My Thick Yoga Mat

When starting out with yoga there is really only one piece of equipment that you need to get going. The all important yoga mat. Because you are going to be spending so much time on your yoga mat, picking one out can be very important. When picking out a yoga mat there are a couple of thing to consider.

The material the yoga mat is made of. Yoga mats are made from many different materials. Cotton, rubber, natural, sticky and so on. What you need depends on your personal preferences, cost considerations and surface you will be working on.

The length of the yoga mat. Taller people might want to get a longer yoga mat. The standard length of a yoga mat is between 65 and 72 inches. Longer mats, up to 85 inches, can be found.

Lastly the main purpose of this article is the thickness of the yoga mat. A standard yoga mat is 1/8 of an inch thick. A thick yoga mat is twice that thickness at 1/4 of an inch. Yoga mats don’t come much thicker because if they get to thick they can become unstable when doing certain poses. Adding an 1/8 of an inch might not sound like much but you will see a huge difference. You will have much more support. It will also cushion parts of your body, such as your hands or knees, much more. A thick yoga mat is can also be much more comfortable when holding posed for extended periods of times.

Ashtanga yoga practitioners in particular, will appreciate a thick yoga mat. Because they change positions so often, the extra cushioning a thick yoga mat provides can make their yoga sessions much more enjoyable.

A disadvantage of a thick yoga mat is that they tend to be more bulky. If you plan on traveling with your yoga mat that might be a consideration. A Thick yoga mat roll will be twice as thick as a standard roll.

I hope this puts you on the right path to getting started picking out a yoga mat.