Shopping for: Yoga mats

A studio I taught in once had a sign hanging that read, "When you commit to your practice, commit to having your own mat." 

Lots of mats

I totally agree. It's more sanitary to have your own mat than to rent or borrow one from a yoga studio, and it also means you're investing yourself mentally (and financially, of course) into the practice of yoga. It becomes easier to dedicate your time and energy to a practice when you care enough about it to commit to it on a regular basis.

It would be easy to commit to a practice with this view every day.

A lot of students who are new to yoga ask me what type of yoga mat they should buy - a good question, because there's a lot of variety, and it can be a bit overwhelming to the unprepared.

Here's important considerations before you buy:

Your style of practice
I personally have two yoga mats - a cheaper one I replace regularly (it gets smelly after a while) for hot, sweaty yoga, and a more sturdy, higher quality one for room temp classes. I would never use my regular mat for hot yoga, and I would never use my hot yoga mat for an Iyengar or a regular Vinyasa class either. If you're practicing outdoors on a regular basis, you'll want to consider that your mat will get dirt on it. If you're practicing at a studio, you'll want to consider the weight of the mat you're carrying around, which won't be as important as if you're developing a home practice. 

Yoga on the beach

Price
Yoga mats can range in price from a cheap-o mat under $20 you might find at Target to something that might cost well over $100. It's worth it to do your research to decide on one before making your investment.

Material 
Many if not all of the cheaper yoga mats are made from vinyl or PVC. PVC is a very inexpensive but hard plastic. To make yoga mats phthalates and other additives are commonly added to the PVC, making the material soft and pliable, but also creates carcinogens as manufacturing byproducts. Phthalates are suspected endocrine disruptors and these yoga mats can off-gas and leach during use. Not pretty when you're face down on top of one. These materials are also not biodegradable and are very difficult to recycle. This EPA page is a hazard summary for vinyl chloride, and is worth glancing at. If you can stomach it. 

Brands I'd recommend
There are two brands used by almost all students of yoga that I know: the Jade, and the Manduka. Both brands have various styles of mats ranging in price from around $50 to over $100. They're both environmentally friendly in different ways. 

Manduka offers a lifetime guarantee - and they're manufactured in Germany without emitting any toxic gases. The Mandukas are FAMOUSLY heavy, but they offer a lot of variety, so you could probably find one you'd be comfortable toting around if you wanted to. The traditional Manduka mats have PVC in them - but they do offer a rubber Eco style as well.

Manduka mats

All the Jade mats are 100% natural rubber, and are sustainably made in the US. Natural rubber is a renewable resource and their mats are made in the United States in compliance with all environmental laws. They contain absolutely no PVCs. Jade also will plant a tree for every mat purchased.

Jade mats

I personally have a Jade, and it's lasted years, wearing well without losing any stickiness or grip over time with steady, regular use. I liked the rubber smell, which has faded almost completely away. In future, if I needed a new mat, I'd most likely buy another Jade.

The Manduka Pro Squared mat

Unless I have a spare room in my new place to make into a private yoga studio. Then I might have to buy myself this giant square mat from Manduka. And then never leave the room.