The Evolution of Yoga Mat through History

A brief story composed with the help of books, web articles and discussions that focuses on the physiological changes caused by the shift in material use after the commercialisation of the yoga mat.

Disclaimer: This article has no intention whatsoever to imply or suggest anything against the contemporary yoga mat industry and its products. Equally, we are not looking at barefoot running as a better or healthier alternative to using running shoes, or raising any argument against the shoe industry as a whole. We simply try to investigate how the implementation of equipment is able up to a certain extent, affect the human body mechanics and our interaction with our bodies. Still lots of investigation and experimentation needs to be done in all concerned areas in order to come across solid results.

In ancient times, Yoga was practiced in India on kusha grass, on hard earth without any cover, or on a rug of deer or tiger skin, as specified in the Bhagavadgita[1] and the Shvetashvatara [2] Upanishad as suitable for attaining enlightenment [Mallinson et al, p 59]. Due to the scarcity and cost of such rugs [Swenson], they are now rarely used even in India.

With yoga's introduction in the West, many practitioners used towels or cotton mats [3] on wooden floors [4], with some of them [5] even using these types of mats till nowadays. Around the time Angela Farmer and her father, Richard, became the innovators and first retailers of what we nowadays refer to as “sticky mats” the yogic community composed mostly by hippie westerners on road trips around India, used to practice anywhere around the country.

Although we have figured out that cork floors are suitable for yogis, concrete floors were the most common choice back then with cotton mats not just being philosophically legit, abiding to the rules of ahimsa (i.e. “non-violence”) but also practically advantageous (they were absorbing all the sweat while easily drying out under the hot sun) and economically affordable too. David Williams pointed out that during the early 1970’s some people including himself, used even straw mats, manufactured normally for beaches. It wasn’t until his trips to Mysore, India, when the cotton rug was introduced to deal with all the sweat produced during the Ashtanga Practice along with some cushioning effects during the constant jump throughs between the Asanas. “Feet tended to skid on these surfaces, requiring strength just to stand still in a pose like Trikonasana” [Hall], later forcing them to modify existing carpets by cutting them down to the correct dimensions.

“Krishnamacharya himself, had a handmade carpet of soft material, about a third of an inch in thickness” although according to one of his late students, Ganesh Mohan, standing postures with feet spread, cause the carpet to stretch and feet sliding apart, pretty similar to what is happening on a contemporary sweaty mat. Having difficulties in balancing he simply proceeded to practice the postures on the plain floor [Mohan, p 25]. The sliding feet could impact the engagement of the Mula Bandha up to a certain extend; especially since this action is opposing the desired effect of creating lifting sensation beginning from the feet all the way upwards through the pelvic floor. To enable this phenomenon, a sweeping tendency on the feet and legs has to be established (i.e. that is drawing the legs close to each other) [Maehle, p 42], an action which is unfortunately not encouraged by the current yoga mat construction technology.

The PVC-based yoga mats massively produced nowadays have been consistently violating the ethical rules of yoga, while massively affecting the way yoga is being practiced as well; Colin Hall, kinesiologists in the university of Virginia, USA, has already pointed out how much the material shift through massive yoga mat production came along with a shift in focus from strength building to stretch development.

A similar shift in the human physiological characteristics is also noticeable in another activity that, just like yoga, has been taking place on this planet since the dawn of humanity, i.e. running. The development of the running shoe has been proven to cause a massive change in the overall technique of the runner, allowing us to non-mindfully “hit” (or bump) the foot forcefully on the ground taking “advantage” of the shoe’s cushioning technology. The results are similar when bringing into our investigative eye the primitive cultures of our planet [McDougall]. The aforementioned action is naturally shortening the hamstrings and up to a certain degree causes inflammation at the ligaments and tendons of the knee (“runner’s knee”). Barefoot running is naturally forcing us to use the metatarsals and the toes to transfer our weight forward, living the heels of the feet intact .
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1. Bhagavadgita 6.11: In a clean place he should set up a firm seat for himself, neither too high nor too low, with a cloth, a deerskin and kusha grass on top.
2. Shvetashvatara Upanishad Chapter II “Seated in an easy posture, on a (deer or tiger) skin, placed on Kusha grass, worshipping Ganapati with fruits and sweetmeats, placing the right palm on the left, holding the throat and head in the same line, the lips closed and firm, facing the east or the north, the eyes fixed on the tip of the nose, avoiding too much food or fasting, the Nâdis should be purified, without which the practice will be fruitless”.3. According to Gregor Maehle [p 126], the presence and importance of the cotton cloth on top of a tiger or deer skin had to do with insulating the subtle yogic body (the energetical sphere) from the draining downward energy flow of the earth itself, resulting in the inversion of feet towards the sky in the meditation pose (i.e. Padmasana). It seems that cotton cloths had been around longer than we are estimating.
4. It is very easy to notice that in pictures with young David Williams practicing Ashtanga Yoga. Cler Cameron’s article on the history of yoga mats (see Source 03) is useful to look into the constrictions and hindrances that forced the change to take place gradually.
5. Including mostly the first generation of Ashtanga Yogis and Yoginis such as David Williams and Danny Paradise.

Sources:

01. Mallinson, J. Singleton, M. (2017) “Roots of Yoga”, Penguin Books.
02. Swenson, D. (1999). “Ashtanga Yoga - The Practice Manual”. Ashtanga Yoga Productions. 03. Maehle G. (2006). “Ashtanga Yoga Practice and Philosophy”, New World Library, Novato,
California.
04. Mohan, A. G. (2010), “Krishnamacharya: his Life and Teachings”, Shambhala
Publications Inc. Boston, MA.
05. McDougall, C. (2009). “Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-Runners, and the Greatest
Race the World Has Ever Seen”, Vintage Books Editions, New York, NY.
06. Cler, Cameron. “Before Mats Were Modern”, Wanderlust. Retrieved 28 November 2019. 07. Hall, Colin. “Yoga Mats: Are They Really Necessary?”. Yoga International. Retrieved 28
November 2019.
08. Interview with David Williams and Danny Paradise on the 27th of November 2019
09. (web short doc) eu.liforme.com. Retrieved 28 November 2019 mostly for the environmental
concerns on the PVC based yoga mats that have conquered the world today.

Understanding the Power of the System

Irrespective of the roots and KP Jois ethical shortcomings we have to acknowledge that "overall Aṣṭāṅga Vinyasa Yoga arranges postures in sequences to create a continuous flow. While you move through the sequences you focus on the breath and internal holds (bandhas) so that the body is heated and purified to make it strong, vibrantly healthy and ready for pranayama and meditation. Making the body capable of performing prolonged mediation is the only purpose of yoga postures (āsanas) in the Pātañjala Yogasūtras and its commentaries [Ondračka 2020, p 6] [and in this context] Aṣṭāṅga Vinyasa Yoga is the bedrock and preparation for [a systematic integration into] the eight-limbed yoga that [the] sage Patanjali describes" [Maehle 2020b] which is exactly what we should be mostly caring about. 

At this point we should step out of the each particular posture and look at the entire system as a compilation of principles towards (a) certain goal(-s). These goals can manifest as physical attributes but clearly move beyond this point and in the context of the Yogasūtras-s we are clearly looking towards liberation i.e. kaivalya. 

A closer look at the yoga sastras will reveal the proliferation of yogāsana; the fundamental āsana described in all of them is Padmāsana i.e. Lotus Posture, the mastery of which is bound to the development and success on the higher limbs. 

We shall view the Aṣṭāṅga series as a preparation towards (a) building-up Padmāsana and (b) maintaining it for a rather long time-frame that will enable the student to access the fruits of the higher limbs. 

Primary Series: it is primarily a great hip-opening and core strengthening sequence that will gradually allow someone to be able to sit down comfortably. Sets up the foundational work on the bandhas and controlled breathing.

Intermediate Series: work is transcended from the base i.e. hips and core toward the "sacred" spine. A healthy spine is a generative term that implies both strength and flexibility; both of these features are necessary when seated in Lotus i.e. the line that tracks the spine should reflect the natural curves of its different areas magnified, exaggerated : after developing a strong core reflecting a stable and lengthened lumbar area in the primary series one is then proceeds to work on the dorsal and cervical areas[1].

Advanced Series: here the point of attention is drawn towards (a) balance and (b) overall power building and despite the fact that it might as well look odd - at first glance - in terms of relation to Padmāsana the relation becomes clear if one considers the relatively large amounts of physical strength and poise needed to maintain the Lotus posture for a tremendous amount of time (up to 3 hours according to scriptures). 

Broken down in pieces the advanced yogic postures is nothing but a combination of the elements found in the first two series same as complex terms are formed through combination of simpler words or agglutination of simpler particles. In that sense, "one is obtaining the health effects of the āsanas faster without having to go through repeating the alphabet each and every day from the beginning" [Iyengar, 1991, p tbc]. 

On the subtle body the effects are also known to flourish by empowered activation of the chakras. BKS Iyengar makes a bold statement when referring to the benefits of vrschikāsana i.e. "scorpion pose" as to how the kick on the head using ones foot liberates her / him from the poison of the ego [ibid, p 388]. Unfortunately, the practical examples of people managing to accomplish the posture suggest anything but that. Still yet, the tremendous amount of internal balance, strength, flexibility and awareness is remarkable and capable of enhancing one's way towards liberation.

Despite its importance, only a few have paid intense attention at this āsana. Disclaimer By all means, inability to perform Padmasana correctly does NOT mean that you are incapable to move into the higher limbs; there is a repertoire of various seated āsanas to choose from in order to begin or implement in case of dysfunctional limbs or injuries.

By now it should be clear that their is a systematic work on multiple aspects of the human physiology i.e. gradual development of the base upward until our heads which are eventually summarised in Padmāsana and provide one more step to move forward.
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[1] I will speak later on about the attributes and benefits in the 01 physical (strength and flexibility), 02 subtle (purification of the nadi-s) and 03 psychological aspects (the "oral character") as the focus of the practice and how they integrate in Padmāsana.

Changes in Contemporary Aṣṭāṅga Vinyāsa Yoga

From where my Guruji i.e. T Krishnamacharya left, I proceeded. I want my students to proceed from where I left. That’s all, that’s as simple as it is. Science is progressing. Art is progressing. So, yoga as being an art, a science, it has to progress. Otherwise there is a stagnation again. There is a mingling of the western feeling in the eastern mind which is contributing in the evolution of yoga[1]. 

The following important changes are occurring in Aṣṭāṅga now.

01 Anatomical Knowledge Expansion A higher level of training of teachers in yogic anatomy and how to adapt it to individual student’s needs. More teachers are learning how anatomical knowledge must inform technical instruction in Guided and Mysore style classes. "Knowing the anatomical limitations of bodies, which adjustments are unsafe and how far the safe ones can be taken. This is not something that can be learned by watching or simply by adjusting. It can be learned from somebody who is a long serving teacher/ practitioner and at the same time has done formal training in anatomy. Unfortunately, students are often hurt because teachers believe no formal study is required[2]". 

02 Individual Uniqueness framed into Universal Principles 

Understanding the differences between bodies and how they must be accommodated by altering the sequences if necessary. Many students have left Aṣṭāṅga for good because their teacher could not or would not modify their sequence. There are however, two 2 plus 1 universal principles that I have distinguished so far through the years of practice namely 01 force transmission and 02 energy cycles which apply to everyone beyond individual uniqueness-s or special characteristics that might exclude him / her for certain āsana guidelines. These concepts are not naturally a self-discovery but more of a combination of two separate approaches experienced in the world of physiology.

A Force Transmission 

Force transmission can be understood as a wave-like motion of force through the body produced by a counter-force of equal measure i.e. a simple expression of the third Newton-ian law in the kinematic chain of muscles and non-tendinous connective tissues or fascia of the human body.

A practical understanding of this would be the following examples: the harder the press on the ground through the feet, the higher you shall jump. The stronger the push on the ground through the leg the stronger the kick on the opponent. Force travels through action and counter action in open or closed kinematic chains that produce various effects. 

Equally, when practicing yoga and especially what we have come to experience as T Krishnamacharya’s legacy format-wise it is currently one is bound to the somehow be in contact with the ground and some part of his body. To keep things simple, let us approach the scheme through a fairly simple standing posture such as Paścimottānāsana.

"Teachers should look more for force transmission instead of right alignment" [ref Fields J. during her interview in the J Brown podcast]. "Force that is not converted into movement does not simply disappear, but is dissipated into damage done to joints, muscles, and other sections of the body used to create the effort" [Feldenkrais 1987 p 58], thus it is necessary to frame the concept of force transmission into the effects of the energetical cycles see next paragraph.

 B Energy Cycles 

All āsanas are designed to form energetic cycles – especially postures where the hands are connected to the feet. The earth being receptive draws out energy. These cycles are thought to have a profound influence on the pranic sheath pranamaya kosha which is reduced when the energy flow is interrupted through belts and straps putting their use into question.

"When properly directed and graduated, the amount of energy needed to perform an āsana is considerably less and thus allows one to flow easier through the demanding vinyasas and āsanas of the series. Energy not converted into movement turns into heat within the system and causes changes that will require repair before the system can operate efficiently again" [Feldenkrais 1987 p 58].

The use of a strap or belt might seem like an easy solution for students with certain difficulties, however as pointed by K P Jois the use of props interrupts the energy cycle of the posture [2006 p 65]. I personally find the use of props equally therapeutic only when supplementing the work of the student and not when implemented to abide to a systematized framework of impossible physiological geometry-ies.   

C Amalgamation 

These concepts are not new as such, nonetheless, when combined they form a clear picture on how āsana should be approached overall. Force transmission should be contextualised and understood in the closed-kinematic-chain[3] framework that characterises yogāsana applying the energy cycling concept.


During one’s practice it is fundamental 01 to harness the energy from the earth or ground upward see force transmission 02 lock it in using the work on the bandhas and 03 recycle it through the body in the means of āsana work. The effects of this energy span from a building strength and flexibility to b nourishing the muscles and internal organs with therapeutic or healing effects in the long run.


During this entire process there is another factor that comes into play, that of resistance i.e. the amount of opposition one is experiencing towards achieving a physical goal. Resistance just like the previous principles although ubiquitous is not a constant for every person, its value fluctuates according to the special characteristics of the musculature of each student along with their past experiences and habits. It is valuable in the postural yoga since it provides feedback for physical intensity[4], mental blockage-s and internal focus. 

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[1] BKS Iyengar interviewed in the UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_gw-T9oSJw&list=WL&index=26

[2]Maehle, G (2020b) ‘Gregor interviewed in the Japanese Yogini Magazine’, March 28, available at: chintamaniyoga.com, accessed at: 28 March 2020.

[3] there are two 2 kinds of kinetic chain exercises i.e. open and closed. In open kinetic chain exercises, the segment furthest away from the body — known as the distal aspect, usually the hand or foot — is free and not fixed to an object. In a closed chain exercise, it is fixed, or stationary definitionby healthline.com. With the exceptions of very specific āsanas yoga is fundamentally characterized by close kinetic chain movements that cycle energy through the body.
[4] Remember that above all, muscles speak the language of tension [Cavalier, J. interview in London Real WebTV] and not the side diagrams of a yoga manual or of a sequence cheat sheet. The most complicated yoga postures can easily be segmented into simpler principles which are gradually synergistically combined to bring the results we see in advanced practitioners. 

an Introduction

Amidst the Chaos brought by the disclosure of the scandals in the world of orthodox Aṣṭāṅga Yoga and the re-enculturation of the Traditional 8 Limbs System of Patañjali as a postural, bodily-exercise gravitated practice, the need to re-evaluate the lost principles and ideas of Yogic Philosophy has arisen more than ever before. 

I do not want to go into detail here about the K P Jois sexual abuses and the re-invention of the Mysore style Aṣṭāṅga Vinyāsa Yoga by his grandson in the context of the "one" Guru. Many other authors, teachers and students have done quite a remarkable job pointing out the faults of both these narratives. 

In case you are still not familiar with these cases, I am providing links to some of the most important articles and interviews that frame the subject.

01. Karen Rain

02. Gregor Maehle and Monica Gauci

03. Guy Donahaye's Blog

This is crucial to develop an overall understanding of the history of events that have come to question  (1) the role of the Guru - whether that is even a legit term anymore - and (2) the misuse of spirituality [among others] along with its fundamental role in shaping human lives.

Evolution and the changes it brings have been consistently present in the history of this planet. Yoga had also been a fundamental part of the history of humanity and as such faced with the challenge of changes throughout the eras. The thematic I want to initiate here is not necessarily addressing the transformation of what we know as yoga, since, like many other things has come to evolve through multiple processes that have been taking place constantly for years. It is mostly set up as a discourse, a dialectic toward enabling people to integrate yoga into their lives mindfully as dictated by the current status of our planet and our very individual lives among the societies we have developed. 

I use the term yoga here to refer to the variety of elements the yogic philosophy encompasses i.e. the 8 Limbs or Auxiliaries as described in the Yogasūtra-s. I feel that now more than ever, it is time to re-evaluate the context of the text and thus make the necessary applications to our own personal lives in order to develop spiritually in regards to Earth itself and our fellow humans.