CORK YOGA MATS

Our cork yoga mats are made from cork leather and natural rubber. Using a high temperature machine, the rubber and the cork layers are adhered to each other without the use of glues or harsh chemicals which makes them non-toxic, PVC, latex and phthalate free.

Whilst we'd love to make our cork yoga mats in Australia, we have not yet found a manufacturer that can make our eco-friendly yoga mats to the same quality as what we've found offshore. Until that time, we will continue to use our lovely suppliers based in Guangzhou, China. They have advanced equipment, provide ethical working conditions for their employees and have many years of experience using sustainable cork as a material.

Our cork yoga mats are very easy to clean. We recommend using our essential oil sprays because they have fantastic anti-bacterial properties and will thoroughly clean your mat leaving it smelling amazingly fresh. To clean, just spray your mat and use a damp cloth to wipe down.

If you're after a deeper clean or if you have stains on your mat, you can fill a bowl with a mixture of water, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda and gentle scrub out the stain in a circular motion. You can then wipe it with a wet cloth and leave it to air dry over a chair or clothes horse.

Cork yoga mats have a beautiful natural feel with enough grip for your practice and enough smoothness to allow for poses like forward and side splits. Other than the fact that cork is a natural and highly sustainable material, it also contains suberin, a waxy, grippy substance that is released when wet which makes it a perfect material for yoga mats as your grip will increase as you sweat!

If you're in colder climates or have dry hands and feet, we recommend spritzing your yoga mat before practice with our essential oils sprays to activate the suberin in the cork.

The great thing about a cork yoga mat is that as you generate heat throughout your practice and your feet and hands start to perspire, your grip will enhance rather than slip. You can also use the rubber side of the mat for an ultra grippy option or in those cold winter months when you want to leave your socks on!

Our cork comes from Portugal - which is the worlds largest cork producer supplying 70% of the world’s cork products. Once the cork bark is removed from the tree, it is stacked to air and season. The planks are then boiled to soften and clean them and ready them for further processing.

From planks, the cork is then ground into granules to form cork agglomerate. These granules are mixed with a food-grade adhesive and then processed into cork leather or compressed cork products like our cork yoga blocks and cork massage balls.

If you're looking for an eco friendly yoga mat in Australia, you can't go past cork. Cork is a 100% renewable and recyclable material. No trees are ever cut down to harvest cork, making it one of the most environmentally friendly harvesting methods in the world. Cork is recyclable, reusable and bio-degradable making it a perfectly sustainable and environmentally friendly product to use for our ZONE yoga range. 

The cork tree or (Quercus suber) is the only type of tree that can have its bark removed without damaging the tree. Amazing!

The cork bark is harvested every 7 to 10 years and by harvesting the bark, it actually makes the cork grow back stronger and thicker so the tree is able to photosynthesise more carbon dioxide. Each year cork oak forests are estimated to retain around 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is a huge tick for the environment and is why cork is considered one of the most sustainable forestry production practices in the world. 

Cork trees can also store a large amount of water in their root systems, which helps keep them hardy and prevent soil erosion where they are planted. This storage of water also means that they can absorb nutrients from deep in the earth and sustain themselves without human interaction, even in dry climates. 

Our ZONE yoga mat is larger than your average yoga mat. It is 183cm x 68cm x 3.5mm thickness and weighs 3.0kg.

Cork by nature is antimicrobial and non-allergenic due to the fact that it contains compounds called phenolics which kill, repel and suppress the growth of bacteria and fungus. This keeps your mat clean and free from allergens and odours. Whilst synthetic yoga mats often absorb and retain bad smells – cork naturally repels odours and emits a very subtle woody fragrance.

This makes cork a great choice for hot yoga or for yoga studios looking to keep their shared equipment hygienic. Cork is also renewable and sustainable and a great choice for the environment. 

Yes, our cork yoga mat is dual sided. You can use the cork side for a smoother natural feel or the natural rubber side for an ultra grip.

The guide lines on our eco friendly yoga mats are there to keep your hands and feet aligned. Correct yoga technique involves precision and our guidelines are there to give you that precision in your practice. This is one of the reasons for why our mats are the best yoga mats in Australia.

Yoga blocks are an essential prop for yogis at all levels. We recommend you having two yoga blocks to give you the support you need throughout your practice and allow you to perform a wider range of poses to better your flexibility as well as assist with jump throughs and inversions. You can purchase the yoga block duo and save!

Massage balls are a very handy tool to have in your recovery bag. They give you the ability to self massage and release areas of tension in muscle and fascia. Our cork massage balls come in two sizes which are both included in your set. There is a 6cm massage ball to target areas like hip flexor muscles, glutes, neck, and plantar fascia (the base of your foot). We also have an 8cm massage ball to target larger muscle groups and areas like quads, IT band, hamstrings, calves, shoulder blades and back muscles.