When the temperature rises, your ordinarily temperate yoga studio can turn into a veritable sauna. And unless you are a fan of Bikram yoga (where the room is intentionally heated to 105 degrees and about 40% humidity), the extra sweat can really be a bit of a problem when it comes to keeping your hands and feet dry and not sliding all around your towel.
While a hand-towel to the side can be good for a wipe or two, I recently tested out a great alternative—yoga gear that's guaranteed to keep you from having to reach for a towel every two seconds or from losing your footing midway through a complicated asana. The Stick-e Yoga Socks (above; $20) and Stick-e Yoga Gloves ($18) are toeless and fingerless, respectively, and have a patch of non-slip coating strategically-placed on the sole/palm that helps you stay firm onto your mat—no matter how profusely you're sweating, or even how unsticky or old your mat has become! You simply slide a pair on your hands and/or feet before class and pose to your heart's content.
The company also makes a mat, a special sticky towel, a "wrist saver" and a few other items to enhance your yoga practice, but the socks and gloves, in my mind, are the best bets. They are so easy to toss into my yoga bag, and didn't make me feel like I was losing contact with the ground—after all, you do yoga barefoot so that you can really spread out the toes and feel the "four corners" of the foot connect with the floor.
And in the spirit of Mother's Day this weekend, I also shared the gear with my mom, so she, too, could give them a try in her daily yoga practice. (At 69, she's actually a more devoted yogi than I am! And since we're family, I didn't really mind sharing sweaty stuff! They are washable, too.) My mom's review is also quite positive, although she admitted that poking all ten of her toes through the little sock holes took her a few minutes!
All in all, if you're looking for a way to make your yoga practice "stick" a bit more and stay cool this summer, give these a whirl!
If you’d like to try any Stick-e products, use promo code: “RealSimple” for a 15% discount! Thanks for the review Liz!
I buy my Yoga Pants at WorkoutNY.com. They are Speed Dri(Y) wicking fabric so cool and keeps me dry!!