Yoga is one of my favorite activities and forms of exercise — while I typically go to a yoga studio, my studio has been closed during COVID-19 and so I’ve been on the lookout for some eco-friendly yoga accessories for practicing at home.
This guide features all sorts of sustainably-made yoga props that you may find useful in your yoga practice, including mats, blankets, blocks, bolsters, straps, and even yoga wheels. If you’re looking for some eco-friendly yoga clothing, check out my guide to sustainable activewear!
Note that this guide includes affiliates and partners. As always, brands featured on Conscious Life & Style meet high standards for sustainability and are brands I truly love!
Eco-Friendly Yoga Mats
1. Jade Yoga
Jade Yoga has eco-minded mats made in the United States from natural rubber sourced from a renewable resource: rubber trees. This means that Jade’s yoga mats are free of syntethic materials, containing no PVC or EVA. Additionally, Jade plants a tree for every mat sold.
2. Gaiam
Yoga company Gaiam has a collection of eco-friendly yoga mats, including all-natural cork mats, jute mats, and mats made with natural rubber. I can vouch for this brand’s quality as I have a very well-loved and used mat from Gaiam that I’ve been bringing to my yoga classes for years.
Check Out Gaiam’s Eco-Friendly Mats
3. Manduka
Another big yoga brand with an eco-conscious collection is Manduka. The eKo mats from Manduka are made from sustainably-sourced rubber from rubber trees. Manduka also does not use any toxic chemicals to soften the rubber, however, they do use a blend of some synthetic polyester along with cotton for the reinforcement on the mats.
Manduka also has a LiveOn Mat Recycling Program.
Check Out Manduka’s eKo Series Yoga Mats
More Mat Options:
4. Suga – yoga mats made in the U.S. from recycled wetsuits
5. Hejhej – 100% recycled and recyclable yoga mat made in Germany
6. Urbivore – non-slip natural cork yoga mats
7. Yoloha – expansive collection of cork yoga mats
Eco-Friendy Yoga Straps and Bags
1. Bagmaya Hemp Yoga Mat Bags
Bagmaya has sustainable and ethical yoga bags and backpacks handcrafted fairly in Nepal from hemp.
Their durable waterproof Pushkar yoga mat bag is a practical way to carry your yoga mat and other accessories (like a towel or yoga straps), whether you’re heading to the neighborhood yoga studio or going on a week-long yoga retreat adventure. And, the bag features adjustable shoulder straps so that you can carry it around like a backpack or on one shoulder.
The brand also ships in plastic-free packaging and plants a tree with each order.
Check Out Bagmaya’s Hemp Yoga Bags
2. Hejhej Yoga Strap
Hejhej has yoga straps made in Germany from organically-grown hemp, a sustainable wonder fiber that requires far less water to grow than cotton and grows very quickly. The yoga straps are sewn and packaged by people with disabilities in Germany.
In addition to sustainable production, Hejhej plants a tree for every strap sold.
Check Out Hejhej’s Yoga Straps
More Options
3. Yoloha Natural Yoga Strap – made from organic cotton with cork labels and stainless steel hoops
4. Carolina Morning Yoga Strap – strap made from organic cotton available in 6 foot and 8 foot lengths
5. Urbivore Macrame Yoga Strap – beautiful handmade macrame strap (conventional cotton)
6. Hejhej Yoga Bag – mat for your yoga mat made from recycled PET bottles
7. Yoloha Yoga Bag – bag made from sustainably-sourced cork perfect for fitting your yoga mat plus a few accessories
Yoga Cards and Journals
1. OM Matters Yoga Practice Cards
Whether you’re new to yoga or an experienced yogi, OM Matters’ yoga + meditation cards can serve as vital tools for deepening your practice — plus they can even be used by yoga instructors to help create themes for their classes. These 8 Limbs of Yoga Practice Cards feature 30 cards that outline the 8 different elements of the yoga philosophy and offer specific examples of how you can practice them each day. As a bonus, OM Matters contributes 10% of all sales for support yoga for youth! For more on OM Matters, check out my interview with founder Tambra here!
2. CharzLeatherCo (Etsy)
This Etsy shop has yoga and meditation journals handmade and hand-sewn with recycled cotton paper. Some of the covers used are vintage paper and some are bull hide or goat leather.
Check Out CharzLeatherCo on Etsy
Cork and Recycled Yoga Blocks
1. Manduka Recycled Foam and Cork Blocks
Manduka has two eco-friendly options for yoga blocks: 100% natural cork yoga blocks and recycled foam blocks made with over 50% recycled EVA foam.
Check Out Manduka’s Eco-Friendly Yoga Blocks
2. Gaiam Cork Yoga Blocks
Gaiam has sturdy yoga blocks made from 100% recycled cork! The reviews on Gaiam’s blocks report that the blocks are sturdy and durable, and build to last through many years.
More Options
3. Carolina Morning Yoga Block – organic cotton yoga block stuffed with buckwheat hulls
4. Recork Yoga Block – yoga blocks made from 100% recycled cork
5. Yoloha Yoga Block – cork yoga blocks; option for personalization
6. Jade Yoga Block – cork yoga blocks; Jade helps preserve 2,000 square feet of rainforest through Rainforest Trust for every block sold
Sustainable Yoga Towels, Blankets, and Cushions
1. Gaiam Mexican Woven Blanket
Yoga blankets can be folded in various ways to use as a bolster, knee pad, or to cover yourself while in Shavasana or another restorative yoga pose! Gaiam’s Traditional Mexican Woven Blankets are made in Mexico from reclaimed materials.
Check Out Gaiam’s Mexican Blanket
More Options
2. Carolina Morning Blankets – organic cotton blankets that come in three different sizes and two different colors
3. Manduka Yoga Towel – yogitoes yoga towel is made with 50% recycled poly yarn
4. Manduka Wool Blanket – yoga blanket made from 100% recycled wool
5. Yoloha Cushions – knee pads, meditation cushion, and yoga cushion made from cork
Cork Yoga Wheels
1. Yoloha
Yoloha is a sustainable yoga brand with plenty of cork yoga props, including yoga wheels in a variety of designs. The brand also has a Yoga Wheel Guide with information on how to properly use a yoga wheel + 35 poses to try.
Check Out Yoloha’s Cork Yoga Wheels
2. Gaiam Cork Yoga Wheel
Yoga brand Gaiam has a non-slip, naturally antibacterial cork yoga wheel perfect for improving your mobility and flexibility. The yoga wheel does have a dense plastic core, so it is not completely natural.
Check Out Gaiam’s Cork Yoga Wheel
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