Do I really need a yoga mat?

No yoga mat? No worries! Yoga doesn’t require any props at all. You can begin a yoga practice even if you don’t have a mat.

Benefits of Yoga Mats

If you’re practicing on a hard, uneven, or rough surface, a yoga mat offers relief for the feet, palms, and body as they make contact with the ground. If you like a little cushioning between your body and the floor or the ground, try out different mat thicknesses, or try rolling your mat to increase its own thickness for particular poses. For example, when I practice Gate Pose, I often roll a mat or blanket and place it underneath my standing knee. This gives my knee a little extra cushioning and allows me to comfortably hold the pose.

Practicing on a mat can also provide spatial reference points, which can be helpful sometimes for early yogis. For example, an instructor might tell everyone to start in Mountain Pose at the back of their mats, giving everyone a spatial reference point to begin their practice.

In a crowded yoga space, yoga mats provide polite physical boundaries for yogis to practice within. In most yoga classes, it’s considered rude to step on someone else’s mat or extend far beyond your own mat’s space unless otherwise instructed or invited to do so.

Mat Alternatives

Blankets and towels make great substitutes for a formal yoga mat. Blankets can be rolled and folded easily to adjust thickness. Towels are often roughly the size of a yoga mat, making them an easy spatial substitute if you like having points of reference along your mat.

If you find yourself using your mat primarily as a support prop, consider using a pillow instead. Pillows offer gentle support in many poses. For example, in Supine Spinal Twist, you can place a pillow underneath your top knee, allowing your top leg to rest gently as you twist.

Purchasing a Yoga Mat

Things to consider when purchasing a yoga mat

Price: Yoga mats can be found in every price range these days. Many sporting goods stores carry yoga mats (often located near the free-weights) and there are numerous online vendors that will ship a yoga mat to most locations.

Durability: Are you planning to practice outdoors daily on this mat, or is it your Wednesday studio mat? Consider the wear and tear you’ll demand of this mat based on your practice style and frequency.

Thickness: Thin mats are great for sweaty classes like Bikram, where a thicker mat will just soak up (and possibly retain) a lot of sweat, requiring even deeper cleaning. If you’re attending a restorative yoga class that focuses on deep relaxation and release, a thicker mat might be more comfortable.

Cleaning: What products are usable on this mat? Does it require any special kind of care? If purchasing a mat for Bikram classes, be sure it’s one you can clean deeply on a regular basis. If purchasing a mat for a more relaxing practice that requires a lot of supine poses, consider a thicker mat.

Transport: Is this mat easy to carry? Does it roll like a traditional mat, or does it require special baggage to transport to and from class? Can you fold it instead of roll it if necessary?

Environmental impact: What materials are used to make the mat? What are the shipping methods? Are there local environmentally friendly options?

Design: How important is color to you? Is there an image or an aura you want to capture for your practice? Is there a design that speaks to you, or will a design distract you? This is entirely a personal choice–Have fun!

Recycling: How will you recycle or reuse your yoga mat when you’re through with it? Does the producer offer any mat recycling programs? Please don’t send your old mats to the dump without considering alternative uses. I’ve found that old yoga mats make for great packing material in the garage, and we’ve used them to line the back of the truck when we’re hauling wood from the forest or muddy kids home from soccer practice.

In the height of my yoga practice, I had a few mats that I rotated depending on the day’s practice. These days, my practice is entirely at home and out in nature, and I don’t use a mat at all at the moment. I’m on the lookout for an eco-friendly mat for when I return to a regular studio practice, though. If you’re a yogi and you love your mat, please leave a recommendation in the comments!