Cleaning your yoga mat

I do yoga 4-5 times a week. I make it a priority as the benefits for my mind and body simply can’t be ignored. Even if I can only get 15 minutes a day in, I feel a huge shift in my ability to concentrate, be present in my body and have more patience with my high energy, willful toddler.

I did yoga today as a matter of fact. While my baby girl took her nap, I dedicated 15 blissful minutes to my body’s well being and peace of mind. Well, it was almost blissful. As I unrolled my mat this morning, I was met with the unpleasant scent of old gym socks. Having possibly only minutes for my practice, I overlooked the stench and got my yoga on. With each subsequent downward dog I was met again with the foul odor. It was then that it occurred to me… I couldn’t even remember the last time I washed the darn thing. Gross. Thinking about how much sweat and skin cells I’d rolled up and left to fester over the past few months left me more dizzied than my upward bow pose.

I enjoyed my corpse pose on the hard wood floor today. As soon as I came back to my body, I got to work on a concoction that would disinfect all that grime and leave a pleasant smell for my next session. My finished product smells light and fresh with only the slightest hints of the herbaceous tee tree and eucalyptus and the floral lavender. They mix quite well together. Here is my recipe:

• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 3 drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 3 drops lavender essential oil
• 1 drop tea tree essential oil

Add all ingredients to a spray bottle and shake a few times to mix together.

Enjoy your all natural disinfecting spray! This will work perfectly for your yoga mat and could easily be used for cleaning other surfaces as well.