HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST YOGA MAT - UPDATED

 Yoga mat is the most important accessory for yoga practice, and we get a lot of questions about our mats… well just about yoga mats in general, as we know there is a bit of a mind field out there for everyone. So… to try our best to help you, we are going to de-bunk, funk it up and answer some of your FAQs in one easy blog post! Let’s hope it helps you work out what might be right for you!



Generally, when buying yoga mats, you should consider buying a mat that is 7 - 10 inches longer than your height. If you do have joint pain or if you are heavy, including pregnant women, you should consider a thick mat so that you can get that extra cushion to support your wait.

What Size of Yoga Mat is Right For Me

Length:

As said earlier, you height and weight should influence the size of your mat, but as you know, this is a bit of a tricky one, for us a little bit extra is better as we hate it when our feet and arms are hanging off the edges of the mat, so that’s why all our mats are 6ft in length (183 cms) and 68 cms wide. Standard yoga mats measure about 172 cms by 60 cms, which might be more than enough if you don’t mind or need that bit extra and perhaps you want to save on weight… so really it’s a preference, we like some extra space for our Asanas and for the taller or larger yogi the size of the mat can be very important. 

The most simple thing you should have in mind regarding the height/length of your mat is that it should be 7 - 10 inches longer than your height, except if you like some part of your body such as your leg touching the bare floor. 

Thickness/Weight:




Again, this is very personal and takes a little trial... When you're starting out a travel mat might be the best, ours is 1.7 - 2mm thick, 100% Natural Rubber, so the rubber base really grips to the floor or surface of other mats. That gives you a nice base to start with, not too thin and then you can use provided mats in your local yoga studio underneath, this is an excellent way of playing around to see what thickness suits you and it still gives you your own hygienic top layer for all that sweat! Easy to wash and easy to pack for retreats at under 2kg weight.

Some people really like to feel the floor, so for that you could go even thinner to 1 mm, which is more like a yoga sheet or cotton rug would be good for them. Others (like myself) like some extra cushioning, which is important for joints so it doesn’t hurt when you are engaged or in a plank or dog for a while. 

A thicker mat also gives you that extra luxurious feeling when you're laying out for practice. We have talked to all sorts of yogis and yoga teachers about our cushioning, to get it right. It was especially interesting at The Om Yoga Show, London in October, which was great to get out and talk to everyone! 

We had been worried our mats were heavy, as the natural rubber does have a little weight compared to foam polymers and not wanting to sacrifice the natural base for a lighter plastic, PU or anything like that… but listening to yogis, for your everyday use mat, you need some weight and cushioning. Some of you came to us looking for a thicker mat as we have some of the thickest mats on the market from natural bases, you felt your 3. mm mats were just too thin for your needs. Our Gallery Yoga Mat is 4.5mm cushioning, which provides you with enough thickness to not need to fold your mat and with the vegan suede topper so you have no need for a towel.

Generally, there are three major mat thickness: thick mat is ¼ inches or 6.4mm thick, Standard mat is ⅛ inches or 3.2mm thick and Thin mat is 1/16 inches or 1.6mm thick. For pregnant women, you would want to buy a thick mat so that it can carry your weight and provide you with extra cushion.

In any case, you can avoid the thin mats except if you like to feel the floor or you want something that is lightweight or if you go for yoga classes and need a mat that can be easily transported.

 

What Mat is Good For My Yoga

The Type of Yoga You Practice

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