’Tis the season for scary stories and trick-or-treat! My mom calls me with scary stories all the time, mostly from all the stuff she hears on those lovely daytime talk shows. Yesterday she couldn’t wait to call to tell me that I was going to get a horrible skin infection if I didn’t keep my yoga mat clean.

I hate to admit it, but my Mother is right: Yoga mats are potential breeding grounds for some nasty bacteria, and if you don’t keep your mat clean, it can get smelly and worn out a lot faster than you would like.

I was able to reassure my mother that I would not succumb to some horrible disease at the hand of yoga, because my yoga mats are sparkling clean due in large part to the NamaSTAY Yoga Towels I use to cover and protect my yoga mats. The towel absorbs my sweat and any dirt or germs on my hands and feet, and then after each practice, I just throw the towel in the wash.

NamaSTAY Yoga Towels are genius in that they are the only ones on the market with sleeves that securely wrap around both ends of the mat – so you don’t have to worry about the towel slipping off during your downward dogs. If you do hot yoga or Bikram yoga, you owe it to yourself to use a yoga mat towel to keep sweat and bacteria off your yoga mat.

The microfiber material used in NamaSTAY towels act as a protective barrier between you and your yoga mat, trapping 98%-99% of all dirt, dust, bacteria, and germs and 96% of all viruses.

Now, here’s another yoga mat horror story….check out this miserable specimen.

Obviously this yoga mat has seen better days. Just think: How much longer could this yoga mat have lived if it was protected with a NamaSTAY Yoga Towel?

Is your yoga mat looking scary? Do you want to stay away from the bacteria and germs that are hanging out on your yoga mat? Would you like to win a brand spanking new yoga mat and NamaSTAY Yoga Towel?

Enter the Scary Yoga Mat Picture Contest!

Go to the NamaSTAY Towel Facebook page, click on the “Like” button, and upload a picture of your worn out, tattered, torn-up, dirty, scary, you-name-it yoga mat. A panel of distinguished judges will select which yoga mat is scariest, and the owner of the mat will win an incredible prize package:

1 Manduka® Black Mat ProYoga Mat

1 NamaSTAY®Yoga Towel

Deadline to enter is October 30 at midnight PST (which is technically Halloween), and the winner will be announced on October 31. No matter where you live, you are welcome to enter.

Special Offers for Daily Downward Dog Fans

Save 20% on NamaSTAY yoga towels with offer code

DOWNWARDDOG

at check-out or order direct from the Daily Downward Dog to get the savings.

Save 10% on any purchase from Manduka with offer code MARIAMEDIA10

 And the winner is….Stephie Mark! Check out her super scary yoga mat. Thanks to everyone who entered over on the NamaSTAY Towel Facebook page.