Mexican Yoga Blankets

Mexican blankets are great to use for yoga due to their dense weave. When you fold them into the shape you need, what you see is what you get.

They’re well behaved blankets who mind their Ps and Qs. They don’t squish, loosen, slip or unfold themselves, which makes them ideal props for shoulder stand, seated poses, restorative poses or whatever other poses you may need them for.

Yoga blankets are also excellent for building yoga caves. To achieve the ambience of a Himalayan meditation cave in the comfort of your own home, simply drape some blankets over your dining table, crawl inside, and secure the door opening with clothes pegs. Then ignore all calls to reemerge until you’re good and ready.

Below are some tips for blanket folding and care.

How to fold Mexican blankets for yoga

Blanket folding is a serious business in yoga. A carefully folded blanket is a must for many yoga pose set-ups. Most especially for Sarvangasana (shoulderstand), so you have a firm, even base to support your neck and keep it safe. (Check out this article at YogaJournal.com for more on using blankets for shoulderstand). Folding the blankets properly also helps them maintain their shape and extend their lifetime.

Follow these four steps for a perfectly folded yoga blanket:

1. Begin with a fully open blanket.
2. Fold it in half the long way. There is usually a preexisting fold line down the center that you can use. Join corner to corner for a neat fold. The blanket should now be about the size and shape of a yoga sticky mat.
3. Fold in half once more, this time from top to bottom, joining the tassels. Now it’s about half the size of a sticky mat.
4. Repeat again, folding  the blanket from top to bottom. Now it’s a quarter of the size of a sticky mat.
5. You should now have a crisply folded blanket, perfect for your yoga asana practice!

How to wash Mexican yoga blankets

If you wash your blankets correctly they will maintain their condition perfectly well for decades. All they need is a little TLC and they will love you back for a lifetime.

Keep the fold line

1. To help the blankets maintain their shape, it’s important to keep the long center fold line as intact as possible throughout the washing process.
2. Fold the blanket in half so it’s about the size and shape of a yoga sticky mat. Most of the blankets already have a preexisting fold line you can follow.

Washing

1. Fold the blankets in half along the long center fold line (see above) before putting in the washing machine.
2. Depending on machine size, 3 or 4 blankets will usually fit per load.
3. Use a lightly scented detergent. Some scent is good to freshen up the blankets, but too much can irritate people with allergies, which you need to be mindful of if you’re washing blankets for use in a group class.
4. Wash on a cold, delicate cycle.
5. Do not use fabric softener.

Drying

1. If the blankets unfold during washing, refold them in half again before placing them in the dryer.
2. Depending on your dryer, dry on medium heat for about 15 minutes. They should still be slightly damp when you pull them out of the dryer. Do not over dry! Depending on the yarn blend, if they over dry they will probably shrink or loose their shape.
3. Refold along the long center fold line once more and hang them out to air dry.
4. To prevent mold or mustiness, make sure they are completely dry before you remove them from the line and fold them for storing.

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