Cotton is a natural and renewable plant fiber that has many benefits not available in a rubber yoga mat.

Cotton Yoga Mats Can Take The Heat

If you are practicing "hot yoga" you may want to consider a cotton yoga mat which is a superior sweat and moisture absorber.

A cotton yoga mat can prove to be very useful for those yogis that are performing yoga in which a lot of body heat is produced and which also leads to having to sweat a good deal as is the case when performing Bikram yoga and Astanga yoga. The beauty of the cotton yoga mat is that it is able to absorb all the sweat that falls on it and this means that there is less likelihood that you would slip on any puddles of sweat that would have formed if you were using yoga mats made from some other kind of material that cannot absorb the sweat or handle excessive heat.

Natural Weave Pattern In Cotton Mats - Your Secret Weapon To Superior Positioning

Another benefit to using a cotton yoga mat is that these kinds of yoga mats have lines in their patterns that help you to align your body more effectively and a cotton yoga mat also provides proper cushioning to the body and can even act as a good substitute for a blanket.

There is no doubt that a good cotton yoga mat will go a long way in helping a yogi get optimum results from their yoga exercises. This in turn means that if you are more than a casual or occasional exerciser who is serious about achieving better health and fitness through yoga, it is an excellent idea to invest in a yoga mat - be it a cotton mat - or of another material - if you want to have comfort and traction that will help you achieve more advanced positions.

The only things that you need to look for when purchasing a cotton yoga mat are the quality and thickness of the material.  A good quality cotton yoga mat should be evenly thick throughout, without knots or clumps in the weave. If you are shopping at a market for a cotton yoga mat and find that the mat in question has lumps in it or is not consistent in its spread of cotton, then you would do well to look for a better piece.  Most commercially available cotton yoga mats have good quality control.  Handmade yoga mats are more likely to have undesirable (read uncomfortable!) variations in thickness.

Before purchasing your cotton yoga mat it also makes sense to feel the mat with the palms of your hand to see whether any of the cotton inside the mat has knotted up which normally occurs if the mat has been left in storage over a considerable period of time. Such knots can dig into the yogi’s skin and that makes it uncomfortable to use.  If you are uncomfortable with any aspect of a cotton yoga mat you purchase online, you may be able to return it free of charge.  It's important to check the company's return policy before ordering.

Last but not the least, makes sure to buy a cotton yoga mat that fits your body size.  It is also safe to say that you must try and opt for a slightly bigger mat – both in terms of breadth and also in its length, if multiple sizes are available and you're not sure whether you need and extra wide or extra long yoga mat.

A cotton yoga mat is a great piece of equipment for the health- and environmentally-conscious yogi.  A high quality cotton yoga mat should more than meet your needs for comfort, durability and traction as well as, if not better than a tapas sticky mat.