Begone, Bulky Mat: Yoga Socks Are The New Must-Have Accessory

By Kelly Turner on December 31st, 2009

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Love your yoga, but hate lugging around your pesky mat while travelling? Love to do yoga at the gym, but are more than a little scared of what crawling around on the provided mats (or just being barefoot in the gym in general?) Do you find yourself needed to bust a calming pose at the grocery store before you bust the slow checker in the face?

Now, all you have to do is take off your shoes.

There is a new trend sweeping the yoga world- Yoga Socks. Comfy, cushy socks with grip on the bottom replace your bulky yoga mat and make yoga a truly anywhere workout.  They can also be used for Pilate’s, stretching, or any other physical activity you do barefoot (yes, dirty bird, I suppose for that, too.) 

Why hasn’t anyone thought of these before? They have. I owned a pair of slipper socks with treads in the shape of teddy bears on the bottom when I was kid, but yoga socks offer a few varieties to choose from. You can get everyday socks with treads added for a non slip stance, just like yoga mats provide. Or, if you prefer a more bare foot and fancy feet feel, you can get the toeless tread socks, or the complete opposite, with tread toe socks, that allow each little piggie to have their very own home.

The socks are pretty cheap, definetly more cost friendly than a decent yoga mat.  Cresentmoonyoga.com offer 3 pairs of their exersocks for $24.99 and Gaiam.com offers their version at the very reasonable price of $19.98 for 2 pairs.

I picked up a pair at a specialty store in my neighborhood for myself after hearing a lot about them, and have to say I’m hooked.  I got the regualr tsocks with tread, which can go unnoticed inside your shoe for everyday wear.  My entire house is hard woods, and with a downstairs roommate who doesn’t appreciate me stomping around in my sneaks above her head when I’m trying to do lunges, they are the perfect compromise: I don’t slip into the splits while trying to workout barefoot, and she doesn’t crack the ceiling banging on it with a broom.

The only downside?  They only work on your feet.  If you need cushion for your back or butt in certain poses, you may want to keep a mat handy for such situations.

These make the perfect gift for the yogi equipment fiend, the fitness minded traveller or as a nice little treat for yourself or your tootsies.