The yoga mat can provide some extra traction to keep it from sliding around.ĭon’t share your yoga mat with friends or family members. Recycle an old yoga mat by using it under your welcome mat or bath mat. If you find pieces of mat on your yoga pants after a session, that means the mat is breaking down – and it’s time for a new one. If you roll the mat too tightly, the material can stretch and bacteria may grow. It’s best to store your yoga mat flat under a bed or sofa or gently rolled up in a closet or on a shelf. Flip it over from time to time to make sure one side doesn’t bear the brunt of all your sessions. Roll it up in a towel to squeeze out the excess moisture, then lay it out flat to dry.Īvoid wearing out your yoga mat by using both sides. If your yoga mat is particularly dirty, soak it in the bathtub and scrub it down with a sponge to remove the grime. To avoid a smelly mat, wipe it down with a mat-cleaning spray (a mix of water and vinegar) or just plain water after each yoga workout. However, they don’t offer much in the way of support or cushioning, so they’re a poor option if you suffer from joint issues.Īvoid wearing out your yoga mat by using both sides of it. They are extremely lightweight, which makes for easy transport. Yoga mats with a 1/16-inch thickness are usually the thinnest available. They do tend to wear out sooner than thicker mats, however. They’re fairly durable and lightweight enough for easy carrying. Yoga mats with an ⅛-inch thickness provide a good deal of support and cushioning. They provide a great deal of cushioning and are very durable. Yoga mats with a ¼-inch thickness are common. “The very squishy, thick yoga mats tend to stretch, making it hard to find stability in lunges and poses like Downward-Facing Dog.” ¼-inch (6.35 mm) thickness “There are some yoga mats that are actually workout mats,” she says of thicker styles. Our expert consultant Samantha advises against choosing a mat that’s too thick. The most important feature of a yoga mat is its thickness, which provides cushioning as you practice your poses. However, jute mats don’t absorb moisture as well as cotton and aren’t as supportive as other options. Jute yoga mats are similar to cotton mats in that they are made from a natural, renewable, and biodegradable material. But cotton mats absorb sweat effectively and provide a good grip, even when wet. They tend to be thinner than other mats, however, so they don’t offer as much support. CottonĬotton yoga mats are a very eco-friendly option because they’re made from a renewable, natural material and are biodegradable.
However, PER doesn’t have phthalates or toxins and can be recycled, so it’s a relatively eco-friendly option. PER yoga mats are actually made from PVC. Foam mats can also contain latex, however, so they don’t work for practitioners with allergies.
They provide the same performance but are recyclable and toxin-free. Like rubber, foam yoga mats are an environmentally friendly alternative to PVC mats. If you have allergies, however, the latex could be an issue. Rubber mats are as durable and supportive as PVC styles, but they’re a better option for environmentally minded practitioners. Rubber is another popular yoga mat material, and it’s considered an eco-friendly alternative to PVC. However, PVC yoga mats do contain phthalates and dangerous toxins, and they aren’t recyclable, so this isn’t an eco-friendly option. PVC mats tend to be inexpensive, and mats of this material are often a great choice for beginners because they’re reasonably durable, comfortable, and provide good grip.
PVC is one of the most popular materials for yoga mats. Yoga mat materials PVC (polyvinyl chloride) Yoga mats typically come in six materials: PVC, rubber, foam, PER, cotton, and jute.