Question:

I have my own yoga mat and have been using it for a couple of years now and it has become really stinky. Do you have any tips on how to keep it nice and fresh or is it time to invest in a new one?

Answer:

Phewee. The smell of a yoga room with mats have not been cleaned: yuk! Keeping your yoga mat clean is essential for practice. What's the use of cleaning our bodies but living in a mess? The yogis call this principle soucha and is one of the yamas (observances) in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

The smell usually comes from people finishing practice and rolling it up straight away and not drying it out first or as soon as they get home. The best way to keep it clean is to spray it down after practice with tea-tree or eucalyptus oil, which has been heavily diluted with water. Then hang up to dry in a well-ventilated area straight away. If that is not possible, try to hang it up as soon as you get home and rinse it under a shower before spraying it with the diluted oils.

However, getting two years out of one mat is pretty good. I change mine every two years so maybe its time to wipe the slate clean, break in a new mat and build the vibration again.

Duncan Peak — yoga expert
www.powerliving.com.au