How To Choose A Yoga Mat
So many yoga mats to choose from! What material, thickness, texture, price range, and eco factors should you take into account? Read this yoga mat buying guide to find the best yoga mat for you.
Many many years ago, there was only one basic type of yoga mat, and all you had to do was choose between two colour options. Now, there’s a yoga mat to suit any or all of your preferences. While most yoga studios provide everything you need to practice, investing in your own personal mat can make your experience more comfortable and enjoyable, not to mention, more hygienic.
1. Yoga Mat Thickness and Weight
Yoga mats range from super thin and lightweight travel styles at 1 mm thick, to premium padded and hefty styles up to 5 mm thick. A standard mat is right in between at about 3 mm, so this would be a good option if you are unsure where to start.
Thinner mats offer more stability for your yoga poses, especially any poses where you are balancing on one foot. As there is less padding between your foot and the floor, you have a better connection to the ground. The downside of that is there is not much padding, so you might get sore knees in a lunge for example. These mats can be great for more dynamic and active yoga practices like Vinyasa and Ashtanga.
Thicker mats are fantastic if you mainly do gentler-type practices like Yin Yoga or Restorative Yoga. They provide plenty of cushioning for you to be comfortable in any pose for an extended period of time. You might also choose a thicker mat if you tend to get sore knees from kneeling poses. However, balancing in standing poses may be challenging.
Very thick exercise mats like the ones you find in gyms are not really recommended for doing yoga. They provide too much cushioning as your hands and feet sink into the mat without you being able to feel the floor. The result being that you may get frustrated at not being able to balance, or even cause yourself an injury by your body being out of alignment.
Travel yoga mats are probably too thin to use as your regular yoga mat. They basically don’t have any padding to them. If you use the mat on hard surfaces like wooden floors or concrete, your knees will probably get sore. However if you travel or move around a lot, they can be an excellent option as they are very light and fold up quite small. They work great on softer surfaces like thick carpet, grass, and sand.
2. Yoga Mat Material and Durability
PVC, TPE, polyurethane, natural rubber, microfibre, organic cotton, and cork are just some of the materials that you might find in a yoga mat. Whichever option you choose will affect the mat's price, grip, durability, and eco-friendliness. Generally, thicker mats last longer than thinner mats, but it all depends on the material as well.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is the most frequently used material for yoga mats. It is highly durable, lightweight, and offers great grip. However, they are non-absorbent, meaning if you sweat a lot or you practice mainly Hot Yoga, they can become slippery. One major thing to note is that these mats are the least eco-friendly type of yoga mats out there, and can actually be harmful to your own health (more on that further down).
TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) mats are a more sustainable alternative to PVC yoga mats. They are generally made from a blend of plastic and rubber polymers. Its attributes are very similar to PVC, though it is less durable.
Polyurethane (PU) mats are also another more sustainable alternative to PVC yoga mats. They have fantastic grip, a smooth texture, and provide good cushioning. However, they are heavier and more expensive.
Natural rubber mats are durable, grippy and eco-friendly. You may often find them covered with a layer of PU or microfibre material, which come in all sorts of beautiful designs. Just be aware that if you are allergic to latex, you could have a reaction to some natural rubber mats.
Yoga mats with a microfibre top layer are absorbent and quick-drying, so the more you sweat, the grippier the mat becomes. A bonus for these mats are that you can usually throw them into a washing machine to clean (though probably best to keep this to a minimum in order to maintain the grip and quality of the mat).
Organic cotton mats are soft, absorbent, and friendly for the planet. Before sticky mats were invented, many yogis were practising on cotton rugs. Nowadays, organic cotton mats usually have a rubber underside to stop the mat from slipping around as you practice. As cotton absorbs moisture, these mats can become slightly heavier after your practice.
Cork yoga mats are naturally anti-bacterial and odour-resistant. They are durable and long-lasting, though may require a period of breaking-in to improve their grip. They are also at the higher end of the price range and can be a bit cumbersome to carry around.
3. Yoga Mat Texture
Yoga mats can be smooth, rough, or patterned with raised bumps, which can all in turn affect the grippiness of your mat. The style of yoga you practice most frequently can guide you towards which texture is most suited to you.
Smooth and less grippy yoga mats are excellent for slower practices such as Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and any type of stretching. They allow you to slide smoothly into a stretch without your hands or feet getting stuck on the mat. Microfibre mats are the perfect example of this, though they can feel too slippery for some people in more active practices.
Yoga mats with a rough texture provide good grip and help to prevent slipping and sliding. However, the texture may not be for everyone. If you have sensitive skin, any contact with the mat, for example your forehead in Child’s Pose, could be uncomfortable.
Some yoga mats have patterned raised bumps, most often found in PVC yoga mats. The raised texture provides added grip which are great for dynamic yoga practices such as Vinyasa and Ashtanga. The texture on these mats are generally softer than those on rough yoga mats. One small thing to think about is if you spend a lot of time lying on the mat in poses such as Child’s Pose, you’re likely to get the pattern imprinted on your forehead for a short time afterwards.
4. Yoga Mat Eco-Friendliness
The practice of yoga is closely intertwined with a philosophic belief, of which one branch is Ahimsa, or non-violence. This is the belief that we should practice non-harm to ourselves, our relationships with others, and to the environment. And as such, sustainability often factors into the decision when buying a yoga mat.
The yoga mats most friendly for the planet are cork, natural rubber, and organic cotton. All these materials are natural, renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable. If sustainability is an important issue for you, then a mat made from one of these materials is the one to consider.
As mentioned earlier, PVC mats are the least eco-friendly. PVC is extremely damaging for the planet and contains many harmful chemicals such as lead and mercury. The production of PVC causes dioxins, which can in turn cause reproductive, developmental, and immune issues which interfere with hormones and cause cancer. If PVC mats end up in a landfill, they could take hundreds or even thousands of years to deteriorate, releasing these toxic chemicals back into the ground. And if burned, the situation is even worse, with these chemicals being released into the atmosphere. It is said these dioxins are some of the most toxic chemicals ever created by humans.
TPE and PU mats are a more sustainable alternative to PVC. Many vegan leathers are made from PU. The production does not require the same highly toxic chemicals as PVC, and they can degrade, however it takes many years. It is important to note that while these materials are better options environmentally-speaking, they are still not the best. The fact remains that they are still a type of plastic.
5. Yoga Mat Price Range
Typically, the most affordable yoga mats are the basic 3 mm, plain solid-colour PVC mats. From there, you may pay more for premium materials, designs, and brand. Eco-friendly yoga mats tend to be on the higher end of the price range.
The Best Yoga Mat For You
With so many options out there, and so many factors to take into consideration, choosing a yoga mat can be a difficult decision. Ultimately, to find your perfect yoga mat, consider your own personal needs and preferences, such as your preferred yoga style, what thickness and texture you like, if sustainability is important to you, whether you’ll be carrying it around often, and how much you are willing to invest.
If you still have questions about different yoga mat types, please feel free to comment below or reach out to me personally.