Eco-Friendly Yoga Freshness

We always love checking out products from new (at least, new-to-us!) brands that align with the values we hold dear — especially when the products in question are truly revolutionary. Recently, we’ve had the chance to give two products that check all the boxes a try: the ridgeback yoga mat and the FABSOUL Go With The Flow Yoga Leggings. Here’s what you should know about these innovative products — and, of course, what we thought about ’em!

ridgeback yoga mat

If you do heated (or hot) yoga, I’m betting you use a yoga towel so that you don’t slip around on your mat once the sweat starts to flow. But, the founder of ridgeback found standard towels to be problematic for a few reasons: they twist and bunch as you move, they can get smelly, and they need to be washed after every sweaty class — which means that you need multiples if you practice often, and many towels are made of microfiber, which has a negative environmental impact due to microplastics released when washed.

The ridgeback is different in a bunch of ways. It’s still designed to be used over a mat (unless you’re at the beach, in which case it’s AWESOME on the sand — although, if you’ve got super soft sand like I do on Siesta Key, it will stick to it a bit), but the 100 percent cotton rug, which is hand woven by artisans in India, is thicker and more textured than what you’ve probably used in the past. The gripper tape on the mat side keeps the mat grounded, and the mat softens with use — and probably also with more washes, but since it only needs to be washed every 10 times or so, I’ve only run it through the washer a couple of times. And the fact that it doesn’t pull and bunch as much as I move through my flow is a big plus! It hasn’t fully replaced my regular towel, to be honest — that same texture that helps your feet and hands grip is something I’m still getting used to and it’s not as comfortable for longer classes or a practice where I know I’ll be on my knees or putting a lot of pressure down on my hands. —Kristen

FABSOUL Yoga Leggings

Wish your yoga pants were as eco-minded as you are? Meet the FABSOUL Go With The Flow Yoga Leggings. Made of super soft natural materials, these leggings even have an marine algae complex in them that actually helps to moisturize your skin. They feel simply buttery and soft on, with a high waist and plenty of stretch. And! Because they have natural antibacterial properties, these actually don’t require much washing — which helps with water conservation. My only two hiccups with these is that 1) if you sweat a lot, the bright blue (and very lovely and fun) color you see above does darken when wet, so you know, be aware (especially in say, hot yoga), and 2) My expanding belly has already grown out of them and I miss wearing them! They’re definitely a pair I look forward to wearing again this fall! —Jenn

What’s been rocking your yoga world?