Yoga practice and mat care | oléyoga

Left, a woman holding a rolled oléyoga mat in its tube in front of a wall stacked with rolled yoga mats. Right, a close-up of the purple natural rubber mat rolled up and carried in one hand.

Why are natural rubber yoga mats so heavy?

Because density is what makes them grip. What the weight actually buys you, when it stops being worth it, and what to choose if you carry your mat every day.

A woman in a forearm balance in a bright room, next to two hands pressed flat on a purple natural rubber mat

Natural rubber or cork: which yoga mat should you choose?

Cork grips better as you sweat, rubber grips better dry. The honest comparison on grip, weight, feel, durability and what most cork mats are actually made of.

Colour and density material samples laid out on a wooden table, next to the coiled edge of a rolled purple natural rubber mat

Is TPE really eco-friendly?

TPE yoga mats are widely sold as biodegradable. They are not. What TPE actually is, why a petroleum plastic cannot break down, and where the label goes wrong.

Rolled purple yoga mats inside kraft paper tubes seen from above, next to a woman practising by an open window surrounded by plants

Does a natural rubber yoga mat smell?

Yes, at first. What causes the smell, how to get rid of it faster, the one piece of common advice that will ruin your mat, and when a smell means something is wrong.

$A hand lifting the corner of a purple natural rubber yoga mat, next to two hands pressed flat on the same mat$

Can you use a natural rubber yoga mat with a latex allergy?

Natural rubber contains latex. What that actually means if you are allergic, why two different conditions share the name, and what to use instead.

Comparison of materials for yoga mats

What your yoga mat is really made of

A clear comparison of PVC, EVA, NBR, TPE, natural rubber, cork and PU yoga mats, and how each material affects your health, performance and the planet.