5 Essential Yoga Mats: For Home and for Travel
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Throughout my life I’ve enjoyed many types of dance, aerobics and other types of movement and physical exercise but it was important to me to amp up my yoga practice in 2020 when I was home more frequently due to the pandemic. It was a strange and unusual time and I felt that the stress relief, sense of balance and overall calm that come through a regular yoga practice were needed benefits in addition to the physical sense of well-being. Yoga became an important part of my self-care routine and I’m continuing with a varied, stepped-up practice into 2021.
I’ve collected a number of yoga mats over the years, all of which serve a different purpose in a specific time and place. And as I’ve increased the frequency of my sessions over time I’ve come to understand the pros and cons of various yoga mats.
Manduka Pro Yoga Mat 6mm
For my 2021 yoga splurge I bought this Cadillac of a mat from Manduka and I am absolutely loving it! It’s a sturdy, 6mm thick mat, the perfect thickness and density for the stability and joint protection needed with a regular practice. It is absolutely the most comfortable mat I’ve ever used, you can really feel the difference.
Click the mat to buy it from Manduka!
I went ahead and got the extra long (85 inch) model, something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. I’m relatively tall (still) and, although regular length mats are actually fine, I just wanted the luxury of the extra length to avoid constant adjustments as I transition through the various movements. It’s a lovely, deep midnight blue with the beautiful sheen of a high-end mat. No regrets whatsoever, it was definitely worth it! At 9.5 pounds, I don’t plan to travel with it overseas but it’s perfect for local and at-home yoga.
Also picked up this delightfully scented lavender yoga mat wash and a couple of yoga blocks (in midnight blue so they match my mat!)
Gaiam Performance Jute Mat 5mm
This is another recent purchase, it just looked too fun to pass up! It’s made from all-natural jute and a material called PER which is latex- and silicone-free. The instructions suggested going over it with a damp cloth before use to increase adhesion which caused a bit of pilling of the jute material but it only happened once and has been stable and great-looking since then. It smelled a bit strong when I opened it so I put it outside for a while and it is now odor-free. It’s very sturdy and doesn’t buckle which is great for stability and balance work.
Buy it from Gaiam here:
YOGA MATS FOR WHEN YOU’RE TRAVELING
Gaiam Premium Purple Mandala Yoga Mat 6mm
I was lucky to be able to spend the summer of 2019 in Boston with my son who was enrolled in a musical theater workshop and realized once we got there that he would need a yoga mat for some of his classes. I found some beautiful Gaiam mats at the Whole Foods store down the street and bought one for him and one for me! I knew this was the one for him because purple is his favorite color. It’s a very reasonable weight to carry back and forth to classes.
Buy it from Gaiam here:
Gaiam Whirling Whisper Yoga Mat 4mm
I also bought this one in Boston in the summer of 2019. This Gaiam mat is a great one for travelers because it’s light-weight and easy to roll up and pack. I used this one on a daily basis throughout the summer and it’s still gorgeous!
Buy it from Gaiam here:
I bought this mat on Amazon in 2018 when I was on a six-week trip with my daughter Ally to the US (when I was based in Strasbourg, France) with one month spent in Milwaukee, WI doing political advocacy work, a three-day road trip through Gettysburg and Philadelphia and then a visit with family in Maryland. I realized that I hadn’t thought to bring a mat with me overseas and when I arrived I bought this one on Amazon to use for the duration of our stay. I ended up taking it back to France with me (and, um, now it’s in Ohio; a well-traveled mat!) and my son adopted it for his evening exercise routine. It has held up well! Weighing in at 1.5 pounds, it’s perfect for travel.
I hope you find the best mat for you whether you’re doing yoga at home or on the road!