Present Inspiration For a Yogi: Yoga Mats
Let me help you with gifting ideas for your friends and family who are yogis.
These are my suggestions when it comes to a good yoga mat and what it is best suited for. I know to some all yoga mats look the same! That’s ok I understand why you’d think this but different mats have different benefits.
I have a couple of mats that I rotate depending on my focus or need.
Kin Yoga Mats
I really love this brand. It's run by a lovely woman who’s based in London. I love the quality and affordability of the brand. There is an eco-friendly focus on the mats production and the packaging is recyclable.
I have an awesome travel mat that I take when I'm teaching my corporate classes where I know I'm either using it on a carpeted floor or on top of another mat. It's great for those moments if you are practicing in a studio or somewhere else, and you know, there are mats available, but you'd prefer to have your own one on the top.
I took it to Asia with me and was very pleased with how well it was in a humid environment. I love that it folds up into my backpack. If I don't have the time to roll it up or need to sort of keep my hands free or not have a strap across my back with the mat. It is super grippy.
The print that I have has these leopards and simply makes me smile stepping onto my mat. The prints are always getting updated and the designs are beautiful.
The only drawback to this mat is that it's super thin because it's a travel one. It's best on top of another mat or on a reasonable surface. It's a bit uncomfortable if it's used straight onto a hard floor.
I have one of the Pro mats which are thicker and has a different texture on the surface. This mat is 4mm but does feel thicker due to having an air pocketed mid-layer to provide good cushioning. Comparing it to the travel mat which is 2mm thick it feels a lot more comfortable in strong flows. The base layer is 100% natural stable rubber. There is no trace of PVC, artificial rubber, or heavy metals. The Kin mat is made in the most part from sustainable natural rubber, which will biodegrade in up to 5 years under landfill conditions. Kin mats are also 100% latex free. The brand uses minimal, basic packaging with NO PLASTIC.
There is an option to buy a travel and pro mat as a bundle at a small discount at Kin Yoga.
Manduka pro Yoga Mat
Then there's this fantastic Manduka yoga mat. It was actually a Christmas present a couple of years ago from a wonderful friend (thank you, Michael!).
It's traveled with me a fair bit. It's super robust. It's gone on the side of a backpack with a cover on, got bashed around, flying, traveling all over the world and being used in Asia in the humidity and outdoors in the park. It's well padded. I would say this is a great mat for someone who has more sensitive knees or prefers a bit more comfort when you're trying to experiment with different poses such as headstands.
This mat is more on the bulky side so it’s not the easiest to travel around with on a daily commute. It’s more one to leave at home or at a studio or place of practice. It’s got a great texture for gripping even in the most sweaty classes with lots of movement. It is very well padded so there is no need to fold the mat over when doing things like low lounges to create extra padding for sensitive knees. It’s more hardcore in terms of size and is durable.
I know that's three mats from two brands, they're the ones that I really love and have used a lot.