Get the perfect Yoga mat for best results!

Studies show yoga does everything from fighting anxiety, depression, and stress, to reducing inflammation in the body.

By Khyati Mahajan,

Although it’s an ancient practice, yoga has become the fashionable and dominant exercise in recent years. Everyone from A-list celebs to your coworkers are getting their yoga mats these days and for good reason. Practicing yoga has several health benefits beyond flexibility and balance.

Studies show yoga does everything from fighting anxiety, depression, and stress, to reducing inflammation in the body. Many Yoga Guru’s concurred and say the same thing. But, there is one part that people seem to forget: yoga is no easy task and entails a lot of body part movement. The better the control, the better the result. So, choosing the surface is very important. The best option for a surface is a Yoga Mat.

Now, there are a lot of types of yoga mats. So, to help yoga enthusiasts make an informed decision of buying the yoga mat, we are sharing a few details that you need to consider before buying or choosing a yoga mat.

How to Choose the Right Yoga Mat

1. Thickness

The thickness of your yoga mat has a lot to do with how comfortable it is — too thin, and your knee may get banged up during crescent lunge. The trade off is that thick yoga mats (some as thick as 1/4 inch) can make it harder for you to feel a strong connection to the floor, making you more wobbly in Tree Pose, for example.

2. Material

The material your yoga mat is made of dictates its texture, stickiness, Eco-friendliness, and sponginess (how much it yields to pressure), and how it wears over time.

3. Texture

The texture of your yoga mat dictates how much traction it provides. Like stickiness, texture affects how much slipping and sliding you do. It provides physical barriers to sliding (whereas stickiness relies on suction). And because texture affects the way a yoga mat feels, it’s also a component of overall comfort.

4. Stickiness

An anti-skid yoga mat keeps you from sliding all over the place and helps you maintain your alignment as you move from one pose to another, as well as when you hold poses for several seconds.

5. Eco-friendliness

As yogis, we hold dear the tenet of ahimsa, or non-violence. That makes practicing on a yoga mat that will ultimately end up clogging a landfill for decades to come troublesome.

6. Price range

Typically, a basic 1/8 inch thick, plain solid-color PVC sticky yoga mat will be toward the low end of the price range. From there you may pay more for patterns, designs or logos; premium thickness; antimicrobial treatments; and cool textures, especially raised tactile patterns. Eco-friendly yoga mats tend to be toward the high end of the price range.

7. Style

Once you’ve narrowed your choices down by thickness, material, texture, stickiness, Eco-friendliness, and price, there’s only one factor left: style! So go ahead and pick your favorite color, pattern, or print as per your preference.

(The author is CEO & Founder, Mevolife Inc and expert of fitness and technology industry. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Financial Express Online.)