If your hands slide in Surya Namaskar on a new cotton mat, the cause is almost always dry palms on a dry weave, often with a dusty floor underneath. Sweep the floor, dampen your palms before the first round, and let the mat warm up over a week of practice; by then your hands will carry a little moisture and the cotton will hold. Cotton grips the opposite way round from rubber: it gets better, not worse, as you begin to sweat.
Why a cotton mat slips in the first week
Surya Namaskar is "a flow sequence of some twelve linked asanas", moving from standing into Downward and Upward Dog and back to standing (Wikipedia). Most of the slipping happens where weight lands on the hands: stepping back to plank, lowering through Chaturanga, pressing into Upward Dog and settling into Downward Dog. Those are also the first minutes of practice, before you are warm.
Woven cotton holds hands through two things: the texture of the weave, and moisture in the fibre. On a brand-new mat, with cool dry hands, you have the first but not the second. A rubber mat is tacky from the start and loses grip as you sweat; cotton starts plainer and grips more as your palms dampen. Our cotton versus rubber comparison goes through this in detail.
There are two kinds of slip, and it helps to know which you have. If the whole mat creeps across the floor, that is the underside. Our cotton mats have a thin layer of natural tree latex brushed by hand onto the underside, which holds on tile, marble and wood, but it cannot hold on dust. If the mat stays put and your hands move, that is the surface, and the fixes below are for that. Our longer guide to how to stop a cotton yoga mat slipping covers both. If you are allergic to natural latex, choose with care and write to us first.
Five things to do before the first round
Sweep the floor
Indian floors are mostly tile, marble or stone, and they collect a fine dust between sweepings. Dust under the mat makes it skate; dust on the mat gets onto your palms. A quick sweep or a damp mop ten minutes before you practise makes more difference than anything else on this list.
Dampen your palms
Wet your hands at the tap and shake them off, or press them on a damp cloth. You want them barely damp, not wet. Then stand at the top of the mat and begin. By the third or fourth round your own warmth does the job.
Let the mat lie flat
Unroll the mat the night before, or at least a few minutes before, so it lies flat and the edges settle. A mat that has just come off the roll has a curve in it, and a curve under the heel of the hand is a wobble.
Spread the fingers and press the knuckles
This is the one your teacher will tell you anyway. Spread the fingers and press the base of the index finger and the knuckles down, rather than letting the weight sink into the wrist. On a ribbed weave like the Indico the fingers find the ridges and hold. Ask your teacher to look at your hands in Downward Dog if you are unsure.
Slow the first rounds
Take the first two or three rounds slowly, placing the hands rather than landing them. Speed can come once the hands have settled in.
What changes after a few sessions
Three things shift in the first week, and none of them needs anything from you.
The mat softens slightly. Handwoven cotton comes off the loom with a crisp hand, and the first few practices and the first wash relax the fibres so the surface takes the shape of the palm a little.
Your hands change. Palms that were dry and cool at the start of the first session will be warm and lightly damp by the end of every session after that, and cotton holds a damp palm better than a dry one.
You stop thinking about it. By the second week most people place their hands and move, which is the point of the sequence. If you sweat heavily, read our note on hot yoga with a cotton mat; a cotton mat is at its best in a warm room.
Which of our mats for Surya Namaskar
| Indico | Prana Shakti | |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre | GOTS-certified organic cotton | GOTS-certified organic cotton, six-ply |
| Thickness | 5 mm | 5 mm |
| Size | 183 × 68 cm | 188 × 69 cm |
| Weight | ≈1.4 kg | ≈1.5 kg |
| Surface | Ribbed weave, hand-knotted tassels | Dense six-ply, seven chakra colour bands |
| Price (at the time of writing) | ₹4,499 | ₹3,499 |
The Indico is the simpler mat: one colour from indigo, a ribbed weave that gives the fingers something to hold, and hand-knotted tassels. The Prana Shakti is a six-ply rug, a little longer at 188 cm, with a dense surface that lands softly when you step back to plank. Both have the natural latex grip layer underneath. Both are hand washed cold with a mild natural detergent, washed separately for the first few washes, and dried flat in shade; see the Mat care page.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my hands slip on a cotton mat during Surya Namaskar?
Usually because your palms and the mat are both dry, and often because there is dust on the floor or the mat. Cotton grips through texture and moisture, so a new mat under cool dry hands has only the texture to work with. Sweep the floor, dampen your palms lightly before the first round, and for most people the slip disappears within a week of practice.
Should I wet the whole mat?
No. A lightly damp palm is enough; a wet mat is heavier, dries slowly and does not grip better. Wet your hands at the tap, shake them off and begin. If you sweat during practice, the mat takes up the moisture on its own.
Does a cotton mat slide on tiles?
Our cotton mats have a thin layer of natural tree latex brushed onto the underside, which holds on tile, marble and wood as long as the floor is clean. On a dusty floor any mat slides, so sweep first. If you are allergic to natural latex, choose with care and write to us first.
How long does it take for a cotton mat to stop slipping?
For most people a week of regular practice, roughly five to seven sessions. The fibres relax a little, the mat lies flatter, and your hands learn to press through the knuckles. If it is still slipping after two weeks, write to us through the Contact page and we will help you work out why.
If you are starting a daily Surya Namaskar practice, the Indico is where we would begin; the whole cotton collection is here if you want more colour.
