A lot of people simply buy a rug at a store or order the coolest rug online. When they first start practicing, some people try to find the cheapest mat they can. The problem is that, despite their attractive appearance and low price, many of these mats do not necessarily provide the necessary support for your yoga practice.
Now, each person’s ideal mat may differ slightly, but in general, certain mats provide superior support.
The thickness of the Ideal Yoga Mat:
There are a few things to think about when shopping for a new yoga mat.
1. Type of activity:
The kind of yoga you do will determine what kind of mat you need. If you do yin or restorative yoga, for example, and spend most of your class on a mat, you might want a thicker mat, so you don’t feel the floor beneath you. Possible that too-thick mats won’t have enough traction. These are just a few examples of how the kind of class you want can affect the kind of mat you want.
2. Injuries:
You may be looking for a thicker mat to better cushion your sore body part if you are healing from an injury. It hurts to feel the rough ground on that knee. To avoid feeling the ground, you will need a mat that is thicker in this situation. Injuries should always be taken into consideration before beginning any yoga practice and practiced to the best of your ability. Your mat is the same way.
3. Studio versus home practice:
You ought to likewise consider where you practice. It’s easier to find a thick mat that you can grab and spread out if you practice at home. However, when practicing in the studio, there is a lot of movement, and thicker mats typically weigh more. If you don’t want to carry a heavy mat in this situation, you can look for one that is slightly thicker to make it lighter. A lightweight carpet is not difficult to convey. There are a lot of travel mats available, but you should think about whether they will give you enough support when you get to class.
4. Type of flooring:
Consider the surface you use for practice. Do you rehearse at home? If so, where do you practice in your home? Carpet or wall? Consider that floor if you frequently practice in the same studio each time. Is it wooden? Is there padding inside? Are you working out on the soft or hard ground? The kind of mat you need is greatly affected by this. To protect against the floor, feel, and prevent slipping on a harder, more slippery floor, a thicker mat is required. If you must constantly adjust the mat to prevent it from slipping, practicing becomes difficult as a result.
Although practicing on a mat does not necessitate a particularly thick mat, doing so also makes it more challenging to maintain the mat in place. Additionally, the mat makes the mat slip. Know your floor and conclude what you want from that point.
What advantages do extra-thick yoga mats provide?
A padded yoga mat that is thicker prevents you from feeling the ground beneath it. Additionally, more slender yoga mats are in many cases trickier and more challenging to deal with over the long haul. Thicker mats are not recommended for regular practitioners.
Choose a mat with a moderate thickness when looking for one. During exercises that require a lot of time spent on the mat, a thicker mat is easier on the joints. Also, it’s best to use a thicker mat when you lie down after practice. You can probably imagine that a thin mat would not be very comfortable to lie on for long periods because many classes end with the meditation done on a mat. You will be able to feel the ground beneath you, which is much more difficult on your joints.
Is it important what the yoga mat is made of?
Your yoga practice may be affected by the material of your mat. The material must be taken into consideration. The degree of thickness varies from material to material. For instance, if you were to use a TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) mat, it may appear to be thicker than a rubber mat, but it may also be more challenging to manipulate. Rubber may be preferable if the thickness is the same as that of TPE, providing balance benefits. Let’s say you have an NBR (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) carpet. This synthetic rubber is much more challenging to fully roll out and has very little grip. Therefore, despite the rug’s thickness, the material must always be taken into consideration.
