Stillness&Flow

Sharon Hughes,
Yoga Teacher

Upgrade your Mat

That $10 discount store mat was fine when you weren't sure about this yoga-thing, but as you get more obsessed you may want to consider a better mat to offer more stability and cushioning.


I used this mat for years. It is a quality mat for the average yoga practitioner who wants a little more padding for the knees and wrists.

This is the mat I use now. It is a bit heavy, but it offers a lot more stability than the Tapas Ultra mat. The density gives more padding for knees and wrists. It's a good mat for someone who does a lot of yoga or stronger yoga with arm balances and/or jumpbacks. It's also dense enough for most pilates movements.

Not everyone likes a thicker mat. A thin mat is offers better contact with the floor and more stability in balancing poses.

Fans say the Manduka mat is the ultimate mat. It is quite heavy, hence the Manduka Lite travel version, which according to some reviews is only "lite" in comparison to the original.