STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

lynnie · Chanel

does anyone use a yoga mat?

Alikat · Kate Spade

I got a cool yoga mat from Cost Plus that came with its own carrier, its pretty thin, though but I use it on carpet.

Here is a quote from Yoga Journal:

Ruth Steiger, of Yoga Props, fields mat questions daily. "The first thing I ask people is what style of yoga they do. If they say Ashtanga, I recommend a 4-millimeter mat. If not, I ask what kind of surface they work on," Steiger says. For those who practice on carpet she recommends a dense mat of medium thickness. This mat also works well on wood floors, giving a solid, grounded feel. "But some people need extra cushioning," Steiger observes. For them, she recommends the same mat she suggests for Ashtangis because it "pads and cradles the bony places." But when traveling, an ultra-thin mat might be your best companion. "It folds into the space of a pair of socks," Steiger explains.

Here is her website: http://www.yogaprops.net/

Kel · Coach

I have the same problem. I have this exercise tape that I love but I haven't been able to do it because I moved to a place with hardwood floors. Now, I am to on a search for a yoga mat.

NCshopper · Hermes

I have a yoga mat that I use for yoga, and sit ups, etc and I also have hardwood floors. I find that for yoga, the yoga mat is fine, but when I'm doing sit ups, it's kinda tough on the spine. In that case, I just throw down an old towel under the yoga mat. It gives it just enough extra padding to make it cushier.

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

I got a yoga mat at TJ Maxx. It's pretty cushy, but I don't use it very often since I don't actually know how to do yoga.

bex · Chanel

i have 2 yoga mats. one is nike with a fabric side with plastic grippers on one side and the cushy foam on the other. i it. i got it from nike.com

the other is a red foam mat with one side that is tacky to give me grip when i am doing crazy moves. i bought it off ebay...

i would think that a yoga mat might be a little too thin for your hardwood floors- but NCShopper had a good suggestion with adding the towel for extra cushion!

bumblebee · Coach

you should look for a pilates mat instead. they are about 6x thicker and foamier, which sounds like what you are wanting, if you are going to be doing sit-ups and stuff on a hardwood surface. i have one from target that was less than $20.

e_doli · Dooney & Bourke

if you're just using it for situps and stuff, then get something cushy. or you could double up yoga mats. a lot of people in the class i go to put down two to make it softer.

the thicker a mat gets, the harder it is to balance on it (if you are doing yoga-balance poses), but if you're not doing yoga on it then that doesn't matter.