You’ll know you’ve found the best yoga mat for your practice when it keeps you so comfortable and steady on your feet that you barely notice it. Sliding on sweaty hands? Never. Curling up at the ends? Not a thing.
Your mat is the backbone of your yoga routine, whether you prefer classes at home or at a local studio, so we consulted experts about how to find an amazing one. Among our top picks are editor favorites, including several SELF Home Fitness Award winners. And once you find a mat that works for you, consider adding yoga blocks and other helpful props to your practice.
Our top picks
- Best Overall: Manduka Pro Yoga Mat, $138
- Best for Hot Yoga: Lululemon The Mat, $98
- Best for Asana Yoga: Alo Yoga Chakra Warrior Mat, $138
- Best for Taller and Bigger Bodies: JadeYoga XW Fusion, $200
- Best for At-Home Use: Bala The Play Mat, $99
- Best Budget Pick: All in Motion Premium Fitness Mat, $30
In this article
Shop the best yoga mats
Our picks were made to help you go with the flow.
Best Overall: Manduka Pro Yoga Mat
This Home Fitness Award–winning yoga mat comes recommended by multiple instructors for its superior comfort and extra cushioning. Holly Perkins, CSCS, calls it the Rolls Royce of yoga mats: “I love that it feels so substantial and doesn’t move on the floor—it stays stuck! It’s thicker than most yoga mats, so it’s [also] great for strength exercises, but not so thick that your feet stick in and are unstable,” she adds.
Jackie Skinner, a yoga instructor in NYC, and Jake Panasevich, a yoga instructor and health-science journalist in Philadelphia, also love the Pro mat’s thickness and stability. They both point out that it’s on the heavier side, though, so it’s better if you drive to a class or practice at home. That said, I’ve owned this mat for five years—it still feels brand new, by the way—and I rely on the Manduka’s Yoga Commuter Mat Carrier to sling it over my shoulder, which works like a charm.
Size: 71 x 26 in | Thickness: 6 mm | Weight: 7.5 lbs
Best for Hot Yoga: Lululemon The Mat
Lululemon’s rubber yoga mat is reversible, with a smooth side and a grippier, textured one that’ll prevent your hands from sliding in sweat, even when you’re practicing in a sauna-like studio. Panasevich got several years of use—in indoor and outdoor classes—out of his, and he’s quick to recommend it. “It provides strong grip, so you don’t slide, and sufficient padding,” he tells SELF. “It’s plenty big for those with broader shoulders and taller folks, yet not awkwardly bulky.”
Our Home Fitness Awards tester sang this mat’s praises after testing it for at-home Pilates and barre workouts. “The rough, textural design and grippy surface allowed me to jump up and down for burpees and transition from standing to sitting workouts,” she said. “Even with jumping jacks, the mat never slipped, which I experienced with many low-quality mats.”
Size: 71 x 26 in | Thickness: 5 mm | Weight: 5 lbs
Best for Asana Yoga: Alo Yoga Chakra Warrior Mat
The design on this mat isn’t just for decoration—it has an asana grid etched into it, so you can check your alignment throughout class. Plus, the surface texture is ideal for tougher flows: “It provides a non-slip surface, which means if I take a sweaty hot yoga class, I don’t need to worry about slipping around on my mat,” Kylan Fischer, founder of Bendy Babes and a yoga instructor in Sunset Beach, California, tells SELF.
Size: 74 x 26 in | Thickness: 5 mm | Weight: 8 lbs
Best for Taller and Bigger Bodies: JadeYoga XW Fusion
Jessamyn Stanley, an award-winning yoga instructor, author of Every Body Yoga, and founder of The Underbelly yoga app, previously told SELF that this extra-long XW Fusion mat from JadeYoga is her go-to. “I can’t recommend it highly enough—it’s expensive, but worth every penny,” she said. As the brand’s widest, thickest, and longest mat, it’s designed to fit and support folks with larger and taller bodies.
Size: 80 x 28 in | Thickness: 8 mm | Weight: 9 lbs
Best for At-Home Use: Bala The Play Mat
Cute and curvy, the Play Mat is worth considering for anyone with annoying aches. “Regular yoga mats often leave my wrists in pain because they’re just too thin and don’t protect my joints from the floor nearly enough,” SELF’s senior commerce editor, Sarah Felbin, says. “My Bala mat, however, is so thick that I can do downward dogs and sun salutations without missing a beat. It has just the right amount of cushioning, but doesn’t feel squishy, either.”
It’s on the heavier side, so we recommend keeping it at home—thankfully, it’s pretty enough to leave out. But if you want to roll it up and take it on the go, SELF’s commerce director, Shanna Shipin, is a fan of the matching scrunchie that keeps it from unfurling.
Size: 71 x 26.5 in | Thickness: 5 mm | Weight: 8 lbs
Best Budget Pick: All In Motion Premium Fitness Mat 15mm
If you’re not a huge yoga person but still need a mat for Pilates, consider the Home Fitness Award–winning All In Motion Premium Fitness Mat. It’s made specifically for floor-based workouts, with extra cushioning (15 milliliters!) for sensitive joints. Our tester, who used it outside and indoors for a variety of workouts, confirmed this, saying it prevents pressure from building up in her hands, knees, and feet.
The textured surface provides enough stability for many exercises, although the mat’s probably too thick for balance-heavy workouts. The included carrying strap makes it easy to tote around too.
Size: 72 x 24 in | Thickness: 15 mm | Weight: 3 lbs
How we picked the best yoga mats
A great yoga experience starts with your mat. To make sure we’re only recommending top-tier options, we asked yoga and fitness instructors which mats they personally use and which activities they’re best for. Plus, SELF staff tested several options for months (some even won Home Fitness Awards!) to crown our final winners.
What to consider when choosing a yoga mat
A thicker mat is ideal if you’re practicing on hardwood or primarily using it for floor poses and stretching. With enough supportive cushioning, you can focus on your yoga practice, rather than on uncomfortable pressure points.
On the other hand, some people may find it easier to balance and flow more dynamically on a thinner mat (typically under four millimeters). “Listen to your body: A thicker mat might feel way more comfortable for your sensitive knees, or you might find that you’re sinking too much and need something flatter,” Annie Moves, a registered yoga instructor at Alo Moves, tells SELF.
Most standard yoga mats are 71 or 72 inches long, but you can find options that are both shorter (68 inches) and longer (80 inches). If you’re on the taller side, it may be worth seeking out a longer mat that’ll accommodate your body, since many yoga poses involve a wide stance (think warrior II, downward dog, and goddess pose).
If you sweat a lot or frequently go to hot yoga classes, using a mat with a non-slip surface can help keep you from sliding around. Look for options made with open-celled materials like polyurethane foam, which is extra absorbent. (You’ll still want to regularly clean your mat to prevent bacteria buildup.) Bringing a yoga towel is another way to avoid practicing in sweat puddles.
There are also textured yoga mats, which feature grippy nubs along the top that can give you more stability. “You can also get mats with dual surfaces, featuring a smooth surface on one side and textured grip on the other,” Chelsea Jackson Roberts, a yoga instructor at Peloton in NYC, tells SELF. If you practice both hot, fast-paced yoga and slower flows, a more versatile option might be your best choice.
A thinner, lightweight mat is ideal if you often take your mat on the go because it can pack away easily. Thinner mats should be able to fit in carrying straps, roll up into your yoga mat or gym bag, or even fold down into compact squares.
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