Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned yogi, finding the right yoga mat to suit your practice is essential. With excellent grip, comfort and no-fuss clean and carry credentials, these are the best yoga mats on the market.
A yoga mat should be comfortable and supportive, provide sufficient grip to keep you from slipping, and be light and no-fuss enough to clean and carry.
If you’re low on cash, don’t stress – you can buy a brand new mat for under $50, so you don’t have to use the grubby shared ones at your gym or studio. However, if you can stretch your budget, forking out extra cash on a new yoga mat will give you access to extra features like biodegradable and eco-friendly materials, unique designs to help you stand out in class, and sweat-proof layers if hot yoga is your thing.
No matter if you’re after a thin non-slip mat, a thicker, more cushioned one, or one that’ll bring a little extra joy to your workout with a pretty design; we’ve found the best yoga mats to suit every person and every budget.
What difference does a good yoga mat make?
According to health and fitness expert and host of Body + Soul’s Healthy-ish podcast Felicity Harley, finding the best yoga mat for you is all about asking the right questions.
“Buying a yoga mat can often be as confusing as getting into a headstand – with a plethora of styles at a variety of price points – but choosing the right mat can make a huge difference to your practice. Overall, you want a mat that’s comfortable and helps with the efficiency of poses,” she advises.
According to Harley, the questions you should ask include, “What style of yoga is your go-to (flow or yin)? Do you practise at home or walk to classes (lighter might be better)? Where will you store it (tight-rolling for cupboard storage)? What surface will you be on – carpet, wood floors or concrete (thick vs thin)? Once you determine how best you’ll use it, you really only need one mat.”
And, in excellent news for those on a strict budget, she adds “You don’t have to drop a deposit for a small house, but you do pay for what you get. A good yoga mat will make for a better – and calmer – experience for body and mind.”
What are the most important things to look for when buying a yoga mat?
After you’ve figured out what you need from a mat and how you’ll use it (see above re: surfaces and storage), next up you need to consider features like portability, grip and feel, padding and thickness, different materials (do you want cork or rubber?) and, of course, size.
- Grip
“There’s nothing worse than being in a downward dog, and having to hold it for five breaths, and all you can focus on is the strain in your wrists and the slipping of your hands,” relates Harley.
“First and foremost, you want a mat that your feet, hands, knees, and forearms can grip efficiently during poses, especially if you’re doing vigorous practice and/or you sweat. In many yoga mats, the top ‘sticky’ side is made from moisture-absorbing material while the bottom is designed to cushion and grip the floor. PVC mats are generally the stickiest of all materials.”
- Materials
The material of a yoga mat is key because it determines its texture, bounciness and durability says Harley. “The majority of yoga mats are made out of polyvinyl chloride, yes that’s PVC or vinyl, which is a high strength material and has all the above,” she explains.
“An important consideration for many yogis is whether the mat is environmentally friendly, made from recycled materials and free from other harmful chemicals, if this is you then look for natural rubber, jute or cotton. A quality yoga mat should last for years.”
- Thickness
The thickness of a yoga mat is important, explains Harley, because while a thicker mat is far more comfortable for savasana, of course, sometimes pillowy-type mats can hinder your flow as you sink into it or it affects stability in standing poses, like tree.
“You want a yoga mat to be thick enough to support various body parts, like your knees in camel and your upper body in a shoulder stand, but thin enough to flow efficiently through poses,” adds Harley.
“Consider the surface on which you do yoga, coupled with the type of yoga, if you’re into more restorative, then a thicker mat may be better. Think about portability, thicker mats can be bulkier to roll up, and heavier to carry and fling in your car boot. Wafer-thin mats are perfect for travelling. The thickness in yoga mats ranges from 3mm to 10mm and typically, the more advanced you are, the thinner your mat will become.”
- Style
After carefully considering all the technicalities your mat needs to fulfil, it’s time to get to the good stuff – how it looks.
“You want a mat to inspire you to practice,” explains Harley. “A decade or so ago, we only had about three colours to choose from, today’s mats are magnificent. There are bold colours, pretty patterns, body alignment markers and inspiration quotes – I personally had one of these for years and it really helped me push through some of the harder poses.”
Lululemon, The Reversible Mat 3mm,$69
This lululemon mat is reversible and made from a combination of materials. The dark colour and polyurethane top layer, which absorbs moisture to help you get a grip, is great for Bikram yoga devotees and sweaty types alike, while the natural rubber base gives you cushioning and a textured grip for low-sweat practices.
BalanceFrom GoYoga+ All-Purpose Yoga Mat and Knee Pad with Carrying Strap, $37.51 Amazon
This cheap option is one of Amazon’s top selling yoga mats with more than 31,000 five star ratings. It’s 12.7mm thick, comes with an extra knee pad and yoga strap (which conveniently doubles as a carry strap), and comes in a choice of seven different colours. It’s a great option for those on the budget who love an extra soft mat.
Kimjaly 4mm Yoga Mat, $25 Decathlon
This 100 per cent foamed PVC mat is perfect for beginner yogis on a budget,it’s grippy, comfortable and affordable – all the essentials for gentle yoga (hatha, yin, nidra, relaxation). Its thickness will protect your knees, ankles and other joints and offer extra padding while you perfect inverted poses like shoulderstand and plough.
Yoga Everywhere, Mona Vale Beach Yoga Mat, $129, THE ICONIC
Made of 100 per cent natural tree rubber and an absorbent micro-suede top layer, Yoga Everywhere add some extra zen to your flow with their aerial beach prints.
Shady Palm Yoga Mat, $127, THE ICONIC
With handy travel-friendly carry straps and a very Instagrammable design, this Bowern mat will support you wherever your practice takes you.
Gaim Performance Soft Grip 5mm Yoga Mat, $49.99, The Athlete’s Foot
Recommended for intermediate level practice, this mat is perfect for restorative to moderately-paced yoga practice.
Gaiam Performance Dry-Grip 4mm Yoga Mat Performance, $79.99, Myer
Like your yoga on the warmer side? This mat is recommended for hot yoga with the promise that the grip increases with heat, which one of this mat’s many positive reviewers confirmed “Great quality. Good grip even during bikram classes.”
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Our Expert
Felicity Harley hosts the Body + Soul podcasts Healthy-ish & Extra Healthy-ish, holds a graduate diploma in Public Health and is the author of Balance & Other B.S.
She launched Women’s Health magazine and was editor for nine years. In 2012, Felicity was named one of Westpac’s Australia’s 100 Women Of Influence for her brainchild – the I Support Women In Sport campaign, which also won national and international awards.