5 Best Outdoor Yoga Mat

When looking for a new yoga routine to follow, you might have come across some videos with yogis living their best life outdoors. They take their yoga mat to an outstanding place surrounded by trees and bright skies, and you think to yourself, “I want what they have to!”

While your regular yoga mat could do the trick, it is best to search formats designed for outdoor practice. A Yoga Mat that is non-slip. They will last longer and provide you with the support you need to do the most complex yoga poses. So sit back and peruse our list of 5 of the best outdoor yoga mats.

Best Outdoor Yoga Mat

While practicing yoga on soft grass won’t hurt your joints and muscles, it is still better to give your body a bit more support for a comfortable routine. According to yogis’ reviews and our criteria, these are the best outdoor yoga mats.

Ajna Organic Yoga Mat

The Ajna Organic Yoga Mat was designed with natural jute from eco-friendly, premium fibers. Thanks to its thick yet portable design, your joints will have a stable surface, making it a safe outdoor yoga mat. The best thing about this mat is that this organic material doesn’t retain smell and is easy to clean, ensuring a clean surface for your everyday practice.

Manduka Pro Yoga Mat

If you branch out from yoga and practice pilates and other fitness routines, you might look for a mat with more adaptability. In that case, the Manduka Pro Yoga Mat is the best outdoor yoga mat for you. This 6mm thick mat has a strong grip with materials crafted in a sustainable, emissions-free facility, making it an ethical purchase for the environmentally conscious.

Gaiam Cork Yoga Mat

A cork yoga mat is one of the best outdoor yoga mats you can choose. Cork usually resists moisture, so it won’t absorb dirt or funky smells. Among the many options out there, we think the Gaiam Cork Yoga Mat is the best outdoor yoga mat thanks to its eco-friendly nature and ability to resist heat without losing its grip. If you like to practice yoga on hot summer days, this one might be your best choice.

Liforme Travel Yoga Mat

A lightweight yet stable mat is a must for the yogi on the go. With that in mind, we chose the Liforme travel yoga mat as one of the best outdoor yoga mats for travelers. This natural rubber mat comes with a free yoga bag and a built-in alignment system to help yogis maintain their poses in the right direction, avoiding injuries. Moreover, this is an environmentally friendly mat, as it degrades in 1-5 years in normal landfill conditions. 

UMINEUX Extra Wide Yoga Mat

If your Asanas require more space than what your current mat can give you, it’s time to level up. The UMINEUX extra-wide yoga mat has enough space for you to enjoy your practice while keeping dirt and odors away. Thanks to its strong cushioning, it is one of the best outdoor yoga mats for terrains where the ground isn’t very gentle on your joints. What’s best is that, even with its three layers of TPE material, it is still lightweight enough to carry around without a bag.

What Qualities to Look for in the Best Outdoor Yoga Mat

We just gave you our recommendation of 5 of the best outdoor yoga mats but, how did we choose them? Below, we list some of the qualities to look for in the best outdoor yoga mat.

Thickness

You need a yoga mat with enough padding to support your body. The best outdoor yoga mat must be more than 5mm thick to give you the right support for outdoor surfaces, especially if you have sore knees. However, this mat should also be lightweight enough to carry with you to new idyllic locations.

Materials

Yoga mats come in all kinds of materials, but the best ones will be easy to clean, durable, and give you the right grip. The best outdoor yoga mat has to resist sand, dirt, grass, and twigs. For instance, TPE is a polymer blend that can be recyclable, durable, and eco-friendly rubber.

Texture

Closed-cell foam yoga mats don’t have pores, making them perfect to avoid funky smells and repel sweat and moisture. In addition, some mats come with a wavy texture that keeps your mat in place and enhances the grip on your hands and feet.

Ethically Sourced

There’s nothing better than outdoor yoga mats made with sustainable, ethical materials and from ethical brands. Whether your mat uses jute or cork as the main material or it’s made from emissions-free facilities, we want to make sure that the products you use are friendly to the environment and the people who make them have an environmentally conscious outlook.

Durability

As we previously mentioned, the material is an important factor to take into account when choosing the best outdoor yoga mat. You want a mat that is lightweight yet cushioned and made with materials that will last for a long time, as your mat is an investment for your long-term health and wellness.

Aesthetics

If you have a perfectly peaceful setting for your routine, it would be nice to have a yoga mat to complement it. Although appearance is not the most important thing of all, the best yoga mat will have an aesthetic that harmonizes perfectly with your preferences.

Easy to Clean 

We’ve all probably ruined our first yoga mats because they were difficult to clean. Especially if you prefer to practice yoga outdoors. That’s why we chose yoga mats that either come with their cleaning formula or can withstand a gentle cleaning agent.

5 of the Best Outdoor Yoga Mats

While the best outdoor yoga mats listed above sound amazing, each one of them has positives and negatives. In case you need some extra help choosing among these yoga mats, we have gathered the pros and cons of each of them.

Ajna Organic Yoga Mat

Pros:

• Made with organic jute
• Repels sweat stains and smells
• Easy to wash
• Free from harmful chemicals
• It comes in various colors
• Vegan
• Carry strap included

Cons:

• Sheds after some time
• Standard sized yoga mat
• The grip isn’t as good as other yoga mats

Manduka Pro Yoga Mat

Pros:

• You can use it for yoga, pilates, and other fitness activities
• Has closed-cell technology
• 6mm padding that cushions your joints
• Heavy and stable
• The material makes it extremely durable

Cons:

• It becomes slippery with sweat
• It only comes in one color
• Standard sized

Gaiam Cork Yoga Mat

Pros:

• Made with all-natural cork on the top, and non-toxic TPE rubber on the bottom
• Lightweight and easy to carry around
• Perfect for hot yoga sessions

Cons:

• Short dimensions
• Not useful for cold environments, as the cork won’t absorb humidity and doesn’t have much grip
• Curls at the ends of the mat

Liforme Travel Yoga Mat

Pros:

• It comes in a great variety of colors
• Excellent grip
• Lightweight
• The alignment markers help people with back issues to correct their alignment during poses
• Easy to clean

Cons:

• Short durability
• It can be pricey for some yogis

UMINEUX Extra Wide Yoga Mat

Pros:

• Wider than conventional mats
• Perfect cushioning for your joints
• Easy to clean
• It comes with its bag
• Has a reasonable price

Cons:

• Those who practice daily for more than 2 hours might find it isn’t very durable.
• Some users have slipped while using this mat.

While every mat on the list has its downsides, the decision of which one is the best outdoor yoga mat for your routine is up to you. Carefully review your budget and needs, and choose the one that best fits your routine.