Best Thick Yoga Mats

Thickness is what you came for, and it is also the compromise, so understand it before ordering. Mats in this class run from about 0.25 inch up to the half inch and 0.6 inch figures quoted on the thickest models, and every millimetre you add protects knees, elbows and spine in kneeling and supine work while making standing balance measurably harder, because your foot sinks and the ankle has to correct for it. If your practice is mostly floor-based, restorative or rehab work, go thick. If you hold tree and warrior for minutes at a time, a thick mat will fight you. Size is the next number and it is where cheap mats disappoint: standard length is 68 inches, while 72 by 32 gives a tall person room for a full layout and stops hands landing on the floor in downward dog. Some mats taper, listed as 32 or 24 inches wide, so read which you are getting. Material decides grip more than any surface pattern does. TPE is light, closed-cell and easy to wipe, NBR is the softest and most cushioned but scuffs, and none of the foam types grip well once wet, so if you sweat heavily plan on a towel over the top. A thick mat is heavy and does not roll tight, which is why a carrying strap matters and why storage should be settled before purchase. Reversible prints change nothing.