Yoga mat thickness

This user's post has been ignored.

A yoga instructor once advised me that the thinner mats were better to work on. She then sold me one of the thinner ones so you might question her advice but I have used it for a while now and like it.

Edit: I think the purpose of the mat is for traction to avoid slipping and sliding, not for padding. If a pose requires padding we usually use a folded blanket or some foam blocks.

Edited by Micawber 2007-07-27 12:09 PM

I have hardwood floors too and practice on a 3mm mat. I find the thicker mats are too squishy, which actually makes the balancing poses harder.

Also depends on what the mat is made of and personal preference.

Check these out http://www.yogasite.com/yoga_store/mat-03l516.html

My yoga instructor uses one of these and has let me use his extra one a couple of times. It is also great as I tend to sweat a lot in a 75 minute class and I slip a lot less on this mat.

Personally, I spend a lot of time in poses where I put pressure on my hands. I prefer the thicker mat for those poses.

Do the non-enviro friendly ones have a strong plastic smell because of the latex or anything else? I would hate to be stuck with that smell for an hour or so.

I'm going to throw something a little different out there. I tend to like Bikrams and Ashtanga yoga in a heated environment so I tend to sweat a lot.

I found the regular rubber/synthetic mats are nice and grippy at first but tend to get VERY slippery after a couple minutes of a good sweat.

So I use a cotton yoga rug and it is GREAT!!!! There is no other option in my book. They start a little slippery at first, so you sprinkle a little water on the rug where your feet and hands would go and you stick like glue - even during the biggest downpour of sweat. They are rarely seen in a studio, they look nice cuz you can get patterns/designs. The soak up tons of sweat or spilled water, and they are a breeze to wash - just put them in a washing machine. Plus, you can fold them up and put them in a bag. They are the BEST!

The only downfall - they don't offer much cushion. If I go to a studio that has hardwood, I tend to take a rolled up 3mm and lay that down first, then take my folded up yoga rug out of my bag and lay it on top. The same goes for at home where I practice on tile..... I guess they could be a little expensive compared to a rubber mat.

something like this....

http://www.yoga.com/store/product.asp?Product_ID=2471&Category_ID=2...

It depends of the brand and how much you are willing to invest in a yoga mat... Well, I'd definitely recommend you this one: http://yogamatreviewer.com/yoga-mat-thrive-on-welness-premium-thick...
It is worth it! It has extra cushion, but still rolls up easily and is lightweight Exactly what you are looking for!

I do agree that it really depends on the brand, but for me I prefer 4mm, if you want some good read article about this, check this out http://www.gaiam.com/discover/191/article/choose-right-yoga-mat/, it's from Gaiam, and if you are going to check their mats, it's around 3mm-5mm mats, I got mine which is the 3mm, I just bought it online after I ordered a yoga/midi pant.