How to Practice Eco-Conscious Yoga, From Recycled Leggings to Sustainable Mats

Published April 30, 2025 01:05PM

Although the emphasis on Earth Day, Earth Week, and Earth Month is quite lovely, the reality is each day, week, and month essentially have that designation. And you probably already support sustainable practices throughout your life, in ways that are nuanced as well as epic. Although one realm that’s easy to overlook is whether you have a sustainable yoga practice.

The mats we practice on and the leggings we rely on are often made from materials that can take decades, if not centuries, to decompose. Nylon yoga pants take about 40 years to decompose and tend to shed microplastics into the environment that will last far longer. PVC, a common material used to make nonslip yoga mats, takes approximately 450 years to decompose and the chemicals it contains can leach into the ground, water, and air. And according to the EPA, about 146.1 million tons of municipal solid waste were landfilled in 2018, with plastics and textiles making up more than 25 percent of that. That includes yoga mats and attire.

Even materials made from recycled plastics only delay the inevitable. So as you raise your awareness of self through yoga, you can also raise your consciousness around how you practice yoga.

How to Practice Eco-Conscious Yoga

This doesn’t mean you need to rush out and purchase everything new. If you already own items that aren’t sustainably made, the most responsible thing you can do is take proper care of them so they last longer. And, when the time comes, reuse, recycle, or otherwise dispose of them consciously. You’ll find ample ideas on how to do that—and in ways both functional and flamboyant—in the articles below.

How you show up to being eco-conscious doesn’t have to be perfect. But it can be intentional. It all makes a difference.

What to Do With Your Old Yoga Mat

Your yoga mat has seen you through sweaty vinyasa flows, grounding meditations, maybe even a few cathartic Savasana cries. When it’s time to retire it from your everyday practice, consider recycling or repurposing it. When you replace it, do so with a sustainable yoga mat—they’re actually quite common and require you to sacrifice nothing in terms of grip, sturdiness, and aesthetics.

How to Shop for + Repurpose Yoga Leggings

Why not lend your yoga attire a second life? Whether you resell, donate, or repurpose your preloved fabrics, they can sustain more uses than originally intended.

How to Make Yoga More Sustainable, from Recycled Leggings to Eco Mats