REVIEW: Yoga-Paws: The Yoga Mat You Wear

The following is a review I wrote for The Pagan Review. You can see it posted here.

Yoga-Paws: The Yoga Mat You Wear www.yogapaws.com
By Krystle Hope

www.yogapaws.com

Yoga-Paws offers an innovative way to improve your practice, whether at the studio, at home, or on the go with gloves and footies made from all natural rubber. The gloves cover the palm of your hand and have elastic separating the fingers and velcro to seal for a snug fit. The footies slip right on and support the ball of your foot, with an elastic strip that slides onto the back of your heel.

At first I was unsure of using the Yoga-Paws, as they were tight and stiff. However, they just needed to be broken in and after a couple of sessions they formed nicely to my hands and feet.

Yoga-Paws provide extra traction and are great for traveling and “yoga on the go”. Practice in your backyard, while hiking, in a hotel room, anywhere. They are light-weight (about 5 ounces) and take up about the same amount of space as a couple pairs of sock. I definitely recommend packing a pair of Yoga-Paws if you are unable to bring a mat.

What I really liked about Yoga-Paws is that they aren’t just for travel – they work just as great on the mat and are best used as additional support and padding. If you have weak wrist joints or find that your wrists become bothersome during your practice, Yoga-Paws hands provide extra support for your wrists. At the same time, they can become a little restrictive in certain poses. If that is the case just take them off; they’ll be waiting for you if you need them again.

While on the mat, Yoga-Paws prevents any sliding in warrior poses and lunges, as they grip the mat very nicely. Yoga-Paws hold traction even if you sweat and are great to bring along to a power yoga, hot yoga, or Bikram style class.

I do recommend taking off your Yoga-Paws before entering savasana, corpse pose, or final relaxation, to avoid any distraction.

There is one thing to keep an eye out when buying your Yoga-Paws. The sizing is a little misleading and sometimes confusing. Sizing is the biggest complaint by customers trying Yoga-Paws, so really make sure you properly measure and refer to the sizing chart provided before making your purchase. Yoga-Paws come in sizes 1 (women’s XS), 2 (“one size fits most” women’s regular), 3 (women’s large or men’s small), and 4 (“one size fits most”men’s regular).

The website provides instructions for measuring for your Yoga-Paws, and includes a handy picture and reference chart. The page recommends laying your hand flat on a table and wrapping a soft measuring tape around the widest point of your hand, usually the knuckles. Then make a loose fist. Round the measurement to the nearest inch. 

Size 1 fits hands that measure 5 ½” – 6 ½”, size 2 fits hands that measure 7” – 8”, size 3 fits hands that measure 8” – 9 ½”, and size 4 fits hands that measure 9” – 10 ½”.

To measure your feet, Yoga-Paws recommends standing with your full weight on a piece of paper and drawing a line on either side of the widest part of your foot. Measure the distance between the lines and follow the chart to find your Yoga-Paws Feet size. 

Size 1 fits feet that measured 2 7/8” – 3 ½”, size 2 fits 3½” – 3 7/8”, size 3 fits 3 7/8” – 4 ¼”, and size 4 fits 4 ¼” – 4 7/8”.

Measuring is important as Yoga-Paws sizes are not based on shoe sizes or the length of your feet, but rather the width and thickness of your feet.

A Yoga-Paws Full Set includes the Yoga-Paws Hands and the Yoga-Paws Feet that complement each other. Yoga-Paws says that 90% of customers hands and feet will be one size. However, if you are a part of the 10% whose hands and feet are not the same size, you can buy the hands and feet separately straight from the website.

If you purchase your Yoga-Paws and find that they don’t fit, don’t worry – call customer service and they will swap them for a new size free of charge. However, before sending them in, Yoga-Paws recommend practicing in them first. “On first fit, Yoga-Paws should feel tight. They will stretch to their final fit in 1-3 hours of wear.”

Don’t forget to wash your Yoga-Paws, preferably after each use, especially if you had been sweating. Just flip them inside out and wash with cold water and a gentle, all-natural soap (Yoga-Paws recommends Dr. Bonners). Hang them out to dry so they’re ready for your next practice! Yoga-Paws advises against putting them in the washing machine.

For more information, visit the www.yogapaws.com.

All in all, Yoga-Paws make a great addition to your yoga practice and comes highly recommended. Just take care that you find a size that has a comfortable yet snug fit and you are good to go! Enjoy your practice. Namaste.

Krystle Hope is a mother, military wife, and owner of Serenity Haven. She is a GoddessLife certified belly dance instructor and a YogaFit certified yoga instructor working towards her RYT-200. Krystle has been inspired to start living a healthier lifestyle, and is currently studying holistic health and wellness at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. Krystle offers Holistic Health and Wellness Coaching as a Certified Life Coach and Holistic Nutrition Specialist. Krystle is on a lifelong journey to empower women, and she is learning more about herself every step of the way. To find out more, visit www.SerenityHavenStudio.com or email  krystlehope@gmail.com. You can also find Serenity Haven on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SerenityHavenStudio.