my pre-pregnancy workout clothes (from lucy and lululemon) is just as great as buying all new maternity (although the Gap makes a great maternity yoga pant that fits over the belly). Here I’m wearing a one-size-fits-all Nation Ltd. burnout tee (with a black Gap maternity cami underneath I couldn’t live without), and a pair of black Gap maternity leggings that are super soft and flexible (just very thin, so watch out if it’s very cold!).