Yoga Mat Strap
A yoga mat strap is very convenient to have attached if you take yoga classes and transport your yoga mat from home to class and back. While it is convenient to just purchase a mat that comes with a strap or even to buy one after the fact, making your own can be fulfilling.
Anything you buy from the store that you can make yourself feels much for satisfying once you actually get to use what you have made. If you are a knitter, you know how rewarding it can be to labor over a single sweater for days at a time and then finally be able to wear it. Even if you don't like the sweater once it's finally done, you feel a sense of accomplishment from having made something with your own two hands.
Making your own yoga mat strap is very easy and does not take much time. You could sew or knit one fairly easy, making the real difficulty in choosing materials to make it from and what sort of designs or colors you are going to use. Naturally you want to have one that matches the yoga mat itself, but will you go with a contrasting color or a similar color? And if you make it out of fabric will you pick a design or a plain color? These may seem like small decisions, but it is a good idea to know before getting started.
If you do not want to have to make your yoga mat strap on your own there are some specialty retailers that sell them separately from yoga mats themselves, which is convenient if you did not purchase a mat with a strap already attached. It may be a good idea for you to try out different sizes of purse straps on your shoulder to find out what width strap will feel most comfortable, especially if your mat is particularly heavy. Usually these can be found at any fitness store, but also at yoga centers.
If you have not purchased a yoga mat yet, find one with a strap already attached so you do not need to purchase one later on. It can be much more expensive to buy the strap separately depending on the brand of the mat. Even if you do not feel it is important now you may feel differently after carrying your big mat to and from yoga class every other day. The mat itself is always paid the most attention to, most people don't realize how important purchasing one with a yoga mat strap already attached is. It may only be a small detail, but it is a matter of convenience versus inconvenience.