Buying a new yoga mat is not as easy as it seems. There are so many different styles, thicknesses, and materials to chose from. How do you know which yoga mat is the right one for you?
We asked our friend John Kraijenbrink (known on the internet as DUTCHSMILINGYOGI) to help us create a guide to choosing the perfect yoga mat. He answered us with a video where he explains the most important aspects when choosing the right mat for you:
- Type of yoga you are practicing
- Height
- Body composition
- Comfort wanted
- Length of yoga practice
- Prize and
- Eco-sustainability
John is a yogi who travels the world to teach yoga. His students adore him because of his constant smile and his philosophy which inspires us to live a life full of joy. Here is his video where he explains the seven most important aspects to consider when buying a yoga mat:
1) Type of yoga you are practicing:
Intense Yoga (Ashtanga or Vinyasa): choose a stable mat like ReMat Element Grow
Meditative Yoga: ReMat Free provides the highest comfort
Sweaty Styles of yoga like Bikram: you need elevated grip when wet: chose ReMat Element, ReTowel Grippy Boo or ReRug
2) Are you pretty tall? Yoga mats have different measures. Lots of our mats are available in “standard” and “XL” size.
3) You need more space on your yoga mat because of your body composure or the type of yoga you are practicing. We redefined our standard width at our line ReMat Element to 65 cm.
4) Comfort: the thicker the mat the more comfortable is it. Especially for meditative types of yoga, we recommend higher thickness like found in our ReMat Free Soft line.
5) Where are you practicing? At home, in a studio or while traveling? Especially if you have to carry your mat around a lot, weight makes a difference. Check out our super-light and foldable travel-mat versions: ReMat Element Ride or ReTowel Grippy Boo.
6) How much money do you want to spend? Yoga mats are available at lots of different prices. Make sure the quality of the materials is a good one and the mat does not contain any poisonous types of plastic or colors. You are in direct contact with the surface all the time when you practice yoga so chose a high-quality mat that lasts.
7) Last but not least: Eco-sustainability. Since everything we do, eat or use has some kind of impact on the environment we should always try to make the best choices to protect our earth. Chose recycled or recyclable materials.
Namasté!