Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Yoga Gift Guide 2010

By Konstantin Tsiryulnikov

After running a yoga accessory website for a year I gathered quite a lot of information about the products I've been selling. Based on my personal experience, my customers' feedback and the reviews and ratings I read on other site, I present to you the hottest yoga products of this year.

Yoga Mats

The market is saturated with all kinds of mats. The latest craze is biodegradable products. People are suddenly becoming conscious of the fact that an average PVC yoga mat will take hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill. Yoga companies have adapted and now market all natural and eco-friendly yoga mats as the only choice for true yogis. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. I have selected the best 3 yoga mats that are not completely biodegradable, yet there are no better performing and more durable mats on the market today.

If you have unlimited budget

Just get a Manduka BlackMat Pro - this is the best mat of all time and it is going to stay this way for a while. Manduka mats are renowned for their extreme durability, high quality of material and superior performance. Depending on size, this mat can cost up to $100. The longer and wider - the heavier they are, keep that in mind. This is the Rolls-Royce of yoga mats that will never let your slip or slide, never bunch up and never cause you and discomfort. If you want a sure thing - this is it.

If you want to spend up to $50

My first choice in the "reasonable" range is the Jade Harmony. Jade makes excellent natural rubber yoga mats that are only second in quality to the above mentioned Manduka mats. The Harmony features porous open cell design, reinforcing scrimmage inside and is made of sustainable biodegradable material. This mat offers excellent support and cushioning and perfect traction while weighing considerably less than Manduka BlackMat.

If you are looking for something inexpensive yet high quality

Since yoga mats only get better with price, it was difficult to select a good yoga mat under $30, but my experience shows that any yoga mat made by Gaiam would fit perfectly into this category. Gaiam makes high-quality yoga products for people who are not ready to spend a lot on yoga accessories. Gaiam, in my opinion is like the IKEA of the yoga industry.

Yoga Towels

These are not regular gym towels. Best yoga towels are not just very absorbent, they also grip to your mat very tightly. I can confidently suggest the YogiToes brand, as they are currently the unsurpassed leader in the yoga towel industry. While other brands are catching up, Yogitoes are still widely recognized as the creators of best yoga towels with their SkidLess line of products.

Yoga Blocks

Hugger Mugger makes excellent cork yoga blocks that are nature friendly, lightweight and very pleasant to use. You can't really do any better for yoga blocks, cork provides great cushioning and resistance to help you keep your balance. These yoga blocks sell really well and people seem to be very pleased about Hugger Mugger products.

Yoga DVD

There are lots of yoga-related video material, and it can be very overwhelming trying to find the most suitable selection. Based on Amazon's ratings and customer reviews Rodney Yee's yoga DVDs are excellent, also anything with Shiva Rea will guarantee to please a beginner yogini. For power yoga workouts try the Ashtanga Primary and Secondary Series DVDs on Amazon.

I am the assistant editor at YogaMatReviews.net - a comprehensive resource on top selling yoga mats, yoga towels, yoga bags and accessories, featuring unbiased customer reviews, expert tips, suggestions and lots of ratings.