I did a lot of agonizing over packing for my current trip to Africa. My 45L backpack seemed at once impossibly large and regrettably small. Untold hours were spent debating the merits of hiking boots vs. trekking shoes vs. sneakers (I determined trekking shoes would be most versatile), wondering whether I could justify bringing more than one tube of lipstick (I could), and questioning how many pairs of underwear I should pack (I decided on seven).
One of the toughest calls was what – if any – yoga gear I could bring with me. Anything that I brought would need to be compact enough to fit inside my backpack alongside my clothing, the aforementioned trekking shoes, and other necessities, and it would also need to be light enough that it didn’t make my already heavy pack unmanageable.
Obviously, my favorite Jade mat was out. I investigated different travel mats, but they all seemed too bulky and heavy for the kind of traveling I would be doing. I tested using my yoga towel as a mat, but that still occupied too much space and didn’t provide a sufficient amount of traction.
Just as I was resigning myself to mat-less practice, I discovered Yoga Paws. I was doubtful, but they work like a charm.
They’re basically little yoga mats that strap onto your hands and feet, allowing you to practice almost anywhere. I’ve used them successfully on tiled floors of rooms in backpacker places, dusty concrete pads in campgrounds, and wood-slatted porches. The only surface on which I didn’t find them useful was sand, but that could have been expected and I hardly consider a failing.
The only drawbacks of the Yoga Paws is that there’s nothing to cushion your body or protect your face from the ground in positions like pigeon. I’ve solved that problem by augmenting my Yoga Paws with a scarf, which doesn’t take up much room in my pack and can be used for other purposes.
I’m loving the Yoga Paws for my backpacking trip, but I know that I’ll continue using them when this trip is done. They’re perfect for carry-on luggage since they don’t take up much room, and can easily be tossed into a bag for impromptu yoga in the park.
Do you have favorite yoga gear for traveling? Let me know in the comments!