Many yoga beginners gaze blankly at a kaleidoscope of yoga mats and feel difficult to make a choice. As a leading yoga mat manufacturer, Speck sums up three tips based on years of experience in and exploration of R&D, production and after-sales service.

First, you need to know about yoga mats

1. The material of yoga mat. The material is one of the most fundamental factors in distinguishing yoga mats. Currently, the material of yoga mats includes natural rubber, cloth, linen, TPE, PVC, NBR, EVA and PU. And it is estimated that in the future new material of yoga mat will come out and yield brilliant results. For now, material of natural rubber, TPE and PU holds dominant position in the production of yoga mats.
2. The manufacturing process of yoga mat. People who have been practicing yoga for years cling to the belief that all yoga mats have undergone the same process of foaming and there is little difference between yoga mats of different types. Actually, there are plenty of distinctions in the process. Different processes such as the formula (this is a business secret), the level of the advancement of machines and other equipment, the experience and production line management of operators will produce varied yoga mats.
3. The design of yoga mat. A lot of yoga beginners may sink into bewilderment at the sight of a simple laid-on-the-floor mat and think that it won’t take too much designs to produce the mat. I used to hold the same opinion with them but changed my stereotype after knowing and using professional yoga mats. The choice of yoga mats depends on the physical fitness and practice stages of yoga practicers.
4. The size of yoga mat. The size of yoga mat varies with each individual and should be considered accordingly. Traditionally, it is advised that you choose a yoga mat that is longer than your stature. As for the width, yoga gyms generally adopts mats of 61cm, and you can choose the one of 80cm if you just practice yoga at home. The specific choice of the thickness of yoga mat mainly lies in your practice stage and tolerance for pain. If it is a positive yoga mat, you have to choose it according to its size precisely.
5. The color of yoga mat. In general, if it is premium yoga mat, the color of it is soothing, uniform and good-looking.

Click here and know more about yoga mat materials: Natural rubber, TPE, PVC, NBR, EVA, PU

Speck Natural Tree Rubber Yoga Mat

Speck TPE Yoga Mat

Second, you have to know about yourself.

As the mastering of yoga varies from person to person, you have to know about yourself thoroughly before choosing the suitable one.

1. Age If you are a practicer of middle or elderly age, it is advisable for you to pick up a thick yoga mat (10mm or 15mm in thickness). And if you are young, you can just choose a thin one.
2. Physical Fitness Yoga seems to be a simple sport while virtually its amount of exercise is no less than any other exercise. And some asanas put a lot of pressure on the joints. If you can bear the pain brought by these asanas, you can buy a thin mat, and if you can’t, just purchase a thick one.
3. Practice Stages Different practice stages of yoga require various types of yoga mats. For instance, beginners may not have a good mastering of asanas and thereby need a thicker, wider and non-slip yoga mat to keep balance. While for some senior yoga practicers who are adept at these asanas, they can take exercise on a thin mat or even directly on the ground.

Third, you have to know about yoga mat brands.

Currently, there are a variety of yoga mat brands in the market. They are of spotty quality and feature own distinctions. Despite the fact that the bad ones are prevalent, there still exists good yoga mat brands.

1. Manduka The most famous product of this brand is its classical black mat, which is characterized by the incredible durability (up to 3 to 5 years). This brand, focusing on eco-friendly products, sells a variety of yoga equipment.
2. Lululemon This brand’s yoga clothing is very popular in the industry. Although its yoga mat is not so premium compared with other good brand’s. you may still consider buying it if you are a fashion lover.
3. IKU This brand only produces yoga mats and has been making them wholeheartedly for ten years. It devises unique damping coefficient and anti-slip value for every type of yoga mat to better help people with different physical fitness and practice stages. In this way, yoga practicers can enjoy exercising in a more safer and comfortable manner.