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Say 'namaste' to our tried and tested edit of stylish grippy mats
The right yoga mat can turn a tedious stretching session into an hour of soothing practice, allowing you to focus on each pose and fully relax your mind and body.
Fed up with bruising your back on hardwood flooring or slipping across your carpeted lounge? We hear you, which is why we asked our resident expert yogi to test 18 market-leading models to find the best for both comfort and grip for all your fitness needs.
Pick up one of our favourite yoga mats, find a small patch of flat ground and give a few flows a go.
Thickness: The best thickness for a yoga mat depends on the type of yoga you most enjoy practising. For example, a cushioned mat (6mm or more) might feel blissfully comfortable for back work and meditation, but you’ll need something thinner and stickier for more dynamic yoga.
Portability: If you plan to take your mat with you to a yoga studio, look for a model that is lightweight (less than 2kg, ideally), rolls up easily and has carry straps.
Grip: If you’re into hot yoga and often have sweaty hands, look for a rubber or textured mat that will grip the floor and keep you stable while balancing.
Sustainability: Many yogis are environmentally-aware and prefer mats made from natural materials, such as cork or jute. Happily, these look good and work well, meaning there’s no need to sacrifice style or quality for green credentials.
To find the best yoga mat, our trusted tester put 18 mats through their paces on both carpet and tiles. Our expert judged how stable and supportive each mat felt during everything from hot yoga to HIIT. Comfort, versatility, sustainability and portability were all taken into account, with only the crème de la crème earning a spot on our roundup.
Fantastic for all forms of yoga, the grip offered by this luxe latex mat proved unmatchable. We could firmly plant our hands and feet on this mat without fear of slipping, even in the most precarious of poses.
It felt sturdy enough to stand up to the rigours of higher impact HIIT, yet its thin, lightweight design made it a breeze to transport. It got grubby quite quickly but easily wiped down and we loved the choice of three chic colours.
Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 183 x 62 x 0.4 Weight: 2kg Material: Natural latex Thickness: 4mm (medium) Colours available: Slate, marina green, nerine pink
This Yogi Bare mat did everything we asked of it and more, offering a supreme non-slip surface that’s perfect for working on our crow pose. The 4mm medium thickness was comfortable enough to stop our spine from feeling harsh hardwood floors while still allowing us to feel grounded during flows, and the material is able to absorb moisture if things get a bit sweaty.
The edges didn’t curl after the mat was unfurled (a common problem with spongy rubber mats) and its Aztec design served the dual purpose of both looking good and guiding our body into alignment.
Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 180 x 66 x 0.4 Weight: 2.5kg Material: Natural rubber and polyurethane Thickness: 4mm Colours available: Black, green, grey, ocean blue, red
This jazzy purple number may be aesthetically striking, but it stands out for more than its good looks. It’s the only product on our list to feature a non-slip vegan suede top, which offered supreme comfort no matter the pose.
This innovative material is made from recycled bottles and performs best when wet, so if you’re not planning on getting sweaty with some hot yoga, try spritzing it with water first.
Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 183 x 66 x 0.45 Weight: 3.4kg Material: Natural tree rubber and vegan suede Thickness: 4.5mm (medium) Colours available: Purple, turquoise, yellow, black, blue
Specially designed for yoga, this mat is worth its A-list price tag. The sustainably sourced natural rubber has a 3D texture, allowing you to centre yourself without having to look down - a useful feature for beginners learning new movement patterns.
The soft surface offered outstanding grip but it’s intended for barefooted use, so keep your weights and trainers at bay. It’s quite inflexible, meaning we struggled to roll it up tightly, but it’s definitely one to show off.
Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 180 x 66 x 0.5 Weight: 2.24kg Material: Natural rubber Thickness: 5mm (medium) Colours available: Black, spiced chai and silk rose, green fern, blue borealis, black and white
If you’re a seasoned yogi looking to upgrade your mat, consider this premium offering. It’s made from a moisture-wicking material (a natural, biodegradable tree rubber) that improved our grip when our hands got sweaty, making it perfect for hot yoga.
The line down the centre gives it a stylish design while helping users keep their alignment during movement patterns. However, it isn’t the easiest to fold up, so save it for home stretching sessions.
Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 183 x 68 x 0.5 Weight: 2.5kg Material: Biodegradable 100% tree rubber, polyurethane Thickness: 5mm (medium) Colours available: Mint, midnight blue
This mat goes one step further than its eco-friendly rivals by incorporating algae (yes, that green stuff from ponds) into its make-up. The gorgeous marble design is easy on the eye when unfurled across your living room floor and the combination of algae and EVA foam offers a comfortable surface for stretching.
Grip has been compromised for softness - our hands slipped slightly during more testing movements - but it’d make a great restorative choice.
Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 190 x 60 x 0.5 Weight: 0.8kg Material: Foam and algae Thickness: 5mm (medium) Colours available: Aqua
This cushioned mat claims to cater to both yogis and fitness fanatics and, somewhat surprisingly, it does. It withstood a weights workout without denting, offered fantastic grip when jumping, and kept us comfortable during Pilates practice.
It felt pleasingly spongy under foot and rolled up a treat, ready to toss over your shoulder with its adjustable straps. It’s overtly sporty style-wise, but if that’s your vibe, you’ll love it.
Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 183 x 61 x 1 Weight: 1.25kg Material: NBR Thickness: 10mm (thick) Colours available: Black and red
This jute mat has a completely different texture to the standard soft, rubberised finish. Instead, it provides a natural, grainy feel under the fingertips, which we loved for activities like yoga nidra - a form of guided meditation.
Granted, it wasn’t as grippy as its smoother counterparts, but its attractive design and purse-friendly price tag make it a strong contender if you favour slower-paced forms of yoga.
Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 180 x 61 x 0.6 Weight: Not specified Material: Jute Thickness: 6mm (medium) Colours available: Blue and sand
Expect plenty of grip and enviable green credentials from this mat, but swerve it if you’re looking for spine support. Our hands stuck fast when planted in downward dog and we like that it’s partly made from surplus manufacturing materials.
It’s only 4mm thick, meaning it can be unforgiving on your back when lying down, but this also makes it a dream to carry and store. If you tend to focus on standing stretches, look no further.
Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 190 x 60 x 0.4 Weight: 1.6kg Material: 50% PPW and PVC Thickness: 4mm (medium) Colours available: Atlantic blue, pacific green
Finding the right yoga mat can be terribly tricky; do you pick one with enough cushioning for your spine or prioritise portability? Thankfully, this mat ticks both boxes in style.
Made of soft TPE fabric, it rolls up easily if you want to take it to the park for a spot of al fresco yoga, but still offers a comfortable 6mm of plush support once unfurled. It has different textures on each side to suit a range of workouts, but both felt equally grippy to us. Our only niggle was that the edges of the mat were prone to curling unless we smoothed them down.
Key specifications Dimensions (cm): 183 x 61 x 0.6 Weight: 2kg Material: TPE fabric made from natural latex Thickness: 6mm (medium) Colours available: Heath green