Find Success in Every Practice with the Best Yoga Mats

• Material: 100% Foamed PVC
• Thickness: 8mm
• Length: 68.1 inches

A great yoga mat can provide excellent stability with an added zest of comfort, which is exactly what we found in the Decathlon Gentle Yoga Comfort Mat. The 8mm thickness can provide exceptional plush for beginner and veteran athletes alike, and the textured PVC foam provides great grip under our hands and feet, even during fast-paced flows. The mat also has a grooved line running down the middle, which is a nice visual aid for alignment, and it's lightweight at just over four pounds — it even comes with a shoulder strap for convenient toting from home to studio.

• Material: PVC
• Thickness: 6mm
• Length: 71 inches

At 6mm thick and slightly longer and wider than average, the best-selling Manduka Pro has a little bit of everything. The fabric-like finish is grippy, the closed-cell surface keeps moisture and sweat from seeping into the material and the high-density cushioning keeps you comfortable and we found no stability issues thanks to the proprietary dot pattern underneath whether practicing savasana on a hardwood floor or working tree pose on top of carpet. But the real selling point is the lifetime warranty; the brand will replace your mat if it shows any signs of manufacturer defects or irregular wear. It’s such a popular mat that the company also has a lighter 4.7mm option and a grippier version for hot yoga.

• Material: High-Density Foam
• Thickness: 0.25 inches
• Length: 68 inches

For beginners and casual yogis, it’s okay to opt for a budget mat — as long as it doesn’t sacrifice function for savings. BalanceFrom’s GoYoga mat is over 6mm thick for added comfort and is made from lightweight, high-density foam with double-sided non-slip surfaces. It may not have the cache or durability (we’ve found this type of foam tends to flake over time) of some of the pricier options, but you could replace this yoga mat six times over and still ring up under the total cost of a name brand. That said, spending more on a mat that will last longer brings other benefits — including freedom from the guilt of throwing so much foam in the garbage.

• Material: Natural Jute Fiber
• Thickness: 8mm
• Length: 5.91 feet

If you’ve got knee, wrist or ankle issues, you might prefer a mat that puts a little more cushioning between you and whatever surface you practice on. We really enjoyed the memory foam-like padding of the Lottus Life Natural Jute Fiber Mat, made from environmentally-friendly materials woven with natural jute fibers. Yet despite the impressive 8mm thickness, we didn’t notice any sinking feeling when holding our poses, which helped promote an added sense of stability. This perk also married nicely to the antifungal, antimicrobial jute fibers for premium grip and traction. We wouldn’t recommend this mat for traveling yogis, however, as the thicker material adds some heft to the silhouette.

• Material: Natural Rubber
• Thickness: 2mm
• Length: 71 inches

While the thin construction of the Carry Onwards Mat lends itself to more on-the-go practices, we found it to be an exceptional pick for finding that grounded feeling underfoot. Made from sustainably-sourced rubber and microfiber, this travel-ready pick provides sufficient grip on concrete and hardwood floors, although we did feel some slippage when practicing in carpeted rooms. Clean-cut edges help protect the Carry Onwards from fraying, a common problem as the sessions begin to stack up. A convenient elastic strap is attached to the profile as well to ensure your folded mat doesn’t come undone during transport. Thin mats might not be for everyone, but for those wanting that grounded vibe, the Carry Onwards is an excellent choice.

• Material: Top: 100% Sustainable Cork, Bottom: Slip-Resistant Foam
• Thickness: 5mm
• Length: 85 inches

Cork is naturally antimicrobial, preventing bacteria, mold and mildew from growing on your yoga mat, and it even tends to repel dirt, hair and dust. It also gives great grip — the more moisture the natural surface absorbs, the stickier it gets. 42 Birds’s extra-long Robin combines all these properties in an extended 85-inch profile that’s great for lengthier users. We had no issue staying on the mat throughout our practices, and the 5mm dense foam provided just the right amount of comfort. It takes a little to break in — the edges can stay curled if stored for long periods of time — but once the cork is used, you have before you a quality, grippy, stink-free mat that’s ready to go time after time.

• Material: PVC
• Thickness: 5mm
• Length: 68 inches

The last thing you want when performing poses is to aggravate any allergies, and if you suffer from rubber sensitivity, it’s best to look at other yoga mat options like this latex-free Performance Dry-Grip mat from Gaiam. While PVC can carry with it a chemical-like scent at times, we found this to dissipate after a few uses. All that remained was a rubber-free profile that had more than enough grip, especially when wet. This was due in part to Gaiam’s special topcoat treatment that easily wicks away any pooling moisture, creating a tacky surface that allowed us to easily hold and maintain some of our favorite poses with ease.

• Material: Top: Microfiber, Bottom: PER
• Thickness: 1 inch
• Length: 72 inches

There’s nothing less graceful than slipping and sliding around your mat, which is why excellent traction is especially crucial when you add high-sweat conditions to your practice. The Aurorae Synergy is layered with a non-slip, super absorbent microfiber towel to keep your hands and feet from losing their grip. And the more you sweat, the grippier the mat gets; in fact, the brand recommends spritzing it with water before class to max out the sticky benefits. Just don’t spritz too much, as we found excess moisture can begin to pool at times. Underfoot, there’s a comfortable 5mm of mat made from Polymer Environmental Resin (PER), a biodegradable synthetic material. Plus, you can flip the mat over, for a more traditional surface, if you’re in a non-heated class.

• Material: Top: 100% Polyurethane Leather, Bottom: 100% Rubber
• Thickness: 5mm
• Length: 6.2 feet

If you want to take your flows into the open air, consider this plush pick from Alo Yoga. The 5mm-thick mat is great for providing that coziness through prolonged poses, while still allowing for that grounded connection, even on grass or concrete. We also really admire how grippy the matte topcoat is, even when practicing in socks. If you want to keep that pristine aesthetic in tip-top shape, however, we suggest performing your flows without any jewelry as the top can be prone to cuts and scrapes if exposed to jagged edges. To go along with that note, it’s best to roll this yoga mat up instead of folding, as creases can form in an instant, taking away from the overall look of this outdoor-ready equipment.

• Material: Natural Rubber
• Thickness: 1.5mm
• Length: 71–79 inches

One of the perks to practicing yoga is that you can get into flows wherever your heart desires, which is why many dedicated enthusiasts choose to travel with a personal mat. Across our testing, we couldn’t get enough of the EKO Superlite mat from Manduka. The thin 1.5mm thickness allowed us to achieve that desirable grounded feeling in each pose, and the Catch-Grip technology provided ample tackiness that never faltered when transitioning between poses. We also liked how compact we were able to get this mat when rolled or folded, allowing for easier storage in a gym bag, tote or suitcase. The EKO Superlite is plenty durable, too, which can help fuel your flows for years to come, but just make sure to be somewhat gentle when packing this pick — we did notice some scrapes and scuffs after a few rushed and rough packing instances.

• Material: Natural Rubber
• Thickness: 0.19 inches
• Length: 68–74 inches

Jade Yoga’s best-selling mats are as ubiquitous in yoga classes as Lululemon shorts (in fact, you’ve probably rented one of these at a local studio). That’s because they’re known for their superior grip thanks to an open-cell construction. We also admire the available 68 and 74-inch lengths, opening the opportunities for taller yogis as well. And while the thickness and length are prime for practices, what really sets Jade Yoga apart is its commitment to sustainably-sourced materials. The natural rubber is entirely toxin-free materials with no PVC, phthalates, heavy metals or other harsh chemicals. Plus, for every mat sold, Jade plants a tree through their partnership with Trees for the Future.

• Material: Rubber
• Thickness: 4.2mm
• Length: 72.83 inches

There’s no way to get all the body benefits of yoga if you’re not nailing the right form. Liforme’s yoga mat helps you stay centered — literally — with smart markings that point out where your hands, feet and center should be for proper positioning. (The marks are etched right into the surface of the mat, so they’ll be there as long as you are.) This mat is on the slimmer end of the spectrum at 4.2mm, but there’s an extra felt portion sandwiched between the natural rubber layers that provides additional support and stability. And at nearly 73 inches long, there’s plenty of room for you to deepen those lunges.

• Material: 70% Thermoplastic Elastomer, 30% Recycled Plastic
• Thickness: 6mm
• Length: 70.1 inches

Folding a typical yoga mat often leads to creases and seams that can take away from the otherwise pleasing appearance. Well, with Casall’s ECO Multifunction Mat, the creases are there by design. The mat can conveniently fold up like an accordion for more compact storage. Plus, we like how the foldable sections can stack atop one another, essentially doubling the under-pose padding for more cushioning in specific poses. The Casall ECO Multifunction Mat also boasts recycled materials in its construction, which help minimize any leftover waste at the end of a production run. While folding this mat might not be great for taller yogis — each section stacked takes an equal amount off the total length — if you need an aesthetically-pleasing structure that’s easy to store, look no further.