Buying a yoga mat is like buying a new pair of running sneakers. It takes careful consideration and research to find the right fit. Since there are hundreds to confuse you choose from, narrow down your search by asking these important questions. How Much Do I Want to Spend? Your budget is a huge factor in the mat you end up with. Do you have the dough to lay down for the priciest one on the Read more

Rolling a yoga mat shouldn't be rocket science, right? But as with most things, there's a right way and a not-so-right way. If you unroll your yoga mat and are left with the end curling up by your hands or feet, here's a simple solution to put into your practice. Lay your mat out on the floor, with the side you practice on facing up. To help you remember which side is which, you can write your Read more

I find working out to be very personal — I'm sweating, pushing myself to my physical limits, and striving to achieve my fitness goals — which is why I like my workout gear to reflect my style and personality. As soon as I saw Jennifer Aniston present Oprah with a customized yoga mat from Yogamatics earlier this year, I knew I had to have one since I love yoga and needed a new mat anyway. Read more

At this year's Yoga Journal Conference I received a free bottle of Nama Hand and Yoga Mat Sanitizer ($6). The timing couldn't have been better: I had a class with Ana Forrest scheduled for later that day and forgot to bring my DIY mat cleaner from home. I've since used the entire bottle of Nama sanitizer up, and while I'm still partial to my homemade tea tree mat sanitizer, Nama is a great option Read more

I'm a germaphobe — at least when it comes to yoga. I don't like loaning out my mat and won't borrow one unless I know that it's clean. Something about another person's sweat makes me squeamish. Recently, I found myself in a predicament: new yoga studio, no mat of my own, and community mats were not cleaned. Seeing the uncomfortable look on my face, a fellow student handed me a Jo-Sha yoga mat Read more

After a long day of working and working out, you may want to dump your gym stuff as soon as you walk in the door. But taking time to keep your equipment organized and clean can help extend a product's life and also keep you more enthusiastic about the next day's workout. Here are some tips to storing your workout items. Take your gym shoes out of your bag for a bit to air them out. Loosen the Read more

With all that sweat and those germs hanging out at the gym and yoga studio, your workout gear can get dirty, moldy, and smelly. So here's a tip: keep a small spray bottle of essential-oil-infused water in your gym bag so you can spray and wipe your gym stuff immediately after use. Using tea tree and lavender oils is a great eco-friendly way to keep your gym equipment germ-free because of Read more