Struggle with choosing the perfect mat for your yoga practice, being offered so many options on the market?
It is quite overwhelming not only for a beginner but also for a professional athlete to find out which yoga mat is the right one for him/her. So, today we’re going to help you to clarify a few things to make it easier to start a yoga practice. With all those unique yoga mats on the market, of different length, thickness, width, material, and color, you have to be able to pick that one model which is going to serve you well.
So, let’s try to understand which mat exactly is going to be yours.
Best Mats for Beginners
When it comes to yoga mats, there are hundreds of options and choices to make. All of them come in different thicknesses, sizes, and colors. So, what to pay attention to, and why?
- Size. There are mats of different sizes – from 23 inches wide to 26. Some are 70 inches long while others are more than 79 inches. What exactly does it depend on? Pick one depending on your height and weight. For example, if you’re a tall person, smaller models are definitely not for you. Of course, you can get a small mat, but it won’t be comfortable to practice yoga on it;
- Thickness. What thickness do you want on your mat? Usually, all mats come in 0.07 inches, 0.11 inches, 0.15 inches, and 0.23 inches. This depends on your own preferences. If your back is too sensitive, take a thicker model. If you’re going to travel a lot, taking your mat with you, pay attention to something lighter and thinner;
- Type of yoga practice. The type of practice you’re planning to do is also important. Will it be a power yoga? Or maybe a fast-paced yoga? Or maybe a hot yoga? Every type determines which mat design is going to be the right for you. For example, for hot or fast-paced yoga, check if a mat is not going to slip around during a class;
- Materials. As a true yogi, you probably want your mat to be as eco-friendly as possible. In this case, you might choose an all-natural tree rubber model over a simple one. Usually, such models are latex free. So, you shouldn’t worry that you might have a latex allergy when doing yoga practice.
That’s all for the main rules when it comes to choosing the right yoga mat. But this is not all for our article. The last but not the least is a couple of yoga equipment companies and qualitative mats, which you can choose from if you have no idea where to start a search.
- BalanceFrom GoYoga;
- Manduka Pro Yoga and Pilates;
- Gaiam Print;
- Sivan Health and Fitness.
As you can see, there are a lot of options out there. But the truth is that your yoga practice will feel so much better if you invest in one really good mat.
