How to Clean Yoga Mats & Pick the Right One for You (It's Your Personal Altar!) by Lisa Faremouth Weber

Your yoga mat is your personal altar. It’s the place for you to contemplate life, so investing in a good-quality yoga mat is money well spent. Of course, if you don’t end up using your mat it’s like money down the drain, so here are my recommendations as a yoga practitioner and teacher for over 30 years. I have gone through lots of yoga mats!

• Color: Pick a color that evokes a feeling of relaxation or makes you smile.
• Texture: Top-of-the-line yoga mats will be thicker and nonslip. Most yoga instructors use Jade or Manduka.
• Starter Mats: Gaiam makes a good starter mat and you can find them at Target, TJ Maxx or Marshall’s.

If you sweat a lot, be sure to clean your mat after each use. I recommend making your own mat cleaner.

You'll need:

• spray bottle
• essential oil (lavender, Thieves or tea tree oil)
• water
• all-natural liquid soap, optional (I like Bronner's)

Here's how to make it:

1. Combine a few drops of essential oils and water in a spray bottle. 
2. If desired, add some all-natural liquid soap.

I learned how to deep clean yoga mats by Martha Stewart. Here's how:

• Put the mat in the bathtub.
• Apply natural soap. 
• Turn the shower on and wash it with your feet like you are dancing on grapes. 
• Rinse and hang to dry.

What's your favorite yoga mat?