Which Yoga Mat?

During my furlough period I have been working through a couple of yoga courses. Early on, I realised it was time to buy a new mat, and so I fell headfirst into the internet whirlpool that is the search for the perfect yoga mat. If you find yourself in a similar situation, overwhelmed by heaps of brands, prices, thicknesses and materials, here is my (handy?) guide...

The first mat

I bought my first mat from Yogamatters years ago. It has lasted me years and still has life left. It's the Yogamatters Sticky Yoga Mat, and costs £20. While to some that might sound expensive for a yoga mat, just wait 'til you read more of this blog... the cheapest of my entries, they come in a range of lovely colours (I'm not going to pretend that's not important), and it's quite common to see these mats in yoga studios. They have good cushioning at 4.5mm, but, in my opinion, they're not the grippiest.

In summary:

The pros - cheap, perfect for beginners, good cushioning, lovely colour range.

The cons - not the grippiest

The Yogamatters Sticky Yoga Mat.

Looking at the Yogamatters website now, if I were to buy again, I would probably purchase the Eco Everyday Yoga Mat, which was well reviewed in this blog post. It comes with a heftier price tag, at £60, but is grippier and more ethical, made from sustainably harvested natural tree rubber and recycled material.

The Perfect Yin Yoga Companion

Aware that my practice had evolved enough for me to feel worthy of a grippier yoga mat, I began my research, but was soon distracted by this absolutely beautiful mat by Myga Yoga. The more I read about Myga Yoga, the more I wanted to support them during these challenging economic times. A small family business from Birmingham, they sell a range of yoga products and mats. I opted for the intermediate "pro" mat at an affordable price of £29.99 (the cheaper price definitely helped to sway my decision). I'd been doing a lot of yoga practice outside, and liked the idea of having a thick 6mm mat for my practice. I absolutely love it for chilled Hatha flows and restorative Yin yoga, but again face the same issue as with my Yogamatters mat: it just isn't grippy enough for those Vinyasa flows. My feet slip out of downward dog.

Myga also have a range of other mats, including their Vegan Suede mats from their Premium range.

In summary:

The pros - UK family-owned business, really thick and supportive, stunning designs, affordable price, wrapped in eco-friendly materials, great for beginners and restorative yoga.

The cons - not the grippiest

Myga Yoga are a UK brand and have the most beautiful mats

The Perfect Travel Companion

I absolutely love my travel mat. So much so that for the last few years I have layered it over my Yogamatters mat as it is so grippy. It's the Jade Voyager, which weighs only 0.68kg, is 1.6mm thick and folds easily into hand luggage. I purchased it after seeing it was recommended by Juliana from Boho Beautiful. Anyone who flows along with Boho Beautiful's immense youtube catalogue knows she is one amazing yogi who films beautiful videos around the world, and she would need a good travel mat. This mat costs £35 and Jade plants a tree for every mat sold. Their mats contain no PVC, EVA or other synthetic rubber, making them an excellent ethical choice. I have no doubt that their thicker mats would be amazing, but they too carry a hefty price tag.

In summary:

The pros - ethical, lightweight, grippy.

The cons - very little cushioning

Layering my Jade Voyager over my Yogamatters mat for extra grip

The Lululemon Reversible Yoga Mat

Still seeking a gripper mat, and with a dwindling yoga mat budget, I managed to get hold of a second hand Lululemon mat. Lululemon is perhaps the King (and Queen?) of the yoga market, selling pricey clothes and equipment, but their products are excellent quality. They have a variety of yoga mats, and Women's Health have an excellent article to help you find the right one. I am already impressed by the grip on this 3mm mat (which retails at £48). However, Lululemon do not have much to say about sustainability, and there are other, more ethical companies out there. I'm glad I purchased mine second hand, and probably would not purchase one direct from the company. 

In summary:
The pros - grippy! Reversible (though I doubt I'll use the other side), not as expensive as other premium mats
The cons - Lulu lacks much blurb about sustainability, heavy to cart around

Transitioning to downward dog split using the Lululemon Reversible 3mm mat

Top of my Wishlist:

At some point I would absolutely love a Manuka eKO Lite 4mm mat. They are ethical, reviewed as being very grippy, a good middle-ground of thickness and come in a range of stunning designs, but they are pricey at £68. Apparently some Manduka mats were being sold in TK Maxx recently, so once lockdown has eased it might be worth a quick check there...

The Crème de la crème of Yoga Mats

...is without a doubt the Lifeforme mat. Selling at the wowza might-have-to-remortgage-the-house price of £100, most reviewers seem to agree that this is the best mat out there.

Other mats recommended to me:

My good friend loves her Yoga Design Lab mat. They're a big purchase at £70, but if you're after a grippy, beautiful mat then this is definitely a good option. They sit in the middle ground of thickness at 3.5mm. They are, however, heavy, so not one to carry to your local yoga studio.

So there we have it, my small find-the-right-yoga-mat-for-you guide, including about 0.3% of the yoga mat market. Hope it helps, or, if it leaves you feeling even more frazzled, pop to Lidl and there will probably be a mat in their random aisle...

Left to right: Myga, Lululemon, Yogamatters, Jade