This has been a long awaited post but I am finally posting it. It took so long to gather the information and get everything together! Getting a quality mat is important when practicing yoga. You do not want to be slipping or smelling harsh chemicals, right? Check out the entire chart comparison for yoga mats.

Below, I chose six mats to compare. They are the most popular mats people choose to get. "Cheap Mat" is the one you would get from a sports store, Ross, TJ Maxx, etc. They do not have brands and they typically run between $5-15, and you will see why. The mats that I decided to choose for each company are their most popular and affordable mat. Note that I have never used any of these mats before. I will always recommend any mat by Manduka, but that is just my personal preference.

Live Towards Love's Yoga Mat Comparison

	Manduka	Lululemon	Giam	Jade	Bean	Cheap Mat
Mat	PROlite	The Pure	Peace on Earth aka Print Yoga Mats (on their website, any mat that have print, they are all the same)	Harmony Professional Yoga Mat	Deluxe PER	a cheap mat
Price	$78 on official site $67 on Amazon	$48 on official site	$21.98 on official site $21.98 on Amazon	$69.95 on official site $67.46 on Amazon	$19.95 on official website $8.95 on Amazon	cheap
Material	PVC? It doesn't say on their website but it is zero-waste and latex free	Natural rubber and latex	TPE (Thermal Plastic Elastomer - composed of carbon and hydrogen) This mat is 6P free, latex free and PVC free	"Jade is constructed of natural rubber, a renewable resource tapped from rubber trees - containing no PVC or ozone depleting substances."	PER ("Polymer Environmental Resin - unique material that is more sensitive to the environment and your health than yoga mats made of standard PVC foam")	PVC that is not good for the environment
Thickness	3/16 in = 4.5mm	3 mm	3 mm	3/16 in = 4.5mm	6 mm	3mm
Length	71 in	71 in	68 in	68 in Also available in 74" for additional price	72 in	Standard, 68 in
Weight	4 lbs	4.9 lbs	Not reported	4.5 lbs for standard mat	4 lbs	extremely light
Smell	None	Slight	Plastic-y smell. Users say it goes away over time.	Strong. Made of natural rubber.	Slight	Strong. Think plastic and chemicals.
Variety of Colors	4 colors on website & 11 on Amazon	7 colors	Comes in every color of the rainbow and includes lots of prints like the earth, trees, mandalas)	9 colors on website & 11 on Amazon	22 colors on website & 20 on Amazon	wide variety
People's Reviews	4 stars on both website and Amazon	3 stars; users find it slippery when sweating or using during hot yoga	4 stars. Users find it is not great for hot yoga but is a good beginning mat.	4.5 stars on Amazon.	4 stars on Amazon	not applicable
Other Notes	Lifetime guarantee, great for hot yoga, this will not break down however users say that it lasts between 4-10 years	May have a slight smell and may biodegrad because of the natural rubber.	Amazon users report that they find their mat falling apart after 3 months (yoga 3 times a week). Great variety of colors and prints.	Users say that it has a very strong smell but also very cushiony. If you are finding a mat that is great for the environment, this is it. It will biodegrade, which means it will not stay in the landfill.	Some say it is slippery. Many users love the extra length and the thickness. (I got this mat for my sister.)	Overall, I highly suggest you not buy this kind of mat. It is terrible for our environment and will sit in the landfill for years and years

What mat do you have? After knowing more about different types of mats, what are some aspects do you look for in a "perfect" mat? 






NOTE: This is a recycled post from October 2012 from Live Towards Love.
Adapted from: 
Manduka 
Lululemon
Giam
Jade
Bean