Who says yoga mats have to follow a convention? While some yoga aficionados eschew the mat altogether, Mandala offers a round yoga mat. The circle has a six-foot diameter that allows your practice to flow in all directions without ever leaving the mat.
The circular brain-child of yoga instructor Desiree Kleemann, the Mandala mat is made in such a way that no material is wasted, and manufacturing scarps are recycled in a variety of ways. The word mandala derives from the Sanskrit work for ‘disk,’ but the term also refers to a geometric representation of the universe in Hindu and Buddhist religions, and is often used as a meditation object.
“Doing yoga on the circular mat makes it easier to transition between poses,” says Michele Foley at FitSugar who observed a fellow practitioner using a circular mat. “My classmate never had to change the placement of her mat, or position herself differently to avoid being on the floor.”
However, one can imagine that the much larger mat would be less appreciated in yoga classes where space is tight. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to try one of these mats out. I imagine it will feel like sitting on a lily pad while practicing seated lotus.
Want one for yourself? You can pick up a circular Mandala Yoga mat here!
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