The use of yoga face masks is often recommended when working out or practicing yoga. While certain cities are downgrading to a lenient lockout limit, adding a yoga face mask to your fitness closet is something you might want to do.
The year 2020 has arrived relatively uncommon because it has given us a virus outbreak, an enormous hurdle. This pandemic took a lot in the economy; it claimed hundreds of thousands of lives from all parts of the globe. That said, experts have one specific advice to minimize the risk of infection with the COVID-19 virus – that people must wear face masks at all times, particularly while in public areas, and accept it as an integral part of the new standard.
Most health officials have also confirmed that the use of a non-surgical face mask is still okay against the virus and fix the demand-and-supply issue for surgical and medical face masks that medical front-liners require the most. This has been compounded in various nations, where people are required to wear fabric masks or face covers in public settings.
One should avoid going to social gatherings or fitness classes for the time being and seek to keep a physical distance. So bear in mind, even though you are relaxed in the gym, having a lot of people inside, and a lot of intense (unmasked) breathing produces an atmosphere where the virus could spread more quickly.
You are not allowed to work out indoors without a mask with other people you do not meet for your health and others’ protection. When you cannot bear wearing a mask, take the workout outdoors.
Yoga Face Masks: FAQs
- How often should I change or how many masks should I have?
While it is okay to have seven yoga face masks during the week, but it is recommended that you should have one face mask every class day. If you have yoga classes five days a week, you will have to have at least five yoga face masks in your bag.
Never compromise for having just a single yoga face mask; not only is this unsanitary, but it can also easily be prone to your mask’s wear and tear, compromising your defense against the virus.
- What is the best fabric to use?
According to the experts, the perfect yoga face mask will be made out of cotton with a thread count of at least 80%. It helps boost the mask’s ability to remove microorganisms relative to cotton materials with low thread counts. In other words, the higher the thread count in the cotton cloth, the smaller the pore size, the better the particle filtration.
Furthermore, when it comes to using a multi-layer face mask in yoga, recent data has discovered, that suggests that it is very useful in stopping COVID-19 virus transmission. Research has also shown that cotton-made facial yoga masks are inexpensive but much expensive, though, compared to chiffon and natural silk.
As suggested by health authorities, non-surgical face masks such as a cotton yoga face mask should consist of at least two tightly-woven cloth layers. If it is just a single-layer, there will not be any defense against the virus. If it is two-layer, there would be a significant gap, stopping any virus particles from going through. Safety advocates have stressed using plastic coffee filters or paper towel sheets as attachments in yoga face masks to improve security. The use of other filters, such as vacuum and hydraulic air filters, is strongly discouraged due to their chemical content, which can be harmful to inhalation.
- Yoga Face Masks: Should it be loose or snuggly fitted on the face?
As per health experts, non-surgical yoga face masks can be less breathable, but they can make it easier for wearers to breathe if they are comfortable and have safe ear loops or attachments. Such masks will protect not just the ears, but also the nose, without being too close. A comfortably fit yoga face mask plays a critical role in minimizing the transmission of bacterial respiratory droplets. Wearers no longer have to change and move their face masks from time to time.
If the right fabric is used for the yoga face mask, it will not end up harming the vision or causing slight eye discomfort, particularly in the middle of a yoga class. But aside from this, health experts agree that the yoga face mask should have an elastic metal strip around the nose to provide a firm grip and avoid repeated slipping during a yoga workout. The loops must always be of an acceptable dimension.
For a yoga practitioner, you should make sure that your yoga face mask has a snug fit on your face. See to it that the face mask will stay as is.
- How to properly remove a Yoga face masks?
Many people have been taking off their face masks the wrong way – it is most likely that you are doing it the wrong way. As per the experts, here is how you can strip the face mask of your yoga:
- If your face mask has a cord, untie it from the back of your ear. If it has ear loops, remove one loop at a time.
- Refrain, or as much as possible, do not touch the front of the mask. Put it in mind that the front of the mask is already contaminated.
- Another fundamental law is that you should never touch your face when you are doing the above steps. Make sure that the outer layer of the mask is not going to touch your skin.
- Before and after removing the face mask, make it a habit to wash the hands with soap and water. After that, you should take a shower or a bath. Never touch something or someone in your house if you have not taken a bath yet.
Doing yoga while doing preventive measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 does not need much extra effort. All that is required is the continuity in keeping with the “new normal” and making such prevention steps a routine. It may feel painful and suffocating at some point, but any obedience and good deed will save you and the people around you from getting this deadly virus.
