Our Top 5 Yoga Mats

Yoga mats for everyone!

With the variety of yoga mats available these days, searching for the right one would overwhelm even the happiest of shoppers. From sticky mats to towel mats – there are yoga mats for almost every branch of yoga.

Finding the best yoga mat for your preferences and practice can be tough… but oh how amazing it feels when you finally step onto ‘the one.’

To make your life a little easier, we did some research for you. We had chats with some of the best eco-friendly and high quality yoga mat company founders, and here’s what we found.

A Super Ethical Option

(Photography: Courtesy of Yoga Design Lab)

We’ll start our best yoga mat journey with Yoga Design Lab. The key to this brand is a combination of fashion-forward design with innovative functionality and bio-renewable consciousness.

Yoga Design Lab’s signature Combo mats are made with biodegradable tree rubber and microfibre made from recycled water bottles. Amazingly, these mats are totally recyclable.

Mats come in a range of unique and colourful designs, printed with water-based inks.

As well as being a leader in environmental consciousness, these mats are extremely functional, with extra cushioning and grip features.

The cherry on top is that with every purchase, this label donates $1 to urban youth yoga programs.

Yoga Design Lab’s yoga mats are available from studios and stores across Australia, as well as their online store. They offer free shipping on most items and easy returns.

A Premium and Pretty Choice

(Photography: Courtesy of Yellow Willow)

Jess Incledon and Sascha Martin developed Sydney-based label Yellow willow,  after being inspired to create a range of yoga mats that are as beautiful as they are functional.

“As a mum and yogi myself, I understand the importance of a good workout on your mental health and wellbeing,’ says Incledon. “I was tired of being distracted in my yoga classes by slipping on my yoga mat, or jarring my joints on a hard rubber yoga mat. It was distracting and taking away from my quality me time.”

So, she decided to create a yoga mat that ticked all the boxes: “non-slip with extra grip, environmentally friendly, machine washable, super absorbent and good for all types of yoga and Pilates – and pretty too.” With that, Yellow Willow was born.

This brand prides themselves on ‘creating premium yoga accessories designed to work so well you don’t need to think about them, thereby enhancing your yoga experience.’ Made from a combination of suede-textured fabric and natural tree rubber, these mats are designed specially for hot and Bikram yoga. Amazingly, the more you sweat, the grippier they become.

Yellow Willow have also just launched their Invisible Active Underwear range. You can find all of this and more, on their online store.

A Natural Feel

(Photography: Courtesy of Second Earth)

Another wonderfully ethical yoga mat option is from Australian label, Second Earth.

Inspired by the Aussie beach lifestyle and featuring all natural materials, this label’s durable natural rubber and jute mats are non-toxic, 100% eco-friendly and sustainable. Thanks to the unique blend of all-natural materials, these mats have a distinctively earthy feel and look. With this brand, your mat becomes your own personal piece of earth – or in other words, your Second Earth!

Second Earth yoga mats are created made from natural tree rubber and jute fibres. They’re completely free of PVC and plasticisers. The natural rubber is sustainably and ethically sourced from Vietnam and the jute fibres are harvested from Bangladesh. As well as being ethical and durable, they also have particularly grippy and anti-slip surfaces.

You can find them at the Second Earth online store, here. An awesome added bonus is that your mat comes with a free cotton carry strap that also works perfectly as a stretching aid. An even more amazing bonus is that their shipping is carbon neutral!

A Super Grip Option

(Photography: Courtesy of Yin Yoga Mats)

Yin Yoga Mats was found in 2016, inspired by Kirsty James’ love of design, travel and yoga. This label’s yoga mats are influenced by culture-rich locations, particularly Marrakesh, Morocco.

The result is gorgeous bohemian look, that I would be honestly be happy with as simply room décor!

With a strong focus on environmental sustainability, mats are produced from sustainable natural tree rubber. Despite a wide and beautiful range, our focus here is on their recycled Cork Mat. Naturally, anti-microbial and anti-fungal, this mat is designed to grip with moisture, and perfect for all types of dynamic yoga or floor-based Pilates.

You can visit their online store here, and they offer free Australia-wide shipping on all yoga mats.

 

A Travel Friendly Choice

(Photography: Courtesy of Upward Dog)

Annalise Friend and Chris Turner created Upward Dog in 2013, with the mission of providing high quality yoga gear to Australians.

“We offer a collection of mats, props and accessories that we have selected for their ethics and eco production,” says Annalise. “We only sell what we know to be durable, practical and gorgeous.”

They have a great range of mats in store, but today we’re focusing today on the Manduka eKO SuperLite mat – which happens to be their top selling product.

This mat is amazing for commuting and travelling. It is extremely grippy, natural and ultimately biodegradable. Only 1.5mm thick, this mat only weighs 1kg. Also worth noting, this mat comes in a little cheaper than some of the options above!

See more at the Upward Dog store, here. They offer free shipping on orders of over $200.

 

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Happy yoga mat shopping! For more things yoga, or simply an opportunity to try out your new mat… we would love to have you here at Happy Buddha!  Learn more about our yoga classes here. Plus, here’s a read on the merits of yoga as a lifelong practice!