How to Choose a Yoga Mat for Beginners?

Yoga is well-known for enhancing the muscle’s flexibility, activation, physical wellness, and mental peace. Many new yogis join yoga classes. The first issue that they face is how to choose a yoga mat for beginners. Choosing a yoga mat is essential especially for beginners to increase the support and stability during yoga practice. Several options are available in the market for this but the same mat is not a good fit for all.

In this scenario, it is most important to pay attention while choosing the right yoga mat as per your needs or requirements. Let’s explore how to pick a yoga mat:

Things to Consider While Choosing a Yoga Mat

Consider the key factors while picking a yoga mat. A perfect yoga mat has a good level of comfort, durable, long-lasting, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly. Let’s start to consider the key points for choosing a yoga mat for beginners.

Thickness

The yoga mat’s weight depends on its thickness. So it is most important to pay attention to thickness level as it plays a major role, especially in comfortability and cushioning. Thickness levels start from 1mm to onwards up to 15mm. Usually, a standard yoga mat is between 3mm to 5mm thick, and for most people, it is considered a perfect choice.

People who are suffering from joint issues will go for a high level of thickness for more support to their joints because a thicker mat can provide extra cushioning. But it can be the reason behind not balancing during yoga. So, that’s why we should pay attention to thickness. We discussed this matter in our blog post Best Yoga Mat Thickness.

Manufacturing Material

Nowadays, various materials are used in manufacturing like PVC, TPE, natural rubber, and cork. You can read the differences between them in detail in our article TPE vs EVA Yoga Mat & NBR vs PVC Yoga Mat.

Each material has its benefits and is used for different purposes. For excellent grip and durability along with budget-friend PVC material is perfect but it is not much eco-friendly. Comparatively, Rubber and TPE materials are eco-friendly but less durable over time. Lastly, cork mats have all these things along with antimicrobial properties but it is not a budget-friendly option.

So, an excellent choice depends on your needs and environment. If you have budget-related issues you should go for PVC or TPE material otherwise move towards natural rubber or cork material.

Grip

The texture of the yoga mat makes it an anti-skid or non-slippery mat. So, the mats having texture on them provide us extra grip that is required for balancing our body during dynamic poses of yoga such as Vinyasa, etc. For gripping cork and natural rubber materials are more effective.

What is the Best Yoga Mat for Beginners?

In simple words, the best yoga mat for beginners is that has all the features and should not be too high in price.

Best Yoga Mat for Beginners UK

Numerous brands are offering such mats that have all the features such as Liforme and Manduka and are not much costly compared to other brands.

Manduka PROLite Yoga Mat

Manduka PROLite yoga mat is a perfect choice for beginners and the reason of its comfortability and durability. Even for those with sensitive joints as it provides enough cushioning. The major reason for its acceptance is its non-toxic material which makes it eco-friendly.

Liforme Yoga Mat

The second better option is the Liforme yoga mat for beginners. It also has all the above features like a good level of grip, eco-friendly with non-toxic material and a good level of thickness for cushioning. Apart from that it also has alignment markers that help a lot to a newbie for alignment.

Best Yoga Mat for Obese Beginners

Now let’s start our conversation regarding yoga mats for obese beginners. As they have a certain condition we need to make little changes in our key factors to choose the best yoga mat for obese beginners.

Extra Thickness & Size

We should choose a little extra thick mat for obese beginners due to extra weight because we require extra cushioning in this case. It reduces the change of strain on sensitive joints. The recommended thickness for an obese beginner is between 6mm to 8mm. This will increase the comfort level during practice and less feel of a hard floor. In the same way, we need a little extra size mat from the standard.

Durability & Grip

A solid grip is very crucial to maintain balance and stability for an obese beginner. That’s why we should choose such a mat that can provide extra gripping along with durability. It is a better thing if a mat has texture on it because it will also provide extra gripping that is required for a newbie to maintain alignment during yoga. Always look for mats that offer strong gripping and can prevent slipping during poses. Usually, rubber or cork yoga mat material is preferable.

Gaiam Premium Yoga Mat:

Gaiam Premium yoga mat is an excellent choice for an obese newbie due to its durability and thickness level. It is 6mm thick having a texture on its surface.

Manduka PRO Yoga Mat:

A perfect choice as per my experience is Manduka PRO yoga mat due to its thickness and material. It offers a high level of thickness from a standard mat with durable and dense surface which is best for extra grip, support and cushioning.

How to Choose / Pick a Good Yoga Mat Based on Your Requirements

I have already shared some best yoga mats for beginners. If you have certain needs, you should choose a mat that can meet your needs. For example, do you have a plan to join a studio for yoga or at home? Do you have a plan for hot yoga or slow-paced yoga? Get the answers from yourself and you are ready to make right decision.

Yoga Style

Which type of yoga pose, you are planning to practice? Are you planning for slower-paced poses like Yin / Hatha Yoga? In this case, you need a little thicker mat that can provide cushioning and comfort. If you are planning for dynamic yoga poses like Vinyasa or Ashtanga, you should choose a well-textured surface mat for better gripping.

Portability

Are you planning to travel with a yoga mat from home to the studio? You should pay attention to its weight so that it can be easy to carry. It should be light in weight and can easily roll up. We already discussed these things how to roll up a mat. You should read it.

Environmental Impact

What kind of environment in which you are going to practice yoga? If your environment is not so good then you should choose an eco-friendly mat option that can be found in these sustainable materials like natural rubber and cork.

Price vs. Quality

If you are searching for a budget-friendly mat, the options will be different and if you are searching for quality then the options will be different depending on your requirement. You can see PVC material for a cost-effective mat and other materials like rubber or cork for extra high quality.

Allergy Considerations

Do you have an allergy to latex? If yes, you need to move towards natural rubber mats instead of other materials like PVC or TPE. Cork mats can also be used in this case.

Size

If you are taller you should choose a large-size mat otherwise standard yoga mat will work for you. Standard yoga mats are 68 inches long and 24 inches.

Picking a Yoga Mat for Special Practices

Lastly, if you are planning for certain poses to practice like Bikram / Hot yoga. In this case, we need such a mat material that can absorb sweat because in hot yoga we sweat a lot and prevent slipping. You can choose from these two options.

Liforme Yoga Mat:

The best option for hot yoga due to its superior grip and better absorption.

Gaiam Sol Dry-Grip Yoga Mat:

The second best option is Gaiam Sol Dry-Grip Yoga Mat as it provides better traction and can absorb more sweat during hot yoga sessions.

Final Words for How to Choose a Yoga Mat for Beginners

We have a huge range of yoga mats available and need to choose a right one that can fulfill our needs. Just finalize your needs and you can easily choose a good fit for you. The few things you need to consider like size, material, thickness, durability, longevity, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly. Choose as per your needs.

I have also shared some of the best yoga mats concerning how to choose a yoga mat for beginners even for the obese. You can choose any one of them. Share your thoughts in the comments section.