So you're thinking it's time for a new yoga mat but thinking is as far as you get because choosing one is to say the least - daunting. Who would have thought there needs to be so much choice? Well there doesn't but hey that's the world we live in. So much choice it overwhelms and distresses us. So let me see if I can simplify the matter for you a little. I've been importing and selling yoga mats for a decade now and I've tried and tested loads of different types and researched the materials used to produce them so I'm kind of qualified to comment on this. I wouldn't say I'm a guru on the subject but I am well informed and used to teach yoga so know what qualities in a mat matter.

Unfortunately there is no one mat that suits everyone because all of you amazing yogis out there have different types of skin, practice different styles of yoga in varying climates either once or twice a week or with military precision as much as 7 days a week.

Here's my Top 9 Yoga Mat Qualities (in no particular order) to consider when choosing a mat:

See my next blog in September 2018 on what materials are used to make yoga mats.

We've heard there's quite some confusion out there about who TRIBE yoga are and who Yoga Tribe® are in New Zealand so I'm hoping this article will help clear that up.

TRIBE that's us, produce a full range of quality yoga products including the new generation durable rubber WARRIOR yoga mat (back in stock in 2020 as we ran out sorry!), the new rubber and jute EARTH.ME mat, rectangle and round bolsters filled with sustainable lightweight kapok, foam and cork blocks, wool blankets, straps, carry bags, yoga towels and swings.

TRIBE is a brand name owned by Eco Yoga Limited and the domain we use is www.tribeyoga.co.nz. Our products are sold exclusively in this site and at www.ecoyogastore.com and in some yoga studios throughout New Zealand.

Eco Yoga Limited initiated the TRIBE logo design in 2013 and started using it on our products then and registered the domain name www.tribeyoga.co in May 2017. We are based out of our warehouse in Ahuriri, Napier. We sell our range at retail and wholesale prices.

From what we can tell the good folk at Yoga Tribe® who are based in Tauranga may not have undertaken an in depth market analysis before developing their business plan. They began trading with a very similar business name and domain to ours. Their domain name www.yogatribe.co.nz was registered in August 2017. Their key product that came onto the market after ours is a yoga mat called the Peace Warrior which unfortunately also has a similar name to our WARRIOR mat.

It's no wonder there is confusion out there!

So we just want the yoga community to know that our TRIBE brand and it's products are not associated or similar to Yoga Tribe® products. We have been providing yoga gear to the yoga community in New Zealand and Australia for 10 years so we really know what materials and designs work the best. We have an extensive range of products so feel free to contact us on 06 835 0244 during business hours to discuss your needs.

See our next blog which is about all the different materials yoga mats are made. Another very confusing topic as there is too much choice!

Owner of Eco Yoga Limited and the TRIBE brand.

So who would be a qualified judge of what material constitutes the best yoga bolster filling?

I am as it happens. I've been filling bolsters for 9 years now for my yoga businesses. In the beginning and being based in New Zealand where we'vegot a lot of sheep I first began filling them with wool of course.

I sourced organic wool that had undergone minimal scouring to ensure our bolsters were as healthy as possible. Bales would arrive but there was no consistency in the quality of the wool. As sheep get sheared at different times of the year the length of the wool varied and that meant some bales were lumpier than others. Minimal scouring resulted in the wool still having thistles, twigs and dare I say it, little bits of poo in it. You can image I was not feeling like I'd cracked the best filling around! Some customers would complain about the 'sheepy' smell. The wool was expensive which seems crazy in a place with many millions more sheep than people and it was heavy. Wool filled bolsters weigh around 4kg each when well packed and who wants to try and lift a 4kg bolster into position while lying on your back trying to relax. If you want to do weight training get to a gym :)

So I moved on to organic cotton batting from India. This proved cheaper, lighter and a lot less smelly but I noticed these bolsters flattened down very quickly. So your round bolster turned into a pancake bolster after only a short time. The shipping distance from India to New Zealand and Australia where most of our customers are based was also a concern.

Then came the discovery of the most beautiful, natural fibre - kapok - grown sustainably in Indonesia. A few less shipping miles to get it here and wow - this stuff is a revelation! It's like touching silk. Light, fluffy, odorless and clean. A fully packed kapok bolster is under 2kgs. Nearly half that of a wool bolster. Kapok has no nutritional value so it doesn't attract insects or any other life form! Originally this is what mattresses and life jackets were filled with. It completely repels water so has incredible flotation qualities. Yes, your TRIBE yoga bolster will float so should you be doing yoga on a boat and there is a man-over-board situation - throw them your TRIBE bolster. Seriously kapok creates the best bolsters around and is cheaper to send to you than other fillings. We have sold 1296 kapok bolsters in the past 12 months with only one customer returning their's because they found it too firm. (They didn't realise you could unzip the inner casing and remove some kapok to make it less firm!)