Holding asanas in a heated class might be tough, particularly if you’re coping with clingy garments and stinging sweat in your eyes whereas attempting to not slip—which is why discovering the very best mat for warm yoga is important to preserving you steady and protected. The perfect choose will make it easier to really feel “zoned in in your apply to the purpose the place you’re not focusing in your mat,” Erin Archibald, a registered yoga teacher with CorePower Yoga in Denver, tells SELF.
However looking for one which doesn’t slip or bunch up as you progress and perspire isn’t so simple as grabbing the primary choice you see on the shelf. That can assist you observe down the proper sizzling yoga mat in your apply, we spoke with instructors and scrolled by tons of opinions from buyers. Browse our agency, supportive, and extremely grippy favorites under.
Our prime picks
- Greatest Total: Lululemon The Mat 5mm
- Most Cushioned: Manduka Professional
- Greatest No-Slip Grip: JadeYoga Concord Mat
- Greatest Cork: Gaiam Cork Yoga Train Mat
- Most Absorbent: Manduka GRP Adapt
- Most Sturdy: JadeYoga Elite S Mat
- Greatest Skinny Mat: Reetual Yoga Mat
- Greatest Funds: Gaiam Sol Dry Grip Yoga Mat
- Greatest for Alignment: Liforme Yoga Mat
How to decide on a sizzling yoga mat
A grippy mat will cut back your possibilities of slipping and sliding as issues get sizzling and sweaty in school. Search for rubber choices, says Archibald—pure rubber (over artificial) tends to be increased high quality. Cork can also be a naturally grippy materials.
Porous mats with an open-cell design can higher soak up your sweat and gained’t create a slipping hazard with any puddles, Archibald says. Many open-cell mats are constructed with pure rubber.
Simply take into account: You’ll need to usually clear them, in order that they don’t get smelly. When you favor an choice that’s simpler to sanitize, go for a closed-cell, nonporous design that may be wiped down, Levey says. With these mats, you might also need to use a yoga towel for additional traction (we’ve included a few of our favorites under).
Yoga mats are available in a variety of thicknesses, and the correct quantity of padding boils all the way down to your private desire. You may really feel extra steady for balancing poses on a thinner mat, whereas a thicker one will present extra cushion in your joints. Typically, Archibald recommends a thinner choice (three to 5 millimeters tall) for warm yoga for a extra grounded feeling, and a thicker mat (above 5 millimeters) for slower-paced kinds like yin or restorative.
Customary yoga mats are 26 by 71 inches, which works properly for most people, Archibald says. When you’re taller (say, over six foot two), then you might really feel extra comfy on a wider, longer model, Levey says.
Yoga mats are tough to recycle, so it’s vital to search for one that may final you for a number of years of apply, Talon Jacquelyn, a registered yoga instructor and meditation coach at Talon J Yoga, tells SELF. As you store, search for opinions from buyers that talk to the mat’s longevity.
Jacquelyn recommends selecting a darker mat for warm yoga, as mild ones can present sweat stains. “Your intuition could be to pick out one thing you merely take pleasure in taking a look at, but in addition take into account that you’re going to be sweating a big quantity on the floor of the mat, and that impacts discoloration over time,” she says.
Different gear that’s helpful for warm yoga
Your yoga apply and kit might be as easy or souped up as you need it to be. You may want a set of yoga blocks that can assist you preserve correct alignment or modify poses, straps that can assist you get into your stretches or deepen them, and bolsters to help your knees or hips. One other nice-to-have: a yoga mat bag or carrying strap (in case your mat doesn’t include one), to make heading to and from class a little bit simpler.
Store the very best sizzling yoga mats
Really feel extra assured in school with considered one of these expert-approved mats beneath your toes.
Greatest Total: Lululemon The Mat 5mm
Execs
- Absorbs sweat
- Reversible
- Nicely-cushioned
- Antimicrobial
Cons
A favourite amongst most of the specialists we spoke to, this 2022 SELF Residence Health Award winner has a rubber base and a grippy prime layer to maintain you grounded. Plus, it’s sweat-absorbing: “I at all times really feel very steady and rooted once I’m practising on a Lulu mat,” says Archibald, who has been utilizing hers for over three years.
When you alternate between vinyasa and sizzling yoga, you’ll love The Mat’s reversible design—you’ll be able to select to make use of the high-traction facet or the extra cushioned facet, relying on the category you’re in. It’s even sturdy sufficient for different actions, like HIIT exercises, Sarah Larson Levey, a registered yoga teacher and cofounder of Y7 Studio in NYC, tells SELF, making it a terrific choose for learners who need probably the most bang for his or her buck.
Want a thinner floor for even larger stability? There’s additionally a 3mm choice accessible.
Dimension: 26 x 71 inches | Thickness: 5 millimeters | Weight: 5.24 kilos | Colours: 5
Most Cushioned: Manduka Professional
Execs
- Straightforward to wash
- Nice traction
- Thick padding
- Out there in two sizes
Cons
This mat is available in two sizes and is “very grippy, supportive, and steady,” Archibald says. The closed-cell development seals out moisture and micro organism, making it straightforward to wipe down and disinfect. Barely thicker than Lululemon’s The Mat at six millimeters excessive, the Manduka Professional is nice for folk wanting additional cushioning for his or her joints. Clients describe the Manduka Professional as definitely worth the funding—though it is fairly dear, it does include a lifetime assure.
Dimension: 26 x 71 or 26 x 85 inches | Thickness: 6 millimeters | Weight: 7.5 or 9.5 kilos | Colours: 7
Greatest No-Slip Grip: JadeYoga Concord Mat
Execs
- Stable traction
- Sweat-absorbing
- Very supportive
Cons
Whereas all the mats on this checklist have good traction, the Concord Mat has a singular texture that our specialists affirm units it other than the pack. Described by Levey as “great,” this pure rubber mat offers ample cushioning. Archibald finds it to be very grippy and extremely supportive, and he or she likes the porous sweat-absorbing floor—it offers a “grittier” really feel in comparison with different mats, she says.
The one draw back: It may be tough to wash. “It’s undoubtedly not one thing that you could simply wipe down with a towel,” Levey says. To totally sanitize it, she recommends utilizing JadeYoga’s mat cleaner.
Dimension: 24 x 68 inches | Thickness: 4.7 millimeters | Weight: 5 kilos | Colours: 14
Greatest Cork: Gaiam Cork Yoga Train Mat
Execs
- Funds-friendly
- Floor will get grippier with moisture
- Agency really feel
- Very light-weight
Cons
- Some Amazon reviewers report that it doesn’t lay fully flat
“Cork is a pure and non-slip floor that responds even higher when moist, which suggests you are protected to sweat,” Jacquelyn says. “It dries shortly too.”
This tremendous light-weight cork mat from Gaiam is 5 millimeters thick, like many different choices on this checklist, and fairly budget-friendly (it’s usually on sale for below $30). One other bonus: The underside is coated in thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), so it gained’t shift round on the ground beneath you. “I truly love this mat greater than any mat I’ve ever had,” one joyful Amazon shopper wrote. “It doesn’t odor bizarre, I don’t slip, and I don’t want to make use of a towel on my mat throughout apply. 10/10 for me.”
Dimension: 24 x 68 inches | Thickness: 5 millimeters | Weight: 1.76 kilos | Colours: 2
Most Absorbent: Manduka GRP Adapt Yoga Mat 5mm
Execs
- Soaks up sweat shortly
- Out there in a number of sizes
Cons
This high-quality Manduka mat wins factors from Jacquelyn for being “extraordinarily sturdy,” irrespective of how a lot you sweat. The fabric permits moisture to move by the highest layer of the mat to the froth inside, making it majorly absorbent. (You gained’t be stepping in any puddles throughout downward canine with this one.)
“The grip will maintain you in place, and the corporate offers companies you’ll be able to make the most of on the finish of the mat’s life to ensure it would not find yourself in a landfill,” Jacquelyn provides—a win for those who’re on the lookout for a extra eco-friendly choose.
Dimension: 26 x 71 or 26 x 79 inches | Thickness: 5 millimeters | Weight: 5.5 or 7 kilos | Colours: 7
Most Sturdy: JadeYoga Elite S Mat
Execs
- Sturdy
- Lengthy-lasting
- Grippy
- Works properly for flowing yoga kinds
Cons
- A bit dear
- Not tremendous padded
JadeYoga’s textured Elite S mat is designed to face up to heaps of use—and Jacquelyn says it lives as much as the hype, particularly for warm yoga (it has the same really feel to the Jade Concord). “The Jade grip is actually the very best within the enterprise, and this mat is constructed to final by years of rigorous apply,” she says.
A dense prime layer provides firmness and protects in opposition to scuffs, making the Elite S a terrific selection for flowing practices with a lot of transitions or mat exercises like Pilates. “I purchased it in December 2011, and am nonetheless comfy 12 years after,” one JadeYoga reviewer wrote. Jacquelyn additionally likes supporting JadeYoga for his or her sustainability efforts: The corporate crops a tree for each mat bought.
Dimension: 24 x 71 inches | Thickness: 4.8 millimeters | Weight: 5 kilos | Colours: 1
Greatest Skinny Mat: Reetual Yoga Mat
Execs
- Colourful, complicated designs
- Non-slip
- Good worth
Cons
- On the smaller facet
- Much less cushioned
These eye-catching mats from Reetual will add some pleasure—and stability—to your sizzling yoga apply. Made with a padded, cheesy rubber base to forestall slippage and a prime layer that will get grippier the extra you sweat (since moisture helps improve the traction), they’re each enjoyable and purposeful.
Amazon reviewers describe them as “beautiful” and “lovely,” and reward the truth that “there’s completely no slipping,” even within the sweatiest situations. This mat is barely smaller than common and it’s additionally on the thinner facet, so it might not be proper for taller people or those that favor additional cushioning for his or her joints. However followers of firmness who hate sinking into their mat may need to give it a attempt.
Dimension: 24 x 70 inches | Thickness: 3.5 millimeters | Weight: 4.85 kilos | Colours: 5
Greatest Funds: Gaiam Sol Dry Grip Yoga Mat
Execs
- Moisture-wicking floor
- Supportive
- Good worth
Cons
- You’ll must wipe sweat off
- On the smaller facet
For a high-quality mat at a cheaper price level, take into account this choose from Gaiam. The textured floor wicks moisture away, whereas the padding “made sizzling yoga rather a lot simpler!” per one Amazon reviewer, who stated they had been ready push their toes into the mat for added stability. Additionally they really useful utilizing it with a towel to take away any sweat, because it wicks moisture reasonably than absorbing it.
FYI: This mat is smaller than normal dimension, so tall people might take into account choosing a unique choose on this checklist.
Dimension: 24 x 68 inches | Thickness: 5 millimeters | Weight: 4.82 kilos | Colours: 6
Greatest for Alignment: Liforme Yoga Mat
Execs
- Extra floor space
- Consists of markings to information you
- Comes with a journey bag
Cons
This mat is an even bigger funding, however reviewers say it’s properly definitely worth the increased value. It’s barely bigger than common and comprised of biodegradable rubber, which makes it a “sturdy and completely sticky mat,” in accordance with one Amazon reviewer. One other shared that they “don’t even want a mat towel with it, because the grip is so nice.”
Clients additionally reward the mat’s alignment system—principally, a collection of markings on the mat that make it easier to perceive the place to put your arms and toes as you apply. Oh, and t comes with a nifty carrying bag too.
Dimension: 27 x 73 inches | Thickness: 4.2 millimeters | Weight: 5.51 kilos | Colours: 9
Greatest sizzling yoga towels
When you realizing you’re going to interrupt a sweat, it’s a good suggestion to deliver a towel to wipe your arms, face, or mat throughout class. You don’t want something particular, although. “To be truthful, mat towels usually are not a necessity if you purchase a mat already constructed to face up to sweat,” says Jacquelyn. “However once I do use a towel in yoga, I go for small hand towels in a heated vinyasa session or large seashore towels in a real sizzling yoga (Bikram) class. These are probably towels you have already got available, so begin there!”
In search of one thing you need to use only for yoga? Listed below are a couple of she recommends.
Manduka eQua Yoga Hand Towel
You possibly can place this light-weight microfiber towel close to your mat to maintain sweaty arms at bay or lay it in your mat below your face to catch any drips. “It is simple to throw in a yoga bag and dries shortly, so I find yourself utilizing it for as much as three to 4 periods,” says Jacquelyn. “It’s nice for wiping your face and even overlaying your eyes in savasana!”
Dimension: 16 x 26.5 inches | Colours: 9
Manduka Yogitoes Yoga Mat Towel
A big, mat-sized towel like this one (with a textured backside) can remodel a daily yoga mat right into a grippy sizzling yoga mat. It’ll additionally assist soak up moisture throughout critically heated lessons. “That is the towel I exploit for tremendous sweaty Bikram yoga periods,” says Jacquelyn. “I’ve had the identical pink Yogitoes for over 13 years and it nonetheless works completely. I belief the model and love the anti-slip silicone nubs!”
Dimension: 24 x 71 inches | Colours: 24
Further reporting by Jenny McCoy, C.P.T., and Jessica Kasparian
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