Exercise has become the norm for most people, and everyone has a yoga mat at home. However, not everyone understands how to choose a yoga mat. According to different sports situations, it is very important to choose a suitable yoga mat. Therefore, we need to know about the yoga mat before we can buy a suitable yoga mat.
When choosing a yoga mat, consider the following dimensions:
Material
The most important factor to consider when choosing a yoga mat is the material. Material is directly linked to quality and price. At present, the most common materials for yoga mats are PVC, NBR, TPE, rubber, cork, and linen.
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride):
Yoga mats made of this material are very common, because they are cost-effective, soft, slightly smelly, and more durable than NBR materials. Yoga mats made of this material are cheaper on the market. For beginners, yoga mats made of this material are cost-effective and highly recommended.
NBR:
It is currently an environmentally friendly material between PVC and TPE. It has the excellent characteristics of rubber, strong acid and alkali corrosion resistance, strong anti-aging performance, longer service life, non-toxic and tasteless, and the price is relatively moderate. It is the most suitable for beginners. Good choice.
TPE:
This material is called thermoplastic rubber. It is a new type of environmentally friendly material. It has elasticity close to natural rubber, but it is much cheaper in price. Compared with the first two types, TPE material is more environmentally friendly, and has no odor at all, which is safe and non-toxic. For beginners, it is a very good choice.
Rubber:
Rubber yoga mats are very soft and give users a great experience. The anti-skid and grip performance are very good, and the price will be much more expensive than the first three.
Cork:
It is a relatively high-end material. The biggest advantage is that it is environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and has excellent slip resistance. But it needs to be scrubbed in time, otherwise it is easy to hide dirt. Cork yoga mats are generally matched with other materials, usually one side of cork, one side of rubber or TPE, so the price is slightly higher.
Linen:
The material of linen will make the yoga mat very slip-resistant. This material is mainly natural and environmentally friendly, and the price is higher.
Size
The second very important factor is size. In the process of purchasing a yoga mat, everyone must have encountered the problem of choosing the size. Generally, the width of the yoga mat is about 60cm, and the choice of length will be in the range of about 170cm and 180cm. You can choose this according to your height. You can also choose a wider and longer yoga mat according to the area of your exercise.
Yoga mats usually have thicknesses of 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 15mm, etc. Others are some ultra-thin 1.5mm foldable yoga mats, and suitable thicknesses can be customized according to sports needs, such as thicknesses above 20mm. A thick yoga mat will give our hands, feet and joints a good cushion, but there are pros and cons. Thick yoga mats can also make us lose some stability because of their softness. The thicker yoga mat exists to facilitate stretching after training, and the extra-thick yoga mat allows the baby to crawl.
Generally speaking, beginners recommend 6-8mm yoga mats, advanced users can choose 3-6mm yoga mats, and experienced users can choose 1.5-3mm yoga mats, which can more fully perceive the ground.
Please purchase a yoga mat with more than 10mm, the balance of standing will be very poor, but it can be considered if it is used for stretching or abdominal training.
Slip Resistance
The slip resistance of the yoga mat is very important. The slip resistance includes not only the contact between us and the yoga mat, but also the slip resistance between the yoga mat and the ground, which is what everyone calls the gripping effect. Generally, yoga mats made of natural materials (natural rubber, linen, cork) have better anti-skid performance, but in fact, the gap in anti-skid performance between yoga mats of different materials is not very large. In addition to the material of the yoga mat, the slip resistance is related to many factors: such as the texture of the yoga mat, temperature, humidity, ground environment, and the practitioner’s own factors. So aside from other factors, simply saying how good the anti-skid performance of your yoga mat is is basically an exaggeration.
When it comes to slip resistance, we have to talk about yoga towels. When I first bought a yoga mat, I only knew that the towel was non-slip, and I didn’t know if I needed it. In fact, whether you need a yoga towel can mainly consider two factors: whether you sweat a lot, you need a yoga towel to absorb sweat and slip; whether you often use a public yoga mat, it must play a role in isolation and be more hygienic. If you go to the gym, you can bring a yoga towel for isolation.
Resilience
Friends who are not familiar with yoga mats may not take this factor into consideration when purchasing a yoga mat for the first time. In fact, resilience is a very important factor in measuring the comfort of a yoga mat, and good resilience will bring us a very comfortable experience.
Generally, yoga mats made of natural rubber and TPE have very good resilience, while the resilience of NBR and PVC will be much worse. Yoga mats made of flax and cork also depend on the resilience of other materials that are blended with them. Generally, the resilience is very good.
Based on the above, do you know how to choose a yoga mat?
Let’s summarize:
There are no problems with PVC, NBR and TPE, and TPE is the priority. If you have a large budget, natural rubber, cork and linen are recommended. The thickness of 6-8mm is better for beginners, and thinner yoga mats for advanced users. A yoga towel is not necessary. If you sweat a lot, or you often use a public yoga mat, it is recommended to prepare one. With a comprehensive budget, you can choose the yoga mat that suits you. Friends who already own or plan to buy, remember to exercise! Things have value when they are used.