It Came in the Mail

Yoga Paws

An occasional look at products the travel industry insists we need.

WHAT: Yoga Paws, hand mitts and foot pads with traction.

AIMED AT: Traveling yogis looking to leave their mats at home.

HOW MUCH: $29.95 to $34.95

BUT DO THEY WORK? Yoga can be practiced anywhere with minimal fuss and equipment, making it a great exercise for those on the road. But who wants to pack a mat in an already stuffed suitcase? These hand mitts and foot pads (which squish into a small mesh traveling case) offer the best of the mat -- its traction -- without bulk, weight or locker-room scent.

The fingerless mitts come with thumb holes and small straps to separate the index from the middle finger, so your hand doesn't just slip out of the glove on a particularly strenuous pose; likewise, the pads, which cover the top third of each foot, offer a strap to separate the big toe from the others.

We slipped on the mitts (think black weight-lifting gloves with springy blue-gray mat material on the palm side), did the same with the footwear and broke out the poses on a low carpet. The Paws kept us from slipping, even when our palms got sweaty. And when we don't want to do a sitting pose without something between us and a gross hotel carpet, we'll just arrange a towel between our hand and foot plants.

-- Anne McDonough

Yoga Paws are available through Spoon Sisters (212-695-8200, http://www.spoonsisters.com) and Yoga-Syz (866-964-2790, http://www.yogasyz.com).