In case you’ve been skipping your favourite vinyasa flows as a consequence of cranky joints, one of the best thick yoga mat might help you take pleasure in your apply once more—with out the discomfort. “Thicker yoga mats—1 / 4 inch (6 millimeters) or extra—are really useful if a scholar has delicate joints or [needs] knee or wrist help,” Tonya Brueggemeyer-Proctor, the nationwide yoga instructor operation supervisor at Life Time, tells SELF.
If that sounds such as you, you’re in luck. We’ve examined tons of yoga mats through the years, a lot of which play properly with our our bodies—from our elbows to our knees to our hips to our again. Higher nonetheless, you could find a high-quality, joint-friendly mat at just about any worth level. Store our picks beneath, then learn on to study extra about the advantages of training yoga on a soft floor.
Our high picks
- Greatest General: Bala The Play Mat, $129
- Greatest Finances Decide: All in Movement Premium Health Mat, $33
- Greatest for Sizzling Yoga: Manduka Professional Yoga Mat, $138
- Greatest Finances Decide for Sizzling Yoga: Gaiam Dry-Grip Yoga Mat, $70
- Greatest Foldable Mat: Lululemon The Foldable Mat, $118
- Greatest Measurement Choices: Hugger Mugger Tapas Extremely Yoga Mat, $62
On this article
Store one of the best thick yoga mats
Say goodbye to ache factors—and say good day to a lot chiller flows.
Greatest General: Bala The Play Mat
“Common yoga mats usually depart my wrists in ache as a result of they’re simply too skinny and do not shield my joints from the ground almost sufficient,” SELF’s senior commerce editor says. “My Bala mat, nevertheless, is so thick that I can do downward canines and solar salutations with out lacking a beat.” The Play Mat clocks in at eight millimeters thick and gives a superb, impact-absorbing basis to your exercises.
Our editor additionally notes that, whereas the Play Mat is loads plush, it doesn’t make her really feel like she’s doing yoga in mattress: “It has simply the correct amount of cushioning, however doesn’t really feel squishy both.”
Dimensions: 71 x 26.50 inches | Thickness: 8 millimeters | Weight: 12 kilos
Greatest Finances Decide: All in Movement Premium Health Mat
All in Movement
Premium Health Mat
All in Movement’s budget-friendly, extra-thick yoga mat gained a 2024 SELF House Health Award for its versatility and sturdiness. Our tester had hers for 3 years when she really useful it for the Awards final yr, and it’s nonetheless going robust. She repeatedly makes use of it on uneven flooring like carpeting and out of doors decks with out difficulty and feels noticeable strain reduction round her palms, knees, and ft.
Measurement: 72 x 24 inches | Thickness: 15 millimeters | Weight: 3 kilos
Greatest for Sizzling Yoga: Manduka Professional Yoga Mat
The perfect-selling Manduka Professional earned the title of “the Rolls-Royce of yoga mats” from one in every of our House Health Award judges. It strikes a formidable stability between cushioning and stability, Holly Perkins, CSCS, advised us. “I like that it feels so substantial and doesn’t transfer on the ground—it stays caught! It’s thicker than most yoga mats, so it’s [also] nice for energy workouts, however not so thick that your ft stick in and are unstable,” she defined.
Because of its grip—on each the highest and backside layers—this mat is very nice for scorching yoga lessons. You gained’t slip by yourself sweat or fear about your mat sliding all around the studio ground.
Measurement: 71 x 26 inches | Thickness: 6 millimeters | Weight: 7.50 kilos
Greatest Finances Decide for Sizzling Yoga: Gaiam Dry-Grip Yoga Mat
You will get nice grip for lower than $100 once you store Gaiam’s Dry-Grip mat. SELF’s affiliate artwork director loves its just-right thickness—and we like that it’s pure rubber- and latex-free, for many who could also be delicate to these supplies.
This mat has a textured floor that’s completed with a nonslip, moisture-wicking coating, so your palms and ft will persist with it even through the steamiest yoga practices.
Dimensions: 68 x 24 inches | Thickness: 5 millimeters | Weight: 5.24 kilos
Greatest Foldable Mat: Lululemon The Foldable Mat
Lululemon
The Foldable Mat
After all Lululemon has a top-tier thick yoga mat—its customary mannequin is a longstanding SELF editor fave. This one places a twist on the standard roll-up fashion and as an alternative folds right into a tidy, stackable rectangle when not in use. Not solely are you able to save area with this mat, however you may as well extra finely tune its thickness: In case you want extra cushioning for sure yoga poses or strikes, fold the mat beneath itself for some additional padding.
Dimensions: 71 x 26 inches | Thickness: 6.50 millimeters | Weight: 4.20 kilos
Greatest Measurement Choices: Hugger Mugger Tapas Extremely Yoga Mat
Hugger Mugger
Tapas Extremely Yoga Mat
One SELF editor fell in love with this ultra-sticky mat at her yoga studio earlier than choosing one up for at-home use. And she or he may take her choose from three(!) size choices—which is nice if you would like a extra tailored-to-you match: As SELF has beforehand reported, taller of us could favor an extended mat that may higher accommodate asanas with vast stances. Those that are on the shorter facet, however, could favor Hugger Mugger’s 68-inch Tapas mat.
Dimensions: 68 x 24 inches; 74 x 24 inches; 80 x 24 inches | Thickness: 6.35 inches | Weight: 2.20 kilos
Regularly requested questions
What are the advantages of utilizing a thick yoga mat?
If exercising and stretching on laborious flooring hurts your joints, including a little bit of cushioning beneath you may make an enormous distinction. The thicker the yoga mat, the much less strain in your factors of contact with the ground, like your palms, wrists, knees, elbows, or backbone. While you aren’t continuously adjusting your poses to discover a modification that spares your joints, you may higher give attention to the apply at hand.
One factor to notice: On account of their additional cushioning, thick yoga mats are typically heavier than thinner choices. What you acquire in consolation you lose in portability, so contemplate investing in a sturdy carrying strap (or a separate, lighter-weight mat altogether) for when you’ll want to commute to the studio.
Which actions are thick yoga mats good for?
“Thick mats are good for restorative, light yoga and floor-based energy coaching,” Brueggemeyer-Proctor says. Suppose gradual flows with numerous stretching and managed body weight strikes.
When your movement is faster-paced or includes extra balancing poses, it’s possible you’ll need to swap in a thinner mat. “The drawback of utilizing a thicker mat [is that] it makes holding poses tougher or can affect stability and stability in yoga,” Brueggemeyer-Proctor explains. You might want to check out a pair mats of various thicknesses to search out the appropriate stage of cushioning to your physique and apply.
“Hearken to your physique: A thicker mat would possibly really feel far more snug to your delicate knees, otherwise you would possibly discover that you just’re sinking an excessive amount of and want one thing flatter,” Annie Strikes, a registered yoga teacher at Alo Strikes, beforehand advised SELF.
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