The Greatest Thick Yoga Mat in 2025: Our 6 Faves
When you’ve been skipping your favourite vinyasa flows because of cranky joints, the most effective thick yoga mat will help you take pleasure in your observe once more—with out the discomfort. “Thicker yoga mats—1 / 4 inch (6 millimeters) or extra—are really helpful if a scholar has delicate joints or [needs] knee or wrist assist,” Tonya Brueggemeyer-Proctor, the nationwide yoga instructor operation supervisor at Life Time, tells SELF.
If that sounds such as you, you’re in luck. We’ve examined tons of yoga mats through the years, lots of which play properly with our our bodies—from our elbows to our knees to our hips to our again. Higher nonetheless, yow will discover a high-quality, joint-friendly mat at just about any worth level. Store our picks under, then learn on to study extra about the advantages of training yoga on a soft floor.
Our high picks
- Greatest General: Bala The Play Mat, $129
- Greatest Finances Decide: All in Movement Premium Health Mat, $33
- Greatest for Scorching Yoga: Manduka Professional Yoga Mat, $138
- Greatest Finances Decide for Scorching Yoga: Gaiam Dry-Grip Yoga Mat, $70
- Greatest Foldable Mat: Lululemon The Foldable Mat, $118
- Greatest Measurement Choices: Hugger Mugger Tapas Extremely Yoga Mat, $62
On this article
Store the most effective thick yoga mats
Say goodbye to ache factors—and say good day to a lot chiller flows.
Greatest General: Bala The Play Mat
“Common yoga mats typically depart my wrists in ache as a result of they’re simply too skinny and do not shield my joints from the ground almost sufficient,” SELF’s senior commerce editor says. “My Bala mat, nevertheless, is so thick that I can do downward canine and solar salutations with out lacking a beat.” The Play Mat clocks in at eight millimeters thick and gives a superb, impact-absorbing basis to your exercises.
Our editor additionally notes that, whereas the Play Mat is a lot plush, it doesn’t make her really feel like she’s doing yoga in mattress: “It has simply the correct amount of cushioning, however doesn’t really feel squishy both.”
Dimensions: 71 x 26.50 inches | Thickness: 8 millimeters | Weight: 12 kilos
Greatest Finances Decide: All in Movement Premium Health Mat
All in Movement
Premium Health Mat
All in Movement’s budget-friendly, extra-thick yoga mat gained a 2024 SELF Residence Health Award for its versatility and sturdiness. Our tester had hers for 3 years when she really helpful it for the Awards final 12 months, and it’s nonetheless going robust. She often makes use of it on uneven flooring like carpeting and outside decks with out difficulty and feels noticeable strain reduction round her fingers, knees, and ft.
Measurement: 72 x 24 inches | Thickness: 15 millimeters | Weight: 3 kilos
Greatest for Scorching Yoga: Manduka Professional Yoga Mat
The most effective-selling Manduka Professional earned the title of “the Rolls-Royce of yoga mats” from one in every of our Residence Health Award judges. It strikes a powerful stability between cushioning and stability, Holly Perkins, CSCS, informed us. “I like that it feels so substantial and doesn’t transfer on the ground—it stays caught! It’s thicker than most yoga mats, so it’s [also] nice for power workout routines, however not so thick that your ft stick in and are unstable,” she defined.
Because of its grip—on each the highest and backside layers—this mat is particularly nice for scorching yoga courses. You gained’t slip by yourself sweat or fear about your mat sliding everywhere in the studio flooring.
Measurement: 71 x 26 inches | Thickness: 6 millimeters | Weight: 7.50 kilos
Greatest Finances Decide for Scorching Yoga: Gaiam Dry-Grip Yoga Mat
You may get nice grip for lower than $100 while you store Gaiam’s Dry-Grip mat. SELF’s affiliate artwork director loves its just-right thickness—and we like that it’s pure rubber- and latex-free, for many who could also be delicate to these supplies.
This mat has a textured floor that’s completed with a non-slip, moisture-wicking coating, so your fingers and ft will persist with it even in the course of the steamiest yoga practices.
Dimensions: 68 x 24 inches | Thickness: 5 millimeters | Weight: 5.24 kilos
Greatest Foldable Mat: Lululemon The Foldable Mat
Lululemon
The Foldable Mat
After all Lululemon has a top-tier thick yoga mat—its commonplace mannequin is a longstanding SELF editor fave. This one places a twist on the standard roll-up fashion and as a substitute folds right into a tidy, stackable rectangle when not in use. Not solely are you able to save area with this mat, however you too can extra finely tune its thickness: When you want extra cushioning for sure yoga poses or strikes, fold the mat below itself for some additional padding.
Dimensions: 71 x 26 inches | Thickness: 6.50 millimeters | Weight: 4.20 kilos
Greatest Measurement Choices: Hugger Mugger Tapas Extremely Yoga Mat
Hugger Mugger
Tapas Extremely Yoga Mat
One SELF editor fell in love with this ultra-sticky mat at her yoga studio earlier than choosing one up for at-home use. And she or he might take her choose from three(!) size choices—which is nice if you need a extra tailored-to-you match: As SELF has beforehand reported, taller of us could choose an extended mat that may higher accommodate asanas with large stances. Those that are on the shorter aspect, alternatively, could choose Hugger Mugger’s 68-inch Tapas mat.
Dimensions: 68 x 24 inches; 74 x 24 inches; 80 x 24 inches | Thickness: 6.35 inches | Weight: 2.20 kilos
Continuously requested questions
What are the advantages of utilizing a thick yoga mat?
If exercising and stretching on onerous flooring hurts your joints, including a little bit of cushioning beneath you can also make an enormous distinction. The thicker the yoga mat, the much less strain in your factors of contact with the ground, like your fingers, wrists, knees, elbows, or backbone. While you aren’t always adjusting your poses to discover a modification that spares your joints, you possibly can higher deal with the observe at hand.
One factor to notice: Because of their additional cushioning, thick yoga mats are usually heavier than thinner choices. What you achieve in consolation you lose in portability, so take into account investing in a sturdy carrying strap (or a separate, lighter-weight mat altogether) for when you have to commute to the studio.
Which actions are thick yoga mats good for?
“Thick mats are good for restorative, mild yoga and floor-based power coaching,” Brueggemeyer-Proctor says. Suppose sluggish flows with plenty of stretching and managed body weight strikes.
When your circulate is faster-paced or entails extra balancing poses, you might wish to swap in a thinner mat. “The drawback of utilizing a thicker mat [is that] it makes holding poses more difficult or can affect stability and stability in yoga,” Brueggemeyer-Proctor explains. Chances are you’ll want to check out a pair mats of various thicknesses to search out the fitting degree of cushioning to your physique and observe.
“Hearken to your physique: A thicker mat may really feel far more comfy to your delicate knees, otherwise you may discover that you simply’re sinking an excessive amount of and want one thing flatter,” Annie Strikes, a registered yoga teacher at Alo Strikes, beforehand informed SELF.
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