Sattva Jute Mat: How It Works, How to Care for It

Jute Yoga Mats Combine Sustainability with Great Grip

If you were around in the ’70s, you may remember macrame. A crafty pursuit consisting of elaborate knot tying, macrame plant hangers, wall hangings and jewelry were ubiquitous for a time. Jute was the perfect macrame fiber—strong, earthen-colored and a little bit rustic. I still have a roll of macrame-ready jute in my attic.

Nicknamed the “Golden Fibre,” Jute is a natural fiber plant grown primarily in India, Bangladesh and China. Highly versatile, jute combines breathability with high tensile strength. Jute is second only to cotton as the world’s most popular fiber for clothing, furniture coverings and other fabric uses. Jute has natural insulating, antistatic and antimicrobial properties and is completely biodegradable. And as a natural rain-fed crop, jute needs little to no fertilizers.

Jute’s natural tensile strength makes it a perfect base fiber for a Yoga mat. But since a 100-percent jute Yoga mat would be pretty slippery on its own, we’ve developed a jute-based mat, the Sattva Jute Mat, with a non-slip backing of PER (Polymer Environmental Resin), an eco-friendly material that contains no formaldehyde or heavy metals, and is static free and resistant to mildew. While PER is not biodegradable, it can easily be recycled many times over. PER produces little to no off-gassing, and is non-slip and waterproof.

While our Sattva Jute Yoga mat is a good, solid mat for any eco-conscious Yogi, it is particularly useful for people who practice hot styles of Yoga, or people whose hands and feet tend to perspire. Linda-Sama Karl of the blog “Linda’s Yoga Journey,” road tested the Sattva Jute Mat on her 2011 trip to India, and she recommends it to yogis who, like her, slide on other types of mats because of sweaty hands and feet.

Other bloggers and mat reviewers have also put in a good word for the Sattva Jute Yoga Mat. Pondering Yogini says, “It has a really cool, soft feel like a nice breathable cotton. It isn’t hot under my hands and feet like rubber is. The grip is excellent without feeling tacky. The thickness is just right for getting rooted. Also, it’s lightweight for carrying to class and doesn’t require an oversize mat bag.”

The Sattva Jute Mat is quite sturdy. With proper care it will last a long time. Here are some tips:

• 1. To be completely safe, it’s best just to spot clean the Sattva Jute Mat with a little water. If you scrub hard on the mat, you may cause the fibers to fray.
• 2. Use a soft cloth to clean your jute yoga mat, rather than a paper towel. The mat’s slightly rough surface can cause paper towels or mat wipes to disintegrate and leave little bits of paper towel stuck to your mat.

If you have any tips about caring for your Sattva Jute Yoga Mat, please comment below. We love learning from our community!