Is Your Yoga Routine Toxic? I Tried Four Different Mats Before Falling in Love With JadeYoga's Harmony Mat

Apr 7

Apr 7 Is Your Yoga Routine Toxic? I Tried Four Different Mats Before Falling in Love With JadeYoga's Harmony Mat

Toxic and yoga are two words that should never be synonymous. Yet, in a world packed-full of PVC or TPE yoga mats, your practice might just very well be toxic—for your health, for the world and for others.

The majority of yoga mats on the market today, are made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or TPE (thermoplastic elastomers). PVC’s questionable ingredients include vinyl chlorides, dioxins, and heavy metals. Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) mats are often heralded as a more eco-friendly/non-toxic option than PVC mats. Unfortunately, the “TPE” term is incredibly ambiguous as far as nontoxic ingredients go. Plus, the processes involved in manufacturing and recycling both PVC/TPE yoga mats also release further pollutants into the environment.

The good news is that I’ve got a lovely quick-fix to get your ethic, eco-friendly, yogi-self back on a better track.

Introducing JadeYoga.

JadeYoga has a rich history and a rather unique founding story. For over a century, the Jerrehian family has been involved in supplying rubber padding and rugs all across America. Following in their footsteps, Dennis Jerrehian (previously a lawyer for the Environmental Protection Agency) took his familial legacy, plus his passion for protecting the environment, and pivoted. He created JadeYoga, a company with a mission to make environmentally friendly rubber yoga mats—all while giving back to the earth. Headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania JadeYoga has already planted nearly 1,700,000 trees in rural communities in the developing world. A tree for every mat or block sold.

Of all the brands we’ve reviewed on our blog so far, Hazel and I both agree, JadeYoga is one of the most standout companies we’ve ever researched. We love the expansive non-profit programs they support, their sustainability vision, and their ethics; it’s all pretty incredible. The more we delved into Dennis’s goals the more impressed we were. Check out their C&C Product Summary (found at the bottom of this post) to read up on all the details.

What we love about JadeYoga’s Harmony mat:

It’s wonderfully grippy—both on the floor and on your feet. In fact, it’s got this suction-cup texture which adds an extra challenge to any pivoting movements. Instead of mindlessly transitioning with simple slides, I have to move my feet far more conscientiously. The texture is rather porous, making it ideal for hot yoga or for yogi’s tend to sweat up a storm.
It’s got minimal cushion and just-enough spring. The Harmony mat is fairly thin (3/16 inch thick) which makes it especially nice for balance-heavy practices. But, if you do have sensitive knee caps (like Hazel) you’ll probably want to choose JadeYoga’s Fusion mat instead.
It actually rolls out flat. Before being gifted my Jade mat for my birthday (thanks brother!) I had already purchased four other yoga mats. All of them did, what I joking call, the “caustic curl.” Anyways, ever since I unwrapped my JadeYoga Travel mat (which I eventually replaced with my JadeYoga Harmony mat) I’ve found my practice far more “in harmony” (pun intended) and curl-free.

My brother also gave me a JadeYoga block (which I adore too). I haven’t written a review on it yet, but here’s a picture. It’s an awfully pretty cork block!

Here’s a few good-to-knows before you purchase a Jade mat:

Sunlight is the kryptonite of Jade mats. Truly. It will ruin the wonderful grippyness the mat. Leaving it in your car, on a seat in the sun (behind a window), caused some problems for my first mat (the JadeYoga Travel). It became far more slippery and literally started to disintegrate. The quick fix is to buy a bag or a covered carrier. This organic/fair trade cover from Etsy is especially lovely.

Be prepared for your Jade mat to smell. It’s an all-natural scent, but it can be a bit bothersome, especially when you are up-close-and-personal with the rubber in something like Child’s Pose. Plan to wash it with water and let it “breath” for a week before you head to your first class. Even after washing and airing it out, I’m 3 months into my second Jade mat, and it still smells faintly rubberish.

You might need to switch your mat cleaning spray too⁠—alcohol or high concentrations of essential oils will damage it (literally pieces or chunks will begin to peel off). Instead of buying a spray, you can DIY your own with a 3:1 ratio of water and organic apple cider vinegar in a glass bottle.

Bring lint roller with you. JadeYoga’s “open-cell” rubber is great for hands and feet, but not so nice when it picks up lint or hair. Here’s a close up picture of my goldendoodle’s hair sticking to my mat:

Oh, and if you need ideas on what to do with your old yoga mat, here’s a handy list of 25 ideas for upcycling your mat. Want to truly recycle your mat? So far I’ve only been able to find one brand that will recycle it for you (this is probably because the cost/carbon impact of recycling mats often outweighs the benefits) but to use their program, you will need to purchase a second mat from the brand. Which leaves you in a bit of a predicament. Anyways, to recycle your mat you can look into Manduka’s LiveOn program.

Sidenote for Yogi mommies: I also love, that JadeYoga has yoga mats for kids. For the youngest of yogi’s, grab one of their Discovery mats. For older kiddos, their Pathfinder mat is best.

Have you found other (incredibly eco-friendly) yoga mats that you love? I want to hear about it! Comment below and let me know what other brands are out there to try.

Good For You - Jade mats contain no PVCs, phthalates, heavy metals or flame retardants.

Good For Others - JadeYoga gives back through four amazing programs. First they have their “Buy a Mat, Plant a Tree” program. It’s as straightforward as it sounds. Next is their “Color Cause” program. In this program, purchasing a teal, saffron or pink mats gives five dollars towards a color-coordinated cause. The money goes to support those struggling with ovarian cancer, autism or breast cancer. So far, JadeYoga has donated over $83,000 to these causes. Their third program is their “Community Partners” program. In this program, Jade donates 50 mats every month to various nonprofits who help individuals overcome tremendous challenges, including domestic violence or human tracking. Forth, is the “Giving Days” program. On Earth day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday, JadeYoga gives a percentage of all online sales to missions they personally very passionate about. You can find a specific list here.

Good For Earth - The natural rubber used in every Jade harmony is a sustainable and renewable resource. The rubber is tapped from rubber trees. Each mat is made in the United States in compliance with U.S. environmental laws and contain no PVCs or synthetic rubbers. JadeYoga partners with “Trees for the Future” and so far they have helped plant nearly 1,700,000 trees in rural communities in the developing world. JadeYoga plants a tree for every yoga product you buy from them. Oh, and JadeYoga’s packaging is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic with a soy ink.

C&C Overall - I love JadeYoga’s Harmony mat for it’s grippy, non-slip nature. The padding is perfect for me and it actually rolls out flat (hurray). Buying a JadeYoga mat may feel like an investment (compared to the pricing of other mats out there) but it’s an investment definitely worth making. Before you purchase though, you should realized that Jade mats are a bit higher maintenance. To keep your eco-friendly investment looking sharp, plan on a few things: First, any sunlight will cause some serious harm to your rubber mat. The best plan is to shield it from the sun with a bag or use an alternative mat if you have some sort of desert yoga retreat planned. Second, preemptively pack a lint roller and a damp washcloth to class with you. Jade mats are “open-cell” rubber which means its wonderfully grippy, unfortunately it also means the mats tend to look dirtier until you clean them. Third, you really don’t want to use your normal yoga-mat cleaning spray on a Jade. Just stick to a 3:1 ratio of water and apple cider vinegar just to be extra safe. Also, be prepared for your Jade mat to smell rubberish for a while (4-5 months). You can alleviate most of the smell by washing it with apple cider vinegar, water and letting it air dry, but don’t be too surprised if a soft scent still lingers.