Eco-yoga: can your practice be more sustainable?
Yoga and nature have always had an unspoken kinship. Before yoga was hot or commodified, it learned from nature. Breath was wind. Grounding was earth. Flowing was water. But ask most modern yogis about their practice’s environmental impact and you might go unnoticed.
Talk of eco-yoga can come with some unintentional buzzkill. It’s not about morality or guilt. It’s about awareness. Opening our eyes to the ways that our practice both impacts and connects us to the natural world.
Sustainability is the natural extension of your yoga practice.
Why should you care?
Think about how you practice. When was the last time you considered your yoga mat’s journey before it appeared on your living room floor? How many yoga shirts are tucked away in your closet, ready to be rotated in next season’s purge cycle?
You don’t have to change everything overnight. But perhaps you can start to ask questions. Where does my gear come from? Who made it? Can I recycle it?
These are the first threads of a more conscious practice.
Unrolling your eco-yoga mat
The yoga mat is as good a place as any to start. They’re what we roll out day in and day out. But if you’ve never given it much thought, there’s a lot to consider.
Did you know most yoga mats are made from PVC? While great for grip and durability, PVC yoga mats are problematic on many levels. First, they are quite energy-intensive to produce. Second, they’re not easy to recycle. And finally, as they wear down over time, they can release tiny micro-plastics into the environment.
There are more eco-conscious alternatives, but tradeoffs abound. Rubber mats offer great grip but require mindful sourcing. Cork offers antimicrobial properties and is naturally renewable, but has a different feel. Jute blends are biodegradable but typically offer less padding.
At a certain point, mat shopping becomes less about trends and more about knowing what you love. How long will you use it and where does it come from? What will happen to it at the end of its life?
In my home practice, I try to use my mat until it literally falls apart. My current mat is at least 10 years old.
Less gear. Deeper connection.
There’s something to be said for using gear that’s beaten up and well-loved. It holds history. There’s no pressure to look a certain way or try the latest trend. It lets you slip back into familiarity. Back into the sensations of your body and your breath.
A shorter yoga clothing cycle
If your yoga gear was guilty of inducing mass consumption, yoga clothing might take the cake.
Cheap, trendy yoga clothing comes at a steep cost. Like much fast-fashion, yoga clothes are predominantly made from synthetic fibres using underpaid labour. And while they may be inexpensive to buy, they’re designed to be replaced rather than repaired.
So maybe we slow down. Maybe we buy less and think more intentionally about what we add to our wardrobe. Maybe we mend what needs mending instead of tossing it and buying new. Maybe we wash our yoga pants less frequently, and on a cooler setting.
Your studio’s ecosystem.
Bringing yoga philosophy into your practice doesn’t stop when you leave the studio. Ecology can play a huge role in your sustainability journey.
A yogi-owned studio may employ eco-friendly policies without even knowing it. Small things like reducing single-use plastics, offering water bottle refills, and valuing longevity over renovations. You might be surprised how many studios maximise natural light and airflow rather than relying on HVAC.
When you invest in your studio, you’re casting a vote. You’re saying yes to the values you believe in. If enough students support small, sustainable changes, they’ll ripple through the entire yoga community.
Doing your best is good enough.
Eco-friendly yoga is less about shouldering guilt and more about recognising the ways our yoga practice intersects with the world around us.
Everything we do off our mats trickles down into how we practice. Throwing away a single yogurt container might not seem like a big deal. But what if we did it every day?
How does excess consumerism align with your yoga practice? Is there grace in letting go of things that no longer serve you (and the planet)?
Everything is connected on the yoga mat
When you step on your yoga mat, you’re not leaving the world behind. Try thinking of your yoga practice as active participation in a living system. Your breath connects you to the earth’s air supply. Gravity grounds your bones. Awareness ties your actions to consequences (both good and bad).
Cultivating a more sustainable yoga practice isn’t about perfection. It’s about paying attention. About doing what you can with awareness and intention. About remembering the world beyond the walls of your yoga studio.
Consider taking private yoga sessions of yoga in Mount Martha with Emily at Mount Martha Yoga and Meditation. She offers a peaceful studio amongst the hilltop trees with views over Port Phillip Bay to create a place and space to connect with nature and yourself.
