Holiday Season Yoga Mat Shopping Guide

Introduction


It's not easy to shop for yoga products. Looks like everything is about yoga nowadays. It's actually kind of fun shopping for a yoga mat, but don't get distracted by the bright colors. I will tell you why.
All my knowledge of yoga mats is in this guide. I've been collecting information for some time.

Price Range
It's not surprising to find yoga products so overpriced, with lower end accessories being subpar quality. There's been a steady incline of quality of yoga mats and the prices have been dropping. This is probably due to competition.. You really don't need a very expensive yoga mat to practice without problems. Naturally, better material is higher priced, and premium mats are the most expensive. Yoga mats can cost up to $100, so we'll divide them into cheap, intermediate and ultra-premium categories.

Beginner Yoga Mats

We would consider the available mats in this category and check the ones with best material, and most thickness.

Beginner Yoga mats' material
Most beginner yoga mats are easily replaceable, most are not designed to last a long time and kind of suggest to be tossed away after a while. It's a well-known fact that PVC is a toxic and harmful material, yet so many yoga mats were (and still are being) made out of this stuff. These PVC mats are available at most yoga studios. Most studio owners praise these mats for their reliability and low price. The performance of a typical PVC mat is adequate for beginner students, which are usually in majority in most studios. The recent emergence of eco-friendly materials is a good sign for the yoga industry. Materials such as TPE, Durafoam, cotton and rubber mixtures were introduced at the same price level as PVC, creating a new generation of inexpensive but eco-conscious yoga mats. It does make a difference when your mat is non-toxic and biodegradable. To conclude - the material of your cheap yoga mat should be as natural as possible, and it should not contain any PVC or other toxic compounds.

If you are buying a disposable mat, make sure it will degrade naturally.

Thicker or thinner?

Depending on the style you are practicing, extra cushioning for your knees and joints may be a good idea. Unfortunately, lots of inexpensive yoga mats are too thin. Check thickness before you buy. The reduction in price is often due to less material being used in production. Quite of few brands, actually, market their extra thin "travel" versions at a very accessible price. A lot of beginners end up buying those mats only to find them worthless. Beginner students should use extra cushioning. So consider this word of caution - brand name mats that are too cheap to be true, are most likely as thin as paper and will not be a good idea for beginner students.

Medium-priced mats

This category contains a bit more products, as the price range is more reasonable to produce a variety of products. According to our reviews and consumer ratings, there are about 4 main brands you should consider. You can find those companies on top of all consumer ratings. These are brands like Jade and Manduka. Saving you a lot of time - just get a mat from any of these brands. Pick one that costs about $40 and you are guaranteed a quality mid-range product that will do its job very well.


Higher quality material

Most yoga mats featured in this price range are made from eco-conscious material. While natural rubber is the most durable material, it is also the most expensive. To keep the prices reasonable for the intermediate category, most manufacturers mix natural rubber with other compounds. Popular brands also make rubber and latex free mats for those who have allergies. These mats are not very reliable but look and feel great.

Most of these yoga mats are of high quality and we heard a lot of positive feedback on their performance. Please remember that you need to properly care for an all-natural product. It will decompose and will get dirty and smelly if not cleaned regularly.

Highest Quality Mats

Just like with premium cars, there's not much competition in this range, and whatever is available is way better than anything below. We suggest looking at Manduka and Jade yoga mats. The quality of their product is so high no one is even trying to beat them.


That's about it for today. I hope you enjoyed my advice.The bottom line is your budget, once you know how much you are willing to spend, pick a mat with features outlined above. I wish you luck in your practice and hope you get the most out of yoga.