One of the most telling symbols of the post-modern age, referencing the growing dedication towards personal health and symbolizing a powerful and productive exercise regime is the humble yoga mat. A rectangular piece of fabric, usually made from thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) or a strategic mix of jute and rubber, yoga mats are tasked with keeping a firm grip on the floor as the practitioner performs the intricate stretches, clenching and unclenching of tensed muscles and other detailed yoga poses over it.
It’s just a mat really, but is also synonymous with a personal revival. A yoga mat tucked under the arm, matching workout clothes and a confident gait represents a lifestyle choice that more and more Americans and Canadians are opting for with each passing year. Today, there is one yoga practitioner for every ten individuals in the US – a statistic that points to yoga’s versatility and growing popularity.
Yoga in Style- Stylish, Cost Effective and Durable Yoga Mats
What started as a spiritual exercise in feudal India is now one of the hottest lifestyle commodities in the North American continent. Herein, yoga mats play the part of stylish and useful accessories that help the yoga practitioner avoid nasty injuries that would result from poor traction with the floor. Additionally, the cushioning effect improves the comfort aspect for the user whilst improving balance and offering a warm surface to practice yoga on as opposed to the revolting cold floor. Let’s face it, the human body’s tendency to gravitate towards warmth is the numero uno killer of resolutions that are of the ‘exercise early and get jacked’ persuasion.
Crafted from such materials as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) foam, rubber or thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), yoga mats are durable, light weight and cost effective. For the everyday user, the differentiating factor between the various available options would be the cost, material used, texture, size, thickness, and usability. This ensures that major vendors such as Barefoot Yoga, Gaiam, JadeYoga and Manduka will always have room to innovate and appeal to an ever-incrementing legion of enthusiastic yoga practitioners.
Ready to Yoga? Why Demand is Set to Surge for Yoga Mats
Thanks to the general wave of health consciousness, more and more people are committed to a holistic approach to better health and well-being as offered by the regular practice of yoga. The ever-incrementing number of health clubs and gyms has elevated yoga to a near cult status, and America’s obesity problem is slowly seeking a resolution on resourceful yoga mats. The government and the corporates are also getting into the act- offering wellness initiatives to its personnel that usually includes a regimen of yoga. It surely helps that yoga mats have almost become a pre-requisite when speaking of indulging in an exercise schedule that is based on yoga, and per this expert market research report, the market for such mats is set to boom ‘massively’ through 2017-2021.
Stretching out with Technavio
With an expert finger on the pulse of the global yoga mats market, Technavio’s associated market research report holds promise to vendors who are operating in this intensely competitive scene. Actionable, productive and profitable information, in a compact and easily consumable format, is just what you need when looking to leave your mark on the lucrative yet intensely challenging global yoga mats market.