WIRED requested the favored YouTube yoga trainer Sara Beth for her prime tips about shopping for the perfect yoga mat:
Thicker shouldn’t be higher. You continue to need to assist your steadiness by having a agency connection to the bottom beneath you, so goal for a 3 to five mm thickness. You may all the time add extra cushion to your knees within the heart, however an excessive amount of cushion underneath the back and front, the place your palms and toes go, can disrupt your steadiness.
Search for good grip. For decent yoga or sweaty individuals, be certain that your mat will get grippier when moist. A washable design is extra hygienic. A microfiber-finished mat may be put within the washer (producers instruction suggested) or you’ll be able to 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 may be folded or rolled in your suitcase. They work properly on resort room carpet, however in the event you want extra cushion you’ll be able to all the time layer a towel the place your knees go. I’ve additionally practiced yoga in my resort room with simply the tub towel laid out like a mat.
Make it simple to exercise. If you happen to plan to make use of your mat like a gymnasium flooring for Pilates, weights, yoga, and HIIT, then take into account investing in a jumbo 5- by 8-feet mat (like Gorilla mat), which should not transfer. These are usually a bit heavier and sturdier, which is able to assist it keep in place when you transfer.
