The Best Yoga Mats

If you want to downward dog while drinking daiquiris on vacation, this lightweight travel mat fits the bill. At 1.5 mm, the eKO Superlite is much thinner than the award-winning 4.7-mm Manduka Prolite Yoga Mat, so it's easy to roll up tightly in your suitcase.

Its 24-inch-wide frame comes in a standard 71-inch length and a longer 79-inch model. The standard version gave me plenty of space for standard yoga moves, but if you are tall and need something longer, the 79-inch length is only a half-pound heavier.

Made from sustainably harvested 99 percent latex-free tree rubber, this mat offers excellent grip. It has an “orange peel” top surface for traction so you won’t be slipping around when stretching out in warrior. It’s not as padded as a standard yoga mat, so you might have to protect your knees with an extra towel, but having such a grippy surface will do wonders for your practice. Its closed-cell surface is designed to lock out moisture and bacteria, and wiping it down with a yoga mat spray helps to keep things hygienic.

It’s easy to see why the Harmony is JadeYoga’s most popular design and has won numerous awards. Not only is it made in the USA from natural, nontoxic, eco-friendly rubber, but for every yoga mat sold, one tree is planted.

This mat looks and feels premium and is made from natural, eco-friendly rubber with no PVC, EVA, or other synthetic rubber. It has been designed to provide really good grip and better cushioning than synthetic mats, and while it isn’t the smoothest material I’ve tried, I really like how much grip it provides. It’s also easy to handle and rolls up tightly for storing neatly.

It comes in a 5-mm thickness in two lengths, including a 68-inch and 74-inch, so it works well for tall and shorter users. The 68-inch size gave me plenty of space to comfortably stretch out and lie down after my yoga session. It comes in a choice of stylish colors. I chose the raspberry color, which is quite dark, so dust and dirt did show up on it, but this was easy to wipe away using one of my yoga mat cleaning sprays. The mat dries quickly, so I could pop it back in my yoga bag for the next session.

If you suffer from a latex allergy, consider this attractive rubber design made from a smooth and durable TPE fabric. It's from Sweaty Betty, the same brand that sells a sea of wonderfully comfortable and functional activewear.

Sweaty Betty highlights this yoga mat as being great for balance, and I found the latex-free rubber worked well to keep my feet positioned securely. While I prefer a textured mat, the smooth but grippy nature did well to ensure that my feet neither slid around too freely nor awkwardly squeaked while moving.

On each side of the mat there are markings to help you align your body, which can be useful in certain poses such as downward dog and warrior. At 4.85 pounds, the mat has a nice weight to it without feeling too bulky, and it was just the right size to roll up neatly and slide into my yoga bag after each class.

With its vibrant tropical design, this mat has head-turning style. It's PVC-free and features Liforme’s “alignment system” printed in eco-friendly, nontoxic ink. This signature graphic is designed to help you perfect your practice with symmetrical lines to guide the position of your hands, feet, and body. It's useful for performing poses such as warrior or flowing through a sequence.

Several features of the mat also make it a good match for hot yoga and sweaty yogis. Its “GripforMe” surface comprises a thin layer of nontoxic, proprietary polyurethane with an open-celled structure that absorbs moisture and prevents it from becoming too slippery when wet. The base of the mat is made of foamed natural rubber, while a non-absorbent barrier layer in the middle ensures that any sweat evaporates rather than seeps in. It's not cheap, but the price does include a carrying bag.

Brines von Melle was also impressed. “It’s got very good grip, and I really enjoyed moving on this mat,” she says. “I noticed how good the grip was in downward dog and when doing sun salutations, and I think the alignment points are great for anyone new to yoga.”

At first glance, the Lululemon Align mat seems pretty similar to our top pick from the same brand. Both mats are made with FSC-certified rubber with a smooth top layer that provides good grip and cushioned support—particularly useful with high-sweat sessions. But instead of a marbled design, the Align mat features subtle lines for alignment cues. These helped me gain stability in my poses, so I knew where to put my hands and feet without them distracting me from my practice. The Align comes in three solid colors: pink; black; and, my favorite, a green called Meadow Haze.

The mat is a little awkward to roll up, as the material flaps around considerably, but it's still one of the best I’ve tried. It felt nicely secure on the wooden floor in my open-plan kitchen area. The smooth surface not only felt great to lie on after practice, but was also easy to wipe clean and dry.

Like the Lululemon mat, this Les Mills style is 5 mm thick, but it has a very different finish and feel. It is made up of a red and gray high-density eco-PVC material that is built for working hard. Its surface is made to anchor you during the sweatiest of training sessions. The gray side has an anti-slip coating for high-impact exercise and weight training, while the red surface has excellent grip, ideal for yoga.

While I didn’t find it as smooth or tactile as a standard yoga mat, I did like the versatility. It's easy to wipe clean, and it lasted well. I positioned it under my spin bike for a month (to protect the floor) and was surprised to find that the dent marks from the bike faded fast.

Brines von Melle thought that this was a good option for all-around exercise. “I like the fact that this mat has two sides to it to suit your goals,” she says. “It’s not the most comfortable yoga mat, but it works well when moving, and it’s convenient and easy to store. It has eyelet holes on one end so you can hang it up to air and store if needed too.”

Designed for yoga, Pilates, strength training and any exercise that involves light movement, the Play Mat comes in both a 5-mm version for everyday flow and an 8-mm version to provide support for more energetic workouts.

Bala products are unapologetically playful in design—just take a look at the mat's bubblegum pink finish that matches Bala’s complementing accessories, including the Bala Beam and the versatile weighted Bala Bangles. After spotting the mat’s unmistakably pink Barbie-esque design on the socials of celebs such as Reese Witherspoon and Victoria Beckham, my superficial self just had to give it a go.

The mat, accessories, and accompanying Bala app (from $24 per month) have substance, too, and I’m enjoying the sculpt, sweat, and dance workouts. I’ve also been diving into more chilled meditation, breathwork, and stretching sessions that are making me feel like part of the trendy Bala club—albeit in my gray sweats, on my own, in my spare room.

The top of the mat is made from a synthetic high-grade polyurethane (PU), and while it’s not renewable, it does provide good grip and is nonslip. The cushioned support felt noticeably gentle on my knees and hands when attempting dynamic poses. Meanwhile, the base is made from FSC-certified natural rubber for peace of mind. The 5 mm thickness worked just fine for me, but if you have achy joints or want more support, I’d go for the thicker 8 mm version.

The mat’s pale color does tend to show every bit of dust and dirt—especially when I work out wearing my sneakers—so a good wipe down after use is a must. It rolls up neatly for storage, but a separate Mat Scrunchie or a yoga mat bag to stop it from unraveling will help.

Like the Manduka eKo Superlite Travel Mat (reviewed above), the eKO Yoga Mat 5 mm is made from natural tree rubber, which is a good option for those who aren’t sensitive to latex. The material created good traction, which made moving around easy and helped me balance without sliding around.

It comes in fewer colors compared to the Manduka travel mat, but its calming shades include the bold Elderberry Midnight (shown) that I found easy on the eye.

This mat is heavier than some of the others and much thicker than the travel mat, but I was still able to roll it up tightly to carry neatly from home to class. It also took a while for the natural rubbery smell you can sometimes get with a new mat to disappear.

While it didn’t feel as smooth against my skin compared to mats from the likes of Liforme or Lululemon, I love how cushioned its surface feels and how much balance I achieved while practicing yoga. I felt grounded in tree pose and downward dog, and the material didn’t stick to my skin when I got hot. The mat wipes clean, too.

A sustainable option, the JadeYoga Mushroom mat is made from renewable natural rubber and USDA Certified Organic oyster mushroom waste, with no PVC or synthetic plastics. It may not come in as many color options as the Harmony mat, but I love the offerings of forest green, midnight blue, berry pink, and purple.

It doesn’t roll up as neatly as some of the sleeker mats I’ve tried, but this is nothing that a good yoga mat bag can’t help with. Additionally, the textured surface attracts dust, which made it harder to keep clean than a standard mat.

What sets this design apart, however, is that it’s noticeably more springy and cushioned compared to a standard yoga mat. As a result, it provides good grip and stability. It comes in two lengths to suit your body frame. The 68-inch version served me well when practicing yoga and stretching out.

With its cushioned surface, this mat was particularly comfortable while relaxing in savasana at the end of my practice. I also think it’s a great option for yoga nidra (aka yoga sleep) or any type of meditative or restorative practice where you want that little bit more comfort.

It's a luxury choice for the little yogi in your life, but the Playful Kids yoga mat offers the best quality in a fun-size bundle. There aren’t that many designs for kids out there, but this is the most attractive I’ve found. In truth, it's better looking than many adult styles.

The mat is 15 inches shorter than the adult-size Liforme yoga mat and about a pound lighter, making it easier to manage for smaller hands. It also comes with a carry bag.

A mat like this can be an enticing way to get kids to join in on a yoga session, such as the popular Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube. It worked well for my 7-year-old son, William, who suffers from tight calf muscles after playing soccer. The mat encouraged him to stretch more and unwind before bed.