Oncourt Offcourt Foldable Yoga Mat $6895
This eco-friendly yoga mat is a yogis dream. Its multi-use and can be used as a mat, cushion or bolster and its lightweight so you can take it wherever you go.
The foldable yoga mat from OnCourt Off Court is brilliant for supporting my knees, pelvis, even works to prop me up into a shoulder stand, yoga expert Elena Brower told The Post. I use mine all the time, also for cross-training.
Where To Buy Yoga Mats
As yoga becomes more popular an increasing number of retailers are selling mats, including both generalists and dedicated yoga shops. Popular shops that sell yoga equipment include:
Find out how popular retailers, including Amazon, John Lewis and Sports Direct, performed in our survey of the best and worst shops.
How Much Should You Expect To Pay For A Yoga Mat
Yoga mats can really vary in price, with some costing as little as £10 and others selling for more than £100. It really depends on the style and features you want.
You should be able to get a decent yoga mat for around £40-£60.
Thicker, more durable mats will cost more, as will more environmentally friendly options such as natural rubber.
Colourful and intricate designs are typically more expensive compared with solid-colour mats, as are mats that have grid lines.
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Who Needs A Yoga Mat Anyway
Lets be real here. A yoga mat is definitely not a necessity for a fulfilling practice. You may as well practice on a bare floor, carpet, rug, or if you wish so.
Plus, if your hippie grandparents happened to do yoga in their younger days, theyll even tell you that these modern sticky yoga mats are no good because nothing is better than practicing barefoot on the green grass in the woods. .
It sure sounds great. But I grew up in a big city in Europe where the grass gets green about 2-3 months a year, and it takes me at least an hour to get to the woods.
So I myself chose to buy a yoga mat for a few reasons, both practical and not so much.
First of all, hygiene. This is a huge factor if you attend group classes in a studio. Before COVID-19, I dont believe free studio mats were cleaned very often, and it wasnt uncommon to get a yoga mat that smelt like someones feet. Skipping the yoga mat altogether is also not an option because as clean as your yoga floor studio is, theres always a risk of foot diseases.
Second, safety. Unless youre going for a restorative or Yin class, youll sweat at least a tiny bit at some point . A good yoga mat is your number one friend that will save you from slipping and falling flat on your face.
Third, comfort. Your sensitive knee joints and protruding bones will undoubtedly feel much better with a cushion of a yoga mat. Plus, an extra layer is also great for insulating your body against a cold or hot surface.
Get the freebies!
Extra Thick Mats 10 To 13mm
These mats are the thickest mat available in the market, and they have very specific purposes. Using them makes no sense if you are not in real need of them.
The cushioning of these mats is often too much for comfort. Ultra-thick mats are most certainly of synthetic materials. At this thickness, the mats have a huge absorption capacity. The grip and balance however will be a major issue. Half the time of your session you will be struggling to find the right balance. If you practice a lot of standing balances like the vrikshasana and warrior pose, do not even think of the mats at this thickness range. But once again, there will be certain specific conditions when these ultra-thick mats will be needed.
Who needs extra thick mats?
- Anyone with chronic conditions of piles, arthritis, and orthopedic disorders.
- People recovering from different surgeries and injuries.
- People who simply practice sitting meditation and lying restorative poses although it will still be an extravagant expense.
- People with neurological disorders or other conditions have a risk of falling.
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Manduka Prolite Yoga Mat $95
This mat is recommended by teachers around the world, and with such great specs, its easy to see why. Its cushioning and top-tier support make it truly one of a kind.
My favorite mat hands down is the Manduka Pro Lite provided I dont lose it, it will last me a lifetime! Plus perfect cushion under my knees, world-renowned yoga teacher Kia Miller told The Post.
Birds Cork Lightweight Yoga Mat $68
It easy to see why this mat is the brands most popular item. Its lightweight build makes it easy to transport and its nature-friendly texture even makes it resistant to mold and bad smells.
42 Birds makes a terrific product, Brower said. Their mats are eco-friendly sourcing and have no rubber scent! I love their cork mat for my home practice.
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The Comprehensive Yoga Mat Guide
No matter where you are in your yogic journey, a great matcan help ease the way. We’ve identified the top characteristics every yogineeds to consider before making the all important purchase.
Before we dive deep, a word of caution. We have foundthroughout years of our own practice, that the most important thing to listen towhen purchasing a yoga mat is your own body. It will be the first to tell youwhat it needs to succeed, whether it be more cushion for achy knees or evenless if you can’t retain balance during specific asanas.
The 11 Best Yoga Mats
Best for: all-around practice indoors and outdoors eco-conscious and green yogis
Key Features
- made of recycled tree rubber
- 72 long x 24
Keep In Mind
- faint rubber smell
Many brands use natural rubber as an eco-friendly alternative to PVC and other synthetic materials. But Kiss The Sky went a step further. Rather than taking new resources from nature, they are using the waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
The company makes their yoga mats from 100% recycled manufacture scraps to bring you a brand new product thats easy on the environment and gentle on your joints. With almost 5mm of cushion and a grippy surface, this yoga mat performs well indoors or outdoors, and weights just the right amount for easy transport.
Best for: all-around yoga practice eco-conscious yogis based in Europe
- sunlight sensitive
- complement with a yoga towel for sweaty practice
Say goodbye to stinky plastic mats that trash the Planet and say hej-hej to the first closed-loop yoga mat.
HejHej is a small German-based yoga brand thats on a mission to reduce plastic waste and promote eco-conscious consumption. Each yoga mat from Hej Hej is made locally from 100% pre-consumer foam scraps and delivered to your door with climate-neutral shipping.
But the brands sustainability efforts dont end there.
- bad smell out of the package
- heavy
- loses grip when wet
Best for: all-around yoga practice for beginners and veterans alike
- light colors show sweat marks
- harder to clean
Key Features
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How To Choose A Yoga Mat
Long hailed for its positive effects on the mind and body, yoga helps build strength and flexibility, can help relieve stress and can improve overall mental and physical wellness.
Compared to other fitness activities, yoga requires minimal gear to get started. While most studios provide everything a beginner needs, investing in your own personal mat, yoga-specific clothes and a few other items can make your experience with yoga even more enjoyable.
Video: How to Choose Yoga Gear
Where Will You Practice
The place where youre doing yoga matters. If you practice at home, you dont need worry about transporting a heavier mat. If youre a beginner and practice Hatha or Yin yoga, in particular, you should definitely go for a thicker, bulkier mat because it will be more comfortable for you. If you practice at a studio, however, youll definitely need a more lightweight mat. It should be light enough for you to carry around, and it should be long enough for your body in Savasana. Speaking of which . . .
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Why Trust Verywell Fit
Ashleigh Morley is the editorial director of commerce for Verywell Fit and a certified barre instructor who uses yoga mats several times a week. While testing yoga mats in The Lab, she paid special attention to the versatility of each mat for different kinds of workouts . Ashleigh conducted side-by-side comparisons of each mat and gathered first-hand data and insights.
Additional reporting by Emily Stone.
Emily Stone is a Chicago-based journalist specializing in fitness and lifestyle content. Emily uses different mats for different workouts. For yoga and pilates, shes a fan of Alos Yoga Warrior Mat , as it provides excellent traction and stability. Meanwhile, she uses the BalanceFrom GoYoga All-Purpose Yoga Mat for non-yoga workouts because it features extra cushioning for the joints.
Medium Thick Yoga Mats 4 To 5mm
Most Yogis find the mats with the thickness of 4 to 5mm to be the most diverse ones. They are generally lightweight and flexible, but only when made of synthetic materials. If you have a 5 mm yoga mat of materials like natural rubber, jute, and cork, flexibility and weight will take a hit. However, that is the only point that you could consider as a downside.
The mats in this thickness range will have the perfect cushioning for regular yoga poses, and will support a variety of yoga styles as well. The medium thick mats can sufficiently absorb moisture and fluid. And finally in this range of thickness you will probably find a greater variety of material options.
Who needs medium thick mats?
- Someone looking for a versatile mat.
- Someone looking for the best quality natural rubber, cotton, cork, or hemp mat.
- An intermediate practitioner who is planning to upgrade difficulty level.
- A practitioner who needs a lot of cushions, yet not completely cut from the feel of the ground.
- Someone who has a lot of advanced level yoga poses in routine like, handstand, peacock pose, and crow pose.
- Someone who is looking for a long-term investment in a yoga mat.
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Whats The Best Yoga Mat To Buy In 2022
All hail – or sun salute if you will – to the Manduka PROlite Yoga Mat , whose supportive surface is designed to improve your stability and grip. Sub-£100 and made from sustainable and durable material, we think its great value for money.
WIRED Recommends is your definitive guide to the best technology. Every product featured has been properly tested by WIRED reviewers. Read our list of the best gadgets for our favourite picks in every category.
WIRED Recommends: The Manduka PROlite Yoga Mat offers excellent stability and cushioning
Weight: 1.8kg | Size: L180 x W61cm | Thickness: 4.7 mm
At 1.8kg the latex-free Manduka PROlite Yoga Mat is one of the lightest in our roundup and has a fabric-like surface texture that we found gets better with age. It has a closed-cell surface to prevent moisture and sweat from seeping into the mat, and comes in six sophisticated colour finishes.
Both our testers rated this luxuriously finished mat as one of their favorite yoga mats due to its grip, thickness and feeling of support it provided. At £85, they also thought it was excellent value for money. A mat like this is ideal for downward dog as your hands and feet wont move anywhere, says Maciver.
Pros: Excellent value choice of six colour lightweight to carry fabric-like surface finish
Cons: Narrower than most
Best for grip and alignment
Weight: 2.5kg | Size: L185 x W68cm | Thickness: 4.2 mm
Cons: Larger to carry than your average mat
Best for eco credentials
Best for massage
Cork Yoga Mat Features To Consider
Size: A standard yoga mat measures 24 x 68 inches, but mats in lengths of 72, 74, and 84 inches are also available. If you need even more space, look for a mat with an extended width of 30 inches.
Using a mat of the correct length means you can transition between poses without stepping off the mat. You want to be able to lie flat on the mat with head and feet completely on its surface. If youre taller than average, you will likely need an extra-long mat.
Design/materials: Yoga mat design is pretty basic, but there are a few variations that might suit your needs. Cork grips well, providing excellent stability while in use. All cork mats have some kind of rubber backing to prevent slippage and some backing layers are thicker than others. Usually the thicker the cork layer, the more expensive the mat. There are also designs that include a carrying case or handles, making it easier to take the mat with you to class or while traveling.
Thickness: The average cork yoga mat is 3 mm thick. Travel mats may be as thin as 1.5 mm, while some with extra cushioning may be 6 mm. Thin mats take up less space while traveling, and thick mats do a better job of protecting sensitive knee joints. Unless you have one of these specific needs, youll probably be happy with a mat of average thickness.
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Reasonably Priced Thicker Mat: Sweaty Betty Eco Yoga Mat
- Price: £40
- Material: Thermo Plastic Elastomer
- Thickness: 6mm
- Size: 183cm x 61cm
Sweaty Bettys offering should be thick enough to offer good cushioning for those of you with harder floors . The material it’s made of is eco-friendly and latex-free. Its also pretty reasonably priced.
Sweaty Betty also sells a thinner, but pricier, ‘Super Grip’ mat.
View or buy theSweaty Betty Eco Yoga Mat.
How Often You Do Yoga
How often you do yoga can help you figure out how long a mats going to last and whether or not its worth purchasing. If youre doing or planning on doing yoga at least 3x a week, spring for something nice. However, if youre doing it once in a while, you can get away with almost anything that gives your joints decent support.
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Yoga Mat Materials And Durability
When selecting the material for your yoga mat, you can choose anything from inexpensive PVC to environmentally friendly natural rubber. Which material you choose will affect the mats price, weight, grip and durability. Generally, thicker mats last longer than thinner mats. That said, mat durability is also related to the material the mat is made from.
PVC is a plastic-based material that is highly durable, easy to clean and offers excellent floor grip. However, PVC mats are non-absorbent and can become slippery when you sweat heavily. PVC is latex-free, a benefit to those with latex allergies, however, it is not biodegradable or as environmentally friendly as other options.
TPE is a man-made blend, usually of plastic and rubber polymers. TPE mats may be more environmentally friendly than PVC, and some are fully recyclable. TPE mats are generally less durable than PVC mats of the same thickness, but still deliver good traction.
Eco / naturalmats come from a variety of sources, including natural rubber, organic cotton, and jute. Compared to other options, eco mats are slightly less grippy on the floor, but their natural texture provides traction for your body. Eco mats lack the decade-long durability of PVC, yet they top the list if sustainability is your priority.
Why Trust Verywell Mind
Tori Zhou is the Associate Health Commerce Editor at Verywell. She enjoys staying up-to-date on wellness trends and products, with a focus on holistic health and functional medicine. She continues to test mats at home to see how they hold up after long-term use.
She personally prefers using yoga mats at home and doesnt mind a heavier weight in exchange for solid grip and padding. Having used budget-friendly picks over the years to follow along to cardio and meditation videos, her ideal mat is versatile enough for both yoga and HIIT workouts, sustainably made, and latex-free.
Additional reporting to this story by Rozalynn S. Frazier.
Rozalynn S. Frazier is an award-winning, multimedia journalist with more than 20 years of experience reporting on health and fitness. She is also a NASM-certified personal trainer and an avid exerciser who routinely puts wellness tools and fitness gear through its paces to help access which products are worthy of praise. She has created content for SELF, Mens Health, Real Simple, Health, Essence, Cosmopolitan, Livestrong.com, among others.
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What Is The Best Thickness For A Yoga Mat
Standard yoga mats are 3mm thick, which keeps them lightweight, foldable, but cushioned enough to support your bones and joints from hard floors. However, if you have aches and pains in general or during certain poses, like chakravakasana or anjaneyasana , a thicker mat can help cushion pressure points, says Kasia Gondek, PT, DPT, CSCS, physical therapist at Fusion Wellness and Physical Therapy in California. This can be a slightly-thicker mat, like the Rumi Earth’s Sun Yoga Mat at 4.3mm thick, or significantly thicker, like the Manduka PRO at 6mm thick.
Why Do You Need To Consider Thickness
Thats because the thickness of your mat will decide many fundamental practice experiences. One might even add, that a mat thickness compatible with your yoga routine, will allow the yoga poses to work to their full potential.
Thickness of yoga mat simply implies to the many key characteristics of it.
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