Is it mat to be?
What’s the best yoga mat?
It happens every time. A new student plunges into their new membership. Sampling all the classes finding their perfect teachers. A few weeks pass they feel committed, comfortable and confident. The natural progression takes its course, and they approach me with wide eyes asking “what’s the best mat?”.
I’m thrilled when the student feels their practice has earned the luxury of a new mat. Let’s be honest it’s just that, a luxury. Mats can come with a hefty price tag with Higher Dose finding a way to create an $1,100 heated mat for practitioners seeking the heated experience from home.
Don’t get me wrong this is definitely on my Christmas wishlist, but could be overwhelming to a beginner.
So I tend to offer my students the following to consider:
● What type of practice will you be doing the most?
● Are you prepared to spend between $70-$150.
● Would you be better served spending that money on your own props first?
With the above having been considered I’ll offer you a few of my go-to mats and why and a few “hype mats” I don’t know much about. The ever popular ever reliable ever pricey Lulu Lemon mat. In the world of Hot Yoga it’s old faithful. Durable and perfect for your sweaty sessions easy enough to clean and slip resistant. I prefer the travel mat which is thinner and lighter. For my students seeking a bit more cushion they offer a thicker option, due to the dense material I find it quite heavy.
Liforme mat less popular but equal in all categories: durable, comfortable, slip resistant. Because the company is focused specifically on yoga mats you can find all sorts of colors and option to customize. Easy to clean and comes with a design to strengthen your alignment.
Now for my tactile Yogis Jade, Jade, Jade. To me this is a brand that embraces simplicity earthy colors, comfortable thickness, easy to clean. Odd fact but true I enjoyed practicing on the bottom of the mat rather than the top. Doesn’t make it a bad mat just quirky.
So the “Hype Mats”, these are mats that we see everywhere, but I do t have any personal experience and find them worth mentioning. Cork mats apparently they’re cleaner, and I found that my extra sweaty students tend to favor them for that reason. Rug mats if you're practicing anything other than hot yoga— go for it. If you’re practicing on the beach— be my guest. Otherwise, you’ll be washing it a lot and replacing it quicker than the others mentioned.
Should you like to extend the life of any mat I encourage studenst, especially those who practice hot yoga, to practice with a yoga towel as well.
In most yoga studios they offer mats to students to use for free or for a rental fee. If you’re lucky enough to have a studio that offers decent mats for free. I encourage you to purchase a yoga towel first and look into other props that may serve you (see my article on yoga props here).
Take your time finding a mat you’ll enjoy. Ask fellow yogis the brands they prefer. You never know what’ll be the next Old Faithful.
XOXO
KEN