WIRED requested the favored YouTube yoga instructor Sara Beth for her high tips about shopping for the perfect yoga mat:
Thicker will not be higher. You continue to wish to assist your stability by having a agency connection to the bottom beneath you, so purpose for a 3 to five mm thickness. You’ll be able to 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 arms and toes go, can disrupt your stability.
Search for good grip. For warm yoga or sweaty folks, be certain that your mat will get grippier when moist. A washable design is extra hygienic. A microfiber-finished mat could 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 could be folded or rolled in your suitcase. They work properly on lodge room carpet, however if you happen to 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 lodge room with simply the bathtub towel laid out like a mat.
Make it straightforward to exercise. For those who plan to make use of your mat like a fitness center 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 can assist it keep in place when you transfer.
