You might think a Yoga Mat is a Yoga Mat. Well that’s what I would have thought way back when I was just getting into Yoga. Like anything else though there is great Yoga Mats and then there is not so great. I’ve owned, used and sold a lot of different brands of Yoga Mats so in my experience here is what I know:-)
Rule 1:
Not all Yoga Mats are Made Equal
Rule 2:
You Buy Cheap You Buy Twice
The same rule applies to pretty much anything. Unless of course you buy cheap the second time as well. In that case you’re going to buy a few more times. I’m one of those people who just hates to see waste. Standing at reception at yogahub I’ve seen time and time again new students unwrapping a cheap Yoga Mat they’ve purchased at a sports shop right before their class. Then right after it they discard the mat through frustration at how slippy it is. We end up donating quite a few of these to the local charity shop every month!
I have yet to come across anyone who has ever bought a Yoga Mat in a regular sports shop that is any use whatsoever.
Rule 3:
Buy your Yoga Mat from a Yoga Studio or online Yoga Store
Rule 4:
Spend Money on your Yoga Mat
So here’s the thing I see all the time. A Yoga Mat is say €70-80 and people back off and think that this is really expensive. These are people who practice at least once per week and will be practicing for once a week (at least) for years to come. So if you take that into account does that price sound expensive?
Here’s a lot of the Yoga Mats that are available online or at Yoga Studios. If I’ve omitted a Yoga Mat that is a personal favourite of anyone’s please share it in ‘Comments’. You can also check out our selection of Yoga Mats currently available at yogahub’s studio here.
Manduka is a behemoth in the Yoga industry and offers quite a few different Yoga Mats. Here are their most popular.
Manduka PRO
The Manduka PRO was an industry standard for a while with a lot of Yoga teachers. They are super thick for comfort which is why they were so popular however because they are super thick they are a pain in the ass to carry round and they are sold for about €100. To be perfectly honest you rarely see them at studios. If people own them they generally use them for a home practice meaning they don’t carry them around.
Manduka PROLite
The Manduka PROlite is the baby sister of the PRO and therefore cheaper than the PRO. Still very comfortably thick but nowhere near as heavy as the PRO to carry around. The material is very easily wipe washable like the PRO but not as grippy as other mat equivalents.
Manduka eKo Lite
The Manduka eKo LiteThese mats are super popular for the two tone colour variation and look super funky. They’ve got good cushioning and due to the Eco-Friendly rubber in the mat they have an odour that some people just don’t dig. Like all the rubbery Eco mats they are porous meaning you can’t clean them as easily as others, they absorb moisture and are more difficult to dry.
There are other Manduka Yoga Mats available. I don’t dig the travel mats. People buy them because they are cheaper. They’re not that comfortable as they are super thin.
Jade is another big Yoga Mat brand that you will definitely come into contact with. At one point it was very much either Jade or Manduka if you were looking at what a Yoga teacher owned. Things have changed super quick as the Yoga industry has grown in the last couple of years. Jade is another Eco-Friendly Rubber based mat. I think it comes in at around €80 and we currently don’t stock them. I have to say they are made super well, they’ve got great grip and the cushioning is really nice. Like any of the Rubber based Yoga mats they don’t last as long as say the Manduka PRO/PRO Lites but it’s really personal choice. I would definitely recommend them.
Plain and simple. People love LuLuLemon. They are more famed for their crazy expensive Yoga pants that are mostly worn while not doing Yoga. Their mat is really popular for people who only do Hot Yoga and don’t want to have a Yoga Mat Towel with them. The grip on these mats is only eclipsed by Liforme in my experience. I think they come in at around €78 as we don’t stock them.
The Liforme Yoga Mat is super thick but light to carry. Very grippy. Easily wipe washable and I didn’t think I would like the alignment markings on the mat as much as I did. I love this mat.
The ecoYoga Mat is €59. I have to mention this mat as I just love the earthiness of them. They are made from Jute and Rubber. The Jute is really thickly woven through it so it gives really good grip. I wouldn’t even think of using this for any Hot Yoga as they are really porous and do not dry out quickly however they are about as natural as they come which I really dig practicing on. I have to be honest and say I invariably always gravitate back to these but that is my preference. They definitely do not have the best grip or cushioning. I just really like the earthiness!
These mats are made from biodegradable materials which are odour resistant, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. The sustainable Portuguese cork is fused with heat without the use of glue. Perfect for all temperatures and floor surfaces and grip actually improves the sweatier you get!
Natural tree rubber is bonded to an ultra-absorbent microfibre towel layer. You no longer need to bring a separate mat AND towel to class! This extra-durable mat offers superior grip and cushion to support your daily yoga practice.
So hopefully that will help you with your purchase. If you have any questions or suggestions of Yoga Mats please post a comments. Your Google searches will throw up a few companies I’ve omitted like Gaiam, Hugger Mugger and Prana which I don’t have experience of but the mats listed are definitely all the most popular in my experience.
Thanks so much for reading and Get on Your Mat and Get Practicing!
Matt 🙂
