I have so many students who always ask me about yoga mats and with such a large number to choose from, I am not surprised! So to help you guys out, I have decided to publish a post just about some of the different yoga mats that I use, so you can get a better idea about what’s out there!
Here are 8 different mats for you to look through and for each I will discuss the following attributes which I find most important in choosing a mat:
1. Grip
2. Weight
3. Design
4. Washable / not washable
5. Price
Lotuscrafts – Yoga mat OEKO Travel
This yoga mat is excellent for someone like me traveling a lot as it is foldable and very light (1.1kg!). It is the perfect mat for your holidays! It fits well in a rucksack with its 1.5mm thickness.
It is made of natural rubber, is 100% organic and very slip resistant. Perfect for challenging transitions in your yoga practice.
If however you still prefer to have more cushioning, you could also put this thin mat on top of a studio mat, for example.
I prefer to do this anyway, as most studio mats do smell… you know what I am talking about!
The mat is not washable, wiping the surface with a wet towel is recommended. It has a fairly simple design and the price (39,95 € / £35.25) is one of the lower priced mats, and definitely great value for what you get.
The mat on the picture has the colour: Cornflower
Link to website: www.lotuscrafts.eu
Yatay Cork Yoga mat
This yoga mat has a totally different feel to most as the top layer of the mat is made of 100% organic, natural cork and the bottom layer of recycled rubber. Perfect for those who are concerned about the environmental impact of what they are buying.
The mat is surprisingly light (900g!), so good for traveling although it takes a bit more space with its 6mm thickness. You probably need an extra yoga bag for this mat.
The design is beautiful, especially the logo with the palm tree.
The grip is very good. This mat is on offer at the moment at £59.99, but with a standard price of 96,31€ / £84.99 is one of the higher priced mats.
Colour: Dark matter
Link to website: www.yatayyoga.com
Vioyoga – Yoga mat OEKO-TEX
This yoga mat has a simple design, but has fantastic grip. My hands feel like they are glued to the mat, which is perfect for a powerful yoga practice session with a lot of jumping back and fourth.
The mat is quite wide compared to the other mats, but still light at only 1.55 kg. It has nice cushioning with a thickness of 4.5 mm, so the knees are comfortable for poses like low lunge.
The mat is made of PVC vinyl foam and tested for harmful substances according to strict German Oeko-Tex standards. The mat is also machine washable at 40 degrees.
The price (49,95 € / £44.08) is good value for the quality of mat you get.
If you want to get your first VIOYOGA mat, you can get a 10% discount using the following code: Q8ZFHX8.
Check out their website and their yoga bags; they have some incredible designs.
Link to website: www.vioyoga.com
Manduka PROlite Yoga mat
This is one of my oldest mats and is one of my most durable (e.g. some mats I have owned only last a few months and lose the grip after only a short time). If anything the surface texture of this mat has improved with use.
However, this mat is quite heavy at 2.3 kg, so I use this mat for home use so I do not have to carry it around the city, and it has amazing cushioning, with a 5mm thickness.
The dot pattern of the surface makes the mat non-slippery, but once you start sweating I find it loses its grip.
The design is simple and it comes in different colours. It is not machine washable, but if you want to clean the mat, you can wipe it clean with a damp cloth.
At a price of 65,52 € / £57.82 it is one of the higher priced mats, but is one of my longer lasting mats.
Colour: Thunder (grey)
Link to website: www.manduka.com
If you want to get the mat on Amazon, please use this link.
Vioyoga – Yoga mat Velvet Rug
This yoga mat is definitely an eye-catcher with its beautiful Zebra design, but the second thing you notice is the feel of the mat, as it is very different to most. Why? Well, this is actually one of my combo mats, a 2-in-1 yoga mat and towel (a yoga towel, not one for the shower! Haha). The bottom layer is made of natural rubber and the top of super soft microfiber. You will definitely enjoy the Savasana on this super soft mat.
Combo mats actually get more grippy the more you sweat, as it absorbs moisture. So sweating is allowed!
Compared with the standard PVC mats, which you may be more used to, it will probably take a bit of time to get to grips with the slippery feeling microfiber surface. However, if you are sliding too much try spraying water on the mat to improve the grip.
For someone traveling a lot, the mat is probably a little too heavy at 2.5 kg. If you want to give the mat a clean, it is cold machine washable. It is a little pricey (79,95 € / £70.55), but considering you have a yoga mat and a towel in one, you get a bit more for your money.
If you want to get your first VIOYOGA mat, you can get a 10% discount using following code: Q8ZFHX8.
Colour: Stripes – Black / White
Link to website: www.vioyoga.com
Yoga Design Lab – Combo mat – Serenity
This yoga mat is my other 2-in-1, combining yoga mat and towel. This mat is available in really cool designs; this one is called Serenity, and has such beautiful colours.
As discussed with my other combo mat, if you have never practiced on a combo mat your hands may slide around, so you may want to get a sweat on first or just spray a little water on the mat to make it more grippy.
The top microfiber layer is made of recycled plastic bottles and the bottom layer has a natural tree rubber base.
This combo mat is surprisingly light at 1.8kg.
The mat is machine washable (cold water) and comes with a black carrying strap. Like my other combo mat, the price (74,00€ / £64.00) is a little high, but we are talking about 2-in-1, right?
Link to website: www.yogadesignlab.com
If you want to get the mat on Amazon please use this link.
Pranamat ECO
Pranamat is a different kind of mat with its lotus flower shaped massage points, and is a specialist mat for minor pain relief, so wouldn’t be something you would use for your regular practices. However, it is a mat that is great to have as part of your collection.
It took me a little bit of courage to lie with bare skin on the mat, as the massage points are pretty sharp. I would recommend to start by wearing a jumper first, downgrading to T-shirt and then trying it on your bare back. It is recommended to stay on the mat for 15 to 30 minutes to feel the full effect and position the mat to where you feel the pain. That’s when the massage points start to actually stimulate the blood flow, which oxygenates and invigorates the muscles. It is recommended to repeat this five to ten times to reduce any pai
n.
You can target the back, shoulders, neck, waist, hips, feet and hands.
I personally prefer to stand with my feet on the Pranamat, especially after a long day walking around. Once you step away from the mat you feel this lovely sensation on your feet and feel much more grounded and connected to the floor.
The mat is light, I love the design, but it is a little bit pricey (113,32€/ £100). The great thing about Pranamat is that you have a 30-day money-back guarantee. So if the mat does not work out for you, you can return the mat!
If you consider getting your first therapeutic massage mat, you can save 10 % using the following code: ZEYNEP10.
Link to website: www.pranamat.com
Yogamatters Sticky Yoga mat
This yoga mat is perfect for beginners. It is a very simple mat, coming in different colours, with a plain design.
It is light at 1.2kg and the thickness of 4.5mm gives a nice cushioning for the knees for poses like low lunge.
Once you start to get a bit more experienced, I would recommend getting a different mat, as the grip is not the best.
The good thing about this mat is that it is machine washable.
The mat is made of high grade PVC (AZO, DOP, phthalate and latex free).
At a price of 19,26€ / £17.00 it is very good value, and therefore ideal for beginners or as an everyday mat that you don’t mind throwing around when you are rushing to your next class!
Link to website: www.yogamatters.com
Summary
As you can see there are lots of things to think about when buying a mat and everyone has different preferences, but I hope I have highlighted the different options that are out there for you.
For me, the grip, weight and sustainability (environmentally friendly) are the most important factors to help with the more advanced yoga poses and as I need to carry my mats around with me a lot of the time. Once these three factors are ticked, I am super happy. However, like me, it can be a good idea to have two or more mats with different qualities for home and for when you are out and about.
If you do decide to practice yoga regularly it is worth investing in a more expensive, higher quality mat.
Let me know what you think. What is important to you and which yoga mat do you use for your yoga practice?
I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Zeynep.Yoga 