WIRED requested the favored YouTube yoga instructor Sara Beth for her prime tips about shopping for one of the best yoga mat:
Thicker is just not higher. You continue to need to assist your steadiness by having a agency connection to the bottom beneath you, so intention for a 3 to five mm thickness. You may all the time add extra cushion in your knees within the middle, however an excessive amount of cushion below the back and front, the place your arms and ft go, can disrupt your steadiness.
Search for good grip. For warm yoga or sweaty individuals, be certain your mat will get grippier when moist. A washable design is extra hygienic. A microfiber-finished mat might be put within the washer (producers instruction suggested) or you possibly can go for a “yoga towel” you cowl the mat with earlier than wiping down and washing after your session.
Take a journey mat. For holidays, a skinny, light-weight, 0.059-inch (1.5-mm) mat might be folded or rolled in your suitcase. They work nicely on lodge room carpet, however in case you want extra cushion you possibly can all the time layer a towel the place your knees go. I’ve additionally practiced yoga in my lodge room with simply the tub towel laid out like a mat.
Make it straightforward to exercise. For those who plan to make use of your mat like a gymnasium flooring for Pilates, weights, yoga, and HIIT, then think about investing in a jumbo 5- by 8-feet mat (like Gorilla mat), which should not transfer. These are sometimes a bit heavier and sturdier, which is able to assist it keep in place whilst you transfer.
