Caring for Your Yoga Mat

I am by no means a yoga-guru, but I have picked up a few things since starting yoga last November.

How to roll your yoga mat.

I know most people simply start at one end of their yoga mat and roll it up: Quick. Easy. But not all that sanitary.

The technique I’m about to show you prevents the side of your yoga mat that you practice on—and lay down on—from ever coming in contact with the side that touches the floor!

I start by laying my yoga towel directly on top of my mat.


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I then fold it in half (almost all the way—I’ll explain why in a bit).

I fold it in half like this because then the part of your yoga mat and towel you use (and that your face and body comes in contact with) never touches the underside of your yoga mat (the part that touches the floor!).

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I then start by rolling the yoga mat from the folded end.

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The reason I do not fold it in half exactly is because when I start to roll the yoga mat, the top half always bunches up. (I only do this because I am OCD and want the ends to match up—or at least come close to matching up.)
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The yoga mat completely rolled.

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I then keep it together with a hair tie.

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How to clean your yoga mat.

As with anything, there are a few ways to clean your yoga mat, but after a little research, I decided to give the bathtub method a try.

I started by filling the tub with warm water and detergent.


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This is the detergent I used.


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I then completely submerged the yoga mat in the water.

I took a soft cloth and then wiped/gently scrubbed the yoga mat.


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Finally, I hung it outside to dry.

It took longer to dry than I thought it would. I thought it was dry after a few hours, but then when I squeezed the mat, a little water still came out, so I let it dry overnight. However, Craig’s mat was dry within a few hours.


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To clean my yoga towel, I simply washed the yoga towel in the washer with other like-colored items. (I just followed the directions on the tag.)

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A new find . . . .

When I was at Target this afternoon, I discovered a make-up line that might become my new best friend. Especially for the money-counscious shopper I am. (Side note: It is amazing how easily I can talk myself out of buying something simply because I don’t want to spend the money for it. Ha!)

E.L.F.

eyes. lips. face.

(Please don’t tell me that this has been around forever (which it probably has) and my isolation-ness while living in Alaska has kept me in the dark about this brand.)

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I bought two packages of the eye shadow and they only cost $1.12 each!

I was stoked!

I don’t wear eye shadow every day, but it is fun to play with on a special night out!

I think most of you will find these for $1.00 a piece, but since everything in Alaska costs more (because of the greater distance they have to ship everything), I get to pay an extra $0.12. Lucky me.

I usually don’t make an impulsive by like this, but I randomly came across a YouTube video of a gal (who was definitely a make-up guru) who kept referencing e.l.f. products, so I knew they were okay.

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Question

What is your favorite line of cosmetics?

I use a wide variety of brands: mostly items from Target (so “drugstore” items that are relatively cheap), but I do LOVE Clinique’s foundation and powder!

Hi, I'm Michelle

I love running around the lakes of Minnesota, running after my two boys, and racing anything from the 5K to the marathon. I have been blogging here since 2010 when I ran my first marathon. I finally secured my sub-3 hour marathon after trying for 8 years.

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Leave a Reply

12 Comments

  1. 6.10.11
    Sarah said:

    i totally love clinique! i always buy it when they have their bonuses. i don’t wear alot of makeup everyday- pretty much always mascara & power (and foundation in the winter), so i can stretch out purchases for awhile. otherwise i buy things at cvs when they’re available as ECB items!

    • 6.10.11
      Michelle said:

      What Clinique products do you use?

  2. 6.10.11
    Michaela said:

    I just started using Aveeno’s tinted moisturizer.. it’s perfect for me. I don’t wear it everyday, so I like that it’s not obvious that I’m wearing it–it’s just enough to even out my face a bit. Everything else–I buy the cheapest possible product. I own one kind of mascara, blush and two things of eyeshadow. It seems to work for me!

  3. 6.11.11
    Holly said:

    I don’t where much makeup, especially during the summer. But during the winter I do have a problem with frequent/bad breakouts. I used to use this maybelline mineral powder for foundation but I sprung the cash for a clinique liquid foundation and LOVE it! It’s wayyyy more expensive and I hate spending money on that kind of stuff, but after using it I dont think I could ever go back.

    • 6.11.11
      Michelle said:

      I totally agree!! I don’t think I could ever go back to “cheap” foundations.

  4. 6.12.11

    I didn’t know you could buy e.l.f. in stores! I’ve bought online before those – they have great concealers!

    • 6.12.11
      Michelle said:

      I didn’t either! I was very surprised to see them at Target!

      Have you tried any of their other products?

  5. 6.13.11
    Kelly G said:

    I’ve been using e.l.f. for awhile. I use their eyeshadow and eyeliner since that’s all they had at our Target.

  6. 8.23.11
    Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat said:

    Great post! Thanks for this beneficial information!

  7. 10.10.11
    Peter said:

    Brilliant way to roll the yoga mat. I’m going to start using it. I also cleaned mine in the tub too and it does take forever to dry.

    Important info. I think I developed an infection from my unclean yoga mat. So now I also spray it with bleach and always let fully dry before rolling up.

    Thanks!

  8. 11.29.11
    Mat for Yoga said:

    Will surely recommend this site to some friends! Very interesting site and

    articles. Really thankful for sharing. Regards,

  9. 2.14.13
    Ryan said:

    definitely bookmarking this page! what a good idea to fold your yoga mats in half, and so simple! thanks very much for a cool blog post šŸ™‚ Ryan.