Some Basics About The Yoga Mat

You have decided you want to try Taylor Made Wellness’s free community yoga classes, or really, any yoga class nearby. 

Two questions you might be thinking...

1. Do I really need a yoga mat to try yoga? 
   
2. What is the deal with these yoga mats anyways? 
   

Well the first question is pretty straight forward. No, you do not need a yoga mat to take part in yoga classes. Not having a yoga mat will in no way impact your ability to fully participate in a yoga class. Though yoga mats do have a purpose and benefit to the yogi participant. 

So that brings us to question number 2, and really the main purpose of this article!  What is the deal with these yoga mats?

It might surprise you that commercial made yoga mats are not that old. Around the early 1990s mats for the sole purpose of practicing yoga started to be commercially manufactured. Though, the practice of having some form of material under your feet can be traced back to yoga’s ancient roots.

The biggest benefit of using a yoga mat?

Yoga mats are designed to prevent your hands and feet from slipping while forming your body into various yoga poses.

The most important aspect when evaluating yoga mats, or anything under your body when practicing yoga, is the surface should not be slippery at all. Nothing could be worst then doing your downward dog and falling flat on your face. That would definitely be the opposite of relaxing!

It’s important to note, smooth does not equal slippery.

Many non-slip yoga mats tend to use various texture patterns that create a slight rough feeling as a non-slip method. 

Though you might prefer a smooth feel underneath your feet and hands. And they do make smooth mats where the material still provides a grip.

Yoga Mat Materials:

Speaking of materials. Yoga mats are made out of a variety of materials. It really comes down to personal choice.

PVC mats were once a popularly used material but it is extremely hard to recycle. So not the best for the environment.

More common today is natural rubber. This yoga mat is more eco-friendly. Most first time yogis go this route because it is easy to find and clean. These Yoga Mats are also very easy to wipe down after each class. 

If you are into ultimate comfort, a padded yoga mat might be your choice. Numerous choices in this area, but at its root, padded yoga mats include some type of form inside the yoga mat. They can also be a little higher maintenance to take care of so that the yoga mat lasts you a long time. 

One last common material we will mention is a simple cotton yoga mat. You will not find a lot of padding to these yoga mats, but it is very much a natural material that can provide a decent grip. One big downside is a cotton yoga mat should be tossed in the washer after every yoga session. Cotton absorbs your sweat and it can not simply be wiped down after each class. 

Some final points the yoga beginner should know about yoga mats are size, thickness, and color.

Yoga Mat Size: 

It is standard for most yoga mats to be about 6 feet long and 2 feet wide. This size fits pretty much all yogis, and of course, if needed you can find different size yoga mats.

Yoga Mat Thickness:  

The yogi will see more range when it comes to thickness of yoga mats. Personal preference tends to dominate the decision here. As a guide, lightweight yoga mats will be about 1/16 inch. Middle range yoga mats will be around 1/8 inch. The high range yoga mat thickness tends to be considered around 1/4 inch. Thick yoga mats will give you a little bounce that some yogis find comfortable. 

Yoga Mat Colors:  

Yoga mat color is all about fun. This is where you can show off your great yogi personality! Today the yogi has more options around color and image of the yoga mat than at any other point in time!

So that is the deal about yoga mats. You now know the basics and it is time for you to get into a nearby yoga class! 

If you are in the Indianapolis area, we encourage you to visit Taylor Made Wellness downtown! Our address is 1000 E. Market St. We offer free instructor led yoga classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. 

If you are considering purchasing a yoga mat and other yoga products, be sure to explore Taylor Made Wellness’s dedicated yoga product partners page! 

The non-profit organization, Punch For Veterans in partnership with the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana will be using Taylor Made Wellness's fitness studio at 1000 E. Market St. to hold weekly boxing classes  for any service connected Veteran or person with a disability that would like to learn the basics of boxing.  Two live classes will be held on Saturday starting August 1 with the first session going from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm. The second session will follow from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm. Cost is FREE for Veterans with disabilities and $5 per class for civilians with disabilities.  Please note that people with balance issues may need to bring someone to assist with movements.  There will not be volunteers to help during instruction.  All participants must sign up for each class on Punch For Veterans Eventbrite page.    

Each class session will be instructed by Jeffrey Tabb, an honorable discharge United States Marine of 14 years in service, and founder of Punch For Veterans.  

Questions about the program and classes can be directed to the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana by contacting them at rhisports@rhin.com or 317-447-7803.    

RTV6 News in Indianapolis visited Taylor Made Wellness and it's fitness studio and 24/7 gym complex located on downtown Indianapolis's near east side (1000 E. Market St.) recently to produce a feature on Taylor Made Wellness's free community yoga classes. Evening anchor, Amanda Starrantino, orginally ran the feature during the 11 PM evening news on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. 

Taylor Made Wellness, is partnering to provide complementary memberships to members of the nationally recognized SilverSneakers^® program. Through this collaboration, Taylor Made Wellness’s downtown Indianapolis’s neighborhood fitness center will now offer older adults a way to increase their levels of physical activity while motivating them to remain active. SilverSneakers is the nation’s leading community fitness program designed exclusively for older adults.

SilverSneakers helps older adults take greater control of their health through a variety of fitness offerings that engages participants in more frequent strength training, aerobic, and flexibility exercise by providing access to a variety of venues and programming designed specifically for older adults. There are more than 14.5 million people eligible for the SilverSneakers benefit through the nation’s leading Medicare Advantage health plans, Medicare Supplement carriers and group retiree plans.  For those members, the benefit is offered at no additional cost.

Taylor Made Wellness is located at 1000 E. Market Street, Indianapolis, IN. To learn more about its SilverSneakers offerings, call 317-809-6628.

About SilverSneakers

SilverSneakers is the nation's leading community fitness program for older Americans. The program was founded in 1992 and is available to more than 15 million Medicare beneficiaries through many Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Supplement carriers, and group retiree plans. For more information, to check eligibility or enroll, go to SilverSneakers.com.

About Taylor Made Wellness

Established in 2018, Taylor Made Wellness brings a total wellness approach around mind, body, and community to empower people of all types, age, and fitness levels. Offerings at the locally owned downtown Indianapolis fitness center and studio include, 24-hour access, a variety of fitness classes such as Group Strength Training, Yoga, Cycling, Aerobics, Personal Training and Corporate Wellness programs. Taylor Made Wellness provides corporate, community, and personal wellness solutions tailored for maximum impact. 

For more information on Taylor Made Wellness offerings, visit www.TaylorMadeWellnessIndy.com. 

Monumental Yoga is an annual event that takes place on the summer solstice. It is the premier event at the heart of Indy Yoga Movement’s mission to promote health and wellness within our community. Traditionally the FREE public event takes place at Monument Circle but this year’s event will be livestreamed ONLINE with Taylor Made Wellness selected as a host site that can accommodate yogis in need of a space to flow for the Monumental Yoga Livestream. 

Taylor Made Wellness will be using our large parking lot at 1000 E. Market ST. to comfortably host 100 people 6 feet apart from one another. Each Yogi will be given their own parking spot to flow while the livestream event is projected to participants.  We ask that participants planning on attending Monumental Yoga at Taylor Made Wellness RSVP HERE. Select the FREE Monumental Yoga Class on Sunday, June 21^st, 4:00 -8:00 PM to RSVP your spot. 

Taylor Made Wellness is located at 1000 E. Market Street, Indianapolis Indiana. You can learn more about our locally owned gym and studio by visiting www.TaylorMadeWellnessIndy.com.

Monumental Yoga is an annual highlight for Yogi’s of all ages and skills in the Indianapolis community. To learn more about Indy Yoga Movement visit https://www.monumentalyoga.com/. Be sure to visit the Monumental Yoga Virtual Vendor Village HERE to view the outstanding vendors that work hard every day to elevate the health and well-being of the Indianapolis community.  

This year Taylor Made Wellness has partnered with Tivity Health to offer Prime^® Fitness. 

Prime Fitness is a commercial fitness program and is available to individuals which inspires participants to take charge of their own health and fitness, stay motivated and active. Prime Fitness is available to members of participating health plans and employer groups for ages 18+.  

Prime gives members unlimited access to thousands of fitness locations across the country, now including Taylor Made Wellness.  

“We are excited to offer the Prime Fitness to help improve the health and well-being of our community,” said Kelsey Taylor, President, Taylor Made Wellness.

Any increase in physical activity levels can improve overall health. According to federal physical activity guidelines, American adults should try to accumulate 2.5 hours per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 1.25 hours of vigorous activity. Physical activity can also mitigate health-related risks and improve the quality of life for those who already have chronic conditions.

Taylor Made Wellness is located at 1000 E. Market Street, Indianapolis, IN. To learn more about our Prime offerings, contact Kelsey Taylor at KelseyT@TaylorMadeWellnessIndy.com or visit http://www.tivityhealth.com/products/prime-fitness/.

About Prime Fitness

Prime Fitness creates a single, simple membership program with flexibility and features designed to overcome excuses. Prime^® provides reciprocal membership at more than 10,000 participating facilities nationwide, from gyms and sports facilities to specialty fitness studios and more, enabling members to enjoy standard membership benefits at any, and all, locations with no added fees.

For full program details and to check eligibility, visit our dedicated Prime Fitness website.

About Taylor Made Wellness

Established in 2018, Taylor Made Wellness brings a total wellness approach around mind, body, and community to empower people of all types, age, and fitness levels. Offerings at the locally owned downtown Indianapolis fitness center and studio include, 24-hour access, a variety of fitness classes such as Group Strength Training, Yoga, Cycling, Aerobics, Personal Training and Corporate Wellness programs. Taylor Made Wellness provides corporate, community, and personal wellness solutions tailored for maximum impact. 

For more information on Taylor Made Wellness offerings, visit www.TaylorMadeWellnessIndy.com. 

Business Contact:

Debbie Jacobson

Prime Fitness  

debbie.jacobson@tivityhealth.com  

Rob Dunning

Taylor Made Wellness 

RobD@TaylorMadeWellnessIndy.com

We certainly miss seeing our Taylor Made Wellness members at our downtown Indianapolis gym (1000 E. Marketplace). It truly means a lot to our small business seeing the outpouring of support from members and friends during this unprecedented time. We are eager to resume in-person operations in a safe way and under the guidance of our local government. Like other operations, we will continue to stay on top of and adjusts with the latest information we receive.  

These are some of the actions you can expect to see at Taylor Made Wellness...

Leveraging Our Outdoor Space:

Taylor Made Wellness has the advantage of being a downtown Indianapolis gym surrounded by ample outdoor space! We are located on downtown's 17.5-acre Elevator Hill campus (former Angie's List campus) and we intend to leverage this outdoor asset in unique ways to maximize physical distance for our gym members and class participants. 

In-Person Fitness Classes:

We will increase the number of outdoor fitness classes we offer to maximize physical distance between class participants. This includes our cycling classes because our stationary bikes can be easily moved to accommodate outdoor classes. We will continue to offer our live-stream virtual fitness classes. To learn more click HERE. 

Equipment & Workout Space:

· Our non-movable side by side equipment such as treadmills will have every other one operational to allow for appropriate social distancing.

· We will also have signs and markers throughout the gym to guide our members in practicing proper social distancing during workouts. 

· When feasible, and as often as possible, 4 of our 5 large garage doors attached to the gym will be open creating additional workout space.

· Members will be able to easily move select equipment (benches, dumbbells, ropes, bikes etc.) outside to perform open-air workouts. 

Increased Cleaning Approaches:

·  Deep Cleaning Procedures: Increased daily schedule & continuous time deep cleaning is preformed throughout the gym and high touch areas such as door handles, light switches, sinks and of course dumbbells, barbells, and cardio equipment.

·  Each of our private showers will have a self-use disinfectant kit in addition to our increased cleaning procedures.

·  We will increase the number of member use locations for disinfectant spray and hand sanitizing stations throughout the gym.

·  Masks, gloves and face shields will be made available for client/member use upon request. 

We appreciate your business and support during this time. Please don't hesitate reaching out to Kelsey Taylor, President of Taylor Made Wellness, with questions or suggestion. KelseyT@TaylorMadeWellnessIndy.com.

Taylor Made Wellness is excited to announce a partnership with Gaia Chef Audrey Barron and Ezra’s Enlighten Café that provides their Enlighten Your Plate Members a discount at Taylor Made Wellness.

Enlighten Your Plate is a membership program offered by Ezra’s Café that makes plant-based eating more convenient, and more affordable. At $9.99 per month Enlighten Your Plate members receive café discounts, access to their members-only grocery program, and now a $10 monthly discount on Taylor Made Wellness gym memberships! You read it right! While  an active member of Enlighten Your Plate, your Taylor Made Wellness 24/7 Gym Membership is only $25 per month!

You can sign up for an Enlighten Your Plate Membership HERE.

* Discount can't be combined with any other Taylor Made Wellness discounts. 

** Discount applies to Taylor Made Wellness Personal Gym Memberships only. 

*** Must be actively enrolled as a Enlighten Your Plate Membership to receive the Taylor Made Wellness Gym Discount.  

About Ezra’s Enlighten Café:

Ezra’s Enlightened Café creates and serves food that makes you feel good. We are a dairy-free, processed sugar-free, GMO-Free and gluten-free café. Our café is located at 6516 Ferguson Street, Indianapolis, IN. Call 317-255-3972 for more information.

About Taylor Made Wellness:

Taylor Made Wellness provides corporate, community, and personal wellness solutions tailored for maximum impact. We also operate a 24/7 membership base fitness center at 1000, E. Market Street, Indianapolis IN. Reach out to Kelsey Taylor at KelseyT@TaylorMadeWellnessindy.com to discuss a Taylor Made Wellness Gym Membership today!