Eco Mats?

[bohemianmoon]

Hello. I'm a long time listener, first time caller.
Hopefully that is humorous to more than just me. ;)

Anyway, I recently realized that my beloved kitten has chewed my yoga block and mat nearly to pieces, much to my dismay. I hadn't used them in a week or two, partly because she nips at my feet and hands when I do yoga. I am thus on a quest to find a new block and mat, and am discovering that a lot of so-called eco yoga tools have appeared since I purchased my Gaiam PVC mat several years ago. I've been searching around and reading reviews, but am wondering if anyone here has any suggestions for me. I'm unfortunately a little broke right now and find some of the prices quite a bit above my budget (up to maybe $30).
Issues I'm seeing in reviews are not being sticky (particularly a Savasa eco mat), being heavy (the natural rubber ones, apparently), poor durability (the TPE mats?) and smell, though I'm pretty sure that fades with airing out.
I saw that Bean has a PER mat that's fairly affordable...though I'm kind of sad it doesn't have the pretty reversable/two sided colors that some other mats have. :)

Anyway hello, and any suggestions welcome.

p.s. Any tips for stopping yoga-time kitten attacks welcome.

Comments

Experiences with natural rubber mats

[rydra_wong]

I've had an Ecoyoga natural rubber/jute mate for a fair while, and liked it a lot.

They do tend to shed tiny particles of rubber, and I managed to destroy my first one by getting stuck in hospital for several months and leaving the mat where it would be in concentrated sunlight every day, which made it go funny.

But I liked it enough to buy a duplicate as a replacement: the texture's lovely, and I find it great to use. There is a strong "latex" smell when you first unwrap it, but that fades very rapidly; I can't smell it at all now.

Re: Experiences with natural rubber mats

[bohemianmoon]

Hm, is it soft? It looks as if it would be hard and stiff, though I see it has good reviews.
Strange, the UK site lists it at $31 US dollars....but Barefoot Yoga seems to be the US distributor and sells it for $72, which is much more than I can spend at the moment.
Still, thank you!

Re: Experiences with natural rubber mats

[rydra_wong]

Yeah, I thought I'd mention it just as an example of the type -- I'm guessing that there must be similar natural rubber/jute mats made in the US that won't cost you so much.

It's definitely soft, and the jute fibres give it a slightly irregular, comfortable texture that I love; it feels much more tactile and less artificial than regular mats.

[muck_a_luck]

Your kitten and her basket can spend an hour a day in the bathroom with the door closed without too much psychological damage, I imagine. :)

[bohemianmoon]

I suppose that's true. :) I've put her in the bedroom with some toys and a windowsill before. I just feel guilty doing it!

[muck_a_luck]

Ha! It is clear it is early days in your relationship with your cat! :D We have one that will yowl and bang the bedroom door in the middle of the night. She spends every night from the time of first yowling (usually around 2:30am) to the time I get up (usually around 4:15am) in the hall bathroom. She's old, and lost interest in my yoga antics long ago, however. She likes to be in the room with me, but generally curls up in a soft spot and sleeps through it.

[bohemianmoon]

Hee hee, true, I'm a bit smitten with my kitten.
My previous kitty I've only known as an adult. She would wind and around me and maybe sniff a little but no pointy bits (claws or teeth) involved. She'd just do that a moment or two before settling on the sofa to keep me company.

[beachlass]

I don't have a mat recommendation but I do have some experience with kittens: a spray water bottle is your friend. She won't like the spray of water, and it won't do her any harm.

[bohemianmoon]

I've used that once or twice for other things. I think during yoga I'm trying to be relaxed, and dealing with kitten makes it a little less so. My previous cat would wind around me a little and then settle to meditate on the sofa, which was kind of nice and I wish she'd do that. Thank you for the suggestion. :)

[rydra_wong]

I think kittens are not nearly as meditative as older cats *g*.

It might be helpful to consider it this way: it must be terribly frustrating and puzzling for her when you're on the floor doing all these interesting things but refusing to play with her. It's going to be kinder to her to put her in another room with lots of toys for a bit.