![]() “Choose a mat that provides the properties that will make your yoga session better, rather than one that detracts from your session,” Deitrick recommends.įor example, a more cushioned mat may be preferable for people who have certain kinds of back pain or who find it painful to lie on the ground, says Rita Burlingame-Toppen, OTD, an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wis., and a certified yoga instructor. But we do note below the one type of mat that seems to have a better wet grip. We didn’t score the mats on this feature because it depends a lot on the moisture level and on the type of surface the mat has. a dry hand, to take into account that people sometimes have sweaty hands and feet during yoga. We also evaluated wet grip by comparing how much grip the mat had on a damp hand vs. This feature is especially important for yoga poses like downward-facing dog, in which a user’s weight is not applied to the mat straight up and down, but from an angle. Then we measured how much force was needed to drag the weight across the surface of the mat. More cushiony mats tend to provide the least amount of grip.įinally, to evaluate how well the top surface of the mat would grip your hands and feet, we again placed a 10-pound weight on top of the mat. To find out how well the bottom of each mat grips the floor, we placed a 10-pound weight on top of the mat, then measured how much force was needed to drag the mat across a smooth surface. If you mainly practice on carpet, you’ll probably need less cushioning. If you’re using a mat on a hard, smooth floor, you may prefer a more cushioned mat. “Mats that compress more under the same weight offer more comfort and protection to your body,” Deitrick says, although a mat with more give may also feel less stable. ![]() We tested a mat’s cushioning by using a machine that applies a set amount of weight to a surface and measures how much the surface gives in response to the weight. ![]() Mats that absorb little water tend to dry more quickly but also can get slippery. More absorbent mats can also be somewhat more difficult to clean. The more absorbent a mat is, the longer it takes to dry. We evaluated drying time by soaking each mat in water (our stand-in for sweat) and recording its weight loss over time as it dried. Here, you’ll find more information on how we tested these yoga mats, what you can expect out of six mat categories, and CR’s take on each model. “Our tests were designed to show the differences in performance that a user can expect.” “Each of our tested mats would likely be the perfect mat for somebody out there, so we are not providing Overall Scores,” says Bernie Deitrick, who led CR’s testing of yoga mats. Instead, we’re showing how they scored in four key metrics: drying time, cushioning, how well they grip the floor, and how well they grip your hands and feet. That’s why we’re not presenting an overall ranking of the yoga mats we tested. Different features will be more important in different scenarios. There’s no one yoga mat that’s best for everyone. Consumer Reports evaluated 19 yoga mats to help you figure out which mat is best for your needs-depending on whether you’re toting a mat back and forth to the gym, practicing on a carpeted floor at home, rolling your mat out on a hard surface, or using it in some other way.
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