The Best Yoga Mats for Every Level of Experience

© Good Housekeeping / Danielle Occhiogrosso Daly The right yoga mat can make all the difference in your practice. To find the best mats, our team of experts tested them in more than 150 yoga sessions to provide feedback on grip, traction against the floor, cushioning, support, ease of rolling and unrolling, ease of carrying, odor, and appearance, and how easy they were to clean after use. Here are the best yoga mats to buy.

The right yoga mat can make all the difference in your practice. You need one that's supportive enough to hold your positions, but it should still have cushioning to keep your joints feeling good. On top of that, it has to be easily totable (with or without a yoga bag) if you're taking it to and from class.

The Good Housekeeping Institute's Textiles and Wellness Labs evaluated yoga mats by measuring the thickness, weight, volume when rolled up, and ease of cleaning in the labs. We then had real testers use the mats in over 150 yoga sessions to provide feedback on things like grip, traction against the floor, cushioning, support, ease of carrying, ease of rolling and unrolling, appearance, and odor. Lastly, we called in Nicole Uribarri, Mind Body Business Director and yoga teacher at exhale, to weigh in with her expert opinion. Read on to learn more about our top picks, but to summarize, these are the best yoga mats you can buy:

Best Overall Yoga Mat: Liforme Yoga Mat

Best Value Yoga Mat: Gaiam Reversible Yoga MatBest Yoga Mat for Hot Yoga:

Yoga Design Lab Combo Mat

Tester Favorite Yoga Mat: Yoga Hustle The Mat

Most Popular Yoga Mat: Jade Harmony Yoga Mat

Best Yoga Mat for Experts: Manduka Pro Yoga Mat

Best Self-Rolling Yoga Mat: Backslash Fit Smart Yoga Mat

Best Multi-Use Yoga Mat: AmazonBasics Exercise Mat

Yoga mats vary and there's no one-size-fits-all solution, so consider these tips before you pick out your best mat:

Choose the right firmness. Firm mats are usually made with rubber and are heavy, but they give more stability for experienced yogis to hold advanced poses. Softer mats are often made from PVC and are lighter, less expensive, and have more cushioning for beginners. They're also better if you need joint support or will be using the mat for other workouts where you'll be on your knees or back.

Pay attention to the specs. Consider what you'll be using it for: Some mats are designed to work best when wet for hot yoga, while others need to stay dry. There are also travel-size options if you don't want to lug around a heavy, bulky mat. Uribarri says you can even place your own travel mat over the studio's mat to get extra support.

Try it out. Test the mat by doing downward dog to check the grip. This is what Uribarri did in our Lab, and what many of our yogi testers did to check if it was slippery. And keep in mind: Mats need to be broken in and get better with use.

Watch out for green claims. We worked with an environmental consultant and found that most eco-claims made by the brands couldn't be supported, like "100 recycled materials," "biodegradable" and even "recyclable" because you can't recycle these mats like plastic at curbside pickup or even bring them to U.S. recycling centers. So while we fully stand behind the performance of these mats, the green claims shouldn't be the reason you purchase one.

Best Overall Yoga Mat:

Liforme Yoga Mat

© Liforme Liforme Yoga Mat

$149.95

Shop Now

Perfect for both beginners and more advanced yogis, this mat got high scores across the board and has alignment markers that help guide you through positions. Our testers gave it perfect ratings for both the grip on hands and feet and the traction on the floor. It's also supportive, easy to set up, and can be used for . The downside is that it's pricey and heavy to carry around, though it does come with its own yoga bag.

• Rubber with a polyurethane surface

• 6.4 lbs

• 4 mm thick

• 27" x 73" surface

Best Value Yoga Mat:

Gaiam Reversible Yoga Mat

© Gaiam Reversible Yoga Mat

$34.98

Shop Now

This is your best bet if you don't want to shell out for a pricey mat. It didn't have as much grip or traction against the floor compared to the ones made with rubber, but it's much lighter and has more cushioning — a perk if you're just starting out or need protection for your joints. It's also latex-free for those with allergies, though some noticed the PVC smelled at first and the brand suggests airing it out before you first use it. And since your mat is an accessory (just like a cute pair of yoga pants!), it comes in lots of prints with reversible designs so you get two looks for the price of one.

• PVC

• 3.2 lbs

• 5 mm thick

• 24" x 68" surface

Best Yoga Mat for Hot Yoga:

Yoga Design Lab Combo Mat

© Yoga Design Lab Combo Mat

$78.00

Shop Now

Hot yoga enthusiasts often use a special towel for grip as they sweat, but this unique mat has one attached. Our panel loved the soft microfiber surface (made from recycled water bottles!), and the rubber mat underneath stayed put on the floor when they used it. Just keep in mind: To get the best grip, you'll need to wet it yourself if you won't be sweating a lot. This mat is machine washable and it laundered well in our evaluations, though it did take a while to fully dry. It was also nicely compact when rolled up and it comes with a carrying strap.

• Rubber with a microfiber surface

• 4.8 lbs

• 3 mm thick

• 24" x 70" surface

Tester Favorite Yoga Mat:

Yoga Hustle The Mat

Whether you prefer regular or hot yoga, this fan favorite won't disappoint. Our testers gave it high marks across the board: It was easy to set up on the floor and roll up afterward, the smooth surface had amazing grip, the bottom stayed put on the ground, and it was rated the most supportive. It's heavy, but it also comes in a thinner travel size that also performed well in our test. Uribarri loves that the material has grip and give — i.e. it's not too cushy or firm. Just note that it took some effort to clean off sweat stains left behind by testers.

• Rubber with a polyurethane surface

• 6.6 lbs

• 4 mm thick

• 27" x 73" surface

Most Popular Yoga Mat:

Jade Harmony Yoga Mat

You can find this one in yoga studios and all over the Internet, with thousands of five-star ratings from reviewers who swear by it. It's a no-frills rubber mat with a textured surface that our testers loved because it gripped well and didn't move on the floor. They also said it felt sturdy, though some said the rubber gave off a "car tire" smell at first. Plus, it rolls up nicely and isn't bulky. The brand also has a give-back program where they plant a tree for every mat sold. One thing to note is that you'll likely have to replace it over time: Users have told us that this mat starts to pill and flake after a while.

• Rubber

• 4.8 lbs

• 4 mm thick

• 24" x 68" surface

Best Yoga Mat for Experts:

Manduka PRO Yoga Mat

This is the mat that Uribarri uses at home and calls her "favorite mat ever." And she's not alone — it's a popular choice for strong yogis who want a firmer surface for stability instead of a foamy mat that feels more cushy. Not surprisingly, testers rated it lower for cushioning then other mats, but they all said it had good traction and didn't move on the floor. It's also latex-free, which is hard to find in high-end mats that are usually made of rubber. Our main callout is that it's heavy compared to others and it wasn't easy for testers to carry.

• PVC/Polyester blend

• 7.2 lbs

• 5.6 mm thick

• 26" x 71" surface

Best Self-Rolling Yoga Mat:

BackslashFit Smart Yoga Mat

© Backslash Fit Smart Yoga Mat

$89.95

Shop Now

This innovative mat comes with an Amazon Alexa command to talk you through your yoga routine and it rolls up on its own. There are snaps on the top and bottom that lock it into place (no curling edges!) and when you're finished using it, just flip it over, click the snaps, and it quickly rolls up by itself. It also stays neatly rolled and stands on its own, making for easy storage. In our tests, it had decent cushioning, grip, and support, and testers loved the fun orange color.

• TPE with a vinyl surface

• 4.2 lbs

• 4 mm thick

• 24" x 72" surface

Best Multi-Use Yoga Mat:

AmazonBasics Exercise Mat

© AmazonBasics Exercise Mat

$18.68

Shop Now

If you plan to use a yoga mat for more than just yoga, this one's extra thick and has the best cushioning for activities where you'll be on your back, like stretching or Pilates. It was also the lightest mat in our test. On the downside, it was bulky and testers said it wasn't easy to carry around, despite coming with a strap. Still, they said it also had pretty good support and traction. Oh, and did we mention it's under 20 bucks?

• Foam

• 2.2 lbs

• 13 mm thick

• 24" x 73" surface