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Earth Elements Mats

Health and fitness blogger Tara Burner recently tried out our Earth Elements 5mm Yoga Mat. You can read her review here and find out how to win a brand new Earth Elements mat of your own. The article below shares information about how the mat is made, its features and how to care for it. Good luck with the giveaway!

Caring for Your Earth Elements Yoga Mat

The first limb of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga, Yama, contains the seeds of sustainable living. The Yamas are precepts for ethical living, and the first of these precepts is ahimsa (non-harming). Add to that three of the other Yamas—asteya (non-stealing or taking only what you need), brahmacharya (wise use of life energy) and aparigraha (non-greed), and conscious, sustainable living seems to be at the heart of Yoga practice.

In the early ’00s, we began exploring ways to use more eco-friendly materials in all our products. While none of our Tapas® line of mats has ever contained the heavy metals and phthalates intrinsic to most PVC-based mats, we knew some of our customer base were interested in taking sustainability a step further. In 2005 we unveiled our Earth Elements line of mats.

Earth Elements mats are made from a recently developed and patented foam called TPE (Thermal Plastic Elastomer). TPE contains no PVC and uses no toxic materials in its production. TPE also has no rubber, meaning it’s perfectly safe for those with latex sensitivities. TPE has a closed-cell structure, so liquids cannot penetrate it, making mold and mildew a non-issue. Unlike other materials, TPE has does not off-gas, so you won’t need to air your mat out after you take it out of the package. TPE requires less energy to produce than other mat materials and is fully biodegradable. Because of this, it requires a different kind of care than a PVC mat.

Unlike PVC and rubber which have a “wetter” feeling surface, TPE has a dry-sticky feel. TPE is a durable material, but you will find that it stretches more than other mats in poses such as Downward Facing Dog or standing poses. TPE is a great material for my particular body chemistry—dry skin. Because it resists water, it may lose some of its stickiness for people whose hands and feet perspire in practice. A better sustainable choice for “sweaters” would be the Sattva Jute Mat.

Because these mats are biodegradable, they will eventually break down, but with proper care you can enjoy your Earth Elements Mat for years. I have a 3mm Earth Elements Mat from the very first batch from 2005. I used it for years as my “teaching mat” because it’s so lightweight that it is easy to carry when I walk to class. With the exception of a few kitty-claw marks—not the mat’s fault—it’s still in good condition, and just as sticky as it was when it was new.

One of the secrets to keeping your Earth Elements Mat in good condition is to keep it in a mat bag when you’re not using it, especially if you plan to leave it in your car. Because it is designed to biodegrade, TPE will break down if you leave it exposed in your car in the hot sun. Storing it in a bag eliminates this problem.

There are several ways to clean your Earth Elements Mat:

1. Wipe down with a very dilute (1:20) solution of mild dish soap and water. Hang to dry.
2. Wash your mat with one of our great mat sprays like Green Cricket or Pure Mat Spray.
3. JoSha Wipes are great to carry with you if you like to clean your mat after each use.
4. We don’t recommend putting your mat in the washing machine to wash it, and definitely don’t put it in the dryer, unless you’ve been wanting to have a reason to replace the drum inside your dryer. The heat from your dryer could cause the mat to get stuck to the inside.
5. If you want to deep clean your mat, put it in a bathtub but don’t submerge it. Wipe it down with a dilute solution of mild dish soap and water and rinse it well. Hang to dry.

If you have any experiences with Earth Elements or tips on caring for TPE mats you’d like to share, please do! We love learning from our community.

Charlotte Bell discovered yoga in 1982 and began teaching in 1986. Charlotte is the author of Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice, published by Rodmell Press. Her second book, Yoga for Meditators (Rodmell Press) will be published in May 2012. A lifelong musician, Charlotte plays oboe and English horn in the Salt Lake Symphony and folk sextet Red Rock Rondo, whose DVD won two Emmy awards in 2010.

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