Help this beginner buy a yoga mat?
February 23, 2019 3:24 AM   Subscribe

I have my eye on a 10mm thick TPE yoga mat. Is it the right choice for a fat beginner?

All the mats I can find on sale within my budget (I cannot afford the beautiful fancy branded mats) are either NBR, rubber and TPE. I have ruled out PVC due to its toxicity. I am looking for a non-toxic mat that is easy to clean and it seems TPE has better qualities.

Factors to consider:
I have hard floors and I am somewhat overweight. Do I need the more expensive 10mm mat for extra cushioning for my knees? Or will the 8mm do?
Do I buy the 68cm or 80cm wide mat? I am a petite female. The wider mat is also more expensive.
How do I clean a TPE mat? It will be used only by me at home on more or less clean floors but I expect to sweat. Will tea tree essential oil corrode it?

Any other things I should know? Should I go for the more pricey rubber instead of TPE?
posted by whitelotus to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (17 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
To clean it I’d put it in the shower/bath and spray with gentle cleanser and rinse with the shower every now and then.
posted by koahiatamadl at 3:47 AM on February 23, 2019 [1 favorite]


You can use a folded towel under your knees for more cushioning when needed. You can also make a simple weak dishsoap/water mix to keep in a spray bottle to spray the mat and wipe it down after your practice.
posted by transient at 4:53 AM on February 23, 2019


For 5 years my wife and I, both overweight, have been using $8 generic sleeping mats (meant for use under a sleeping bag) from a sporting goods store, on hardwood floors, and they've worked perfectly.
posted by davcoo at 4:55 AM on February 23, 2019 [2 favorites]


Best answer: As the owner of a 10mm thick mat, I would say that they're not ideal for yoga, specifically balances. The sponginess creates a wobble - my instructor advised me to step off the mat onto the floor for those poses. I've since purchased a thinner, grippier mat and I like it much more!
posted by fanlight at 5:13 AM on February 23, 2019 [11 favorites]


I've used a really thick mat, and did not like it at all. If you're concerned about your knees, my trick is to fold the mat a couple of times under where my knees are - sorta pulling it up to make some folds in the middle of it for tabletop, for example. Then you get the extra thickness on demand, not all the time.
posted by Fig at 5:38 AM on February 23, 2019 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Agreeing that a thick mat might not be a good thing, per the answer above about sponginess for balancing. If you have wrist problems, using a thick mat might cause your wrists to overextend when doing plank and other positions where your hands/wrists should be at 90 degrees. Your wrists will sink in while your fingertips won't leading to overbendiness and strain.
posted by Gray Duck at 6:16 AM on February 23, 2019 [1 favorite]


Just agreeing with everyone else- thinner mats are better for balance. Yoga can be done directly on the floor, but most people want a little cushion and protection from dirt.

Some people need extra cushioning for their knees, and some don't (if you do, it's important to get it though). You can fold over the mat or put a towel under your knee for that. You can also just avoid poses where you are balancing directly on your knee- there are plenty of others.
posted by bearette at 6:45 AM on February 23, 2019


I would not put tea tree oil on any of those materials.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:52 AM on February 23, 2019 [1 favorite]


As someone who is overweight: a spongy mat can be tougher on wrists. Get a regular one, and use a folded regular towel for you knees - if you think you need it. Some days I do, some days I don't.

To clean, check your mat instructions. Use a yoga towel it you sweat a lot. Some yoga mats can go in the washing machine.

If you are going to classes, getting an instructor who is good at adjusting to your body and understands anatomy is very helpful. I have had some that just want to get me in a certain pose, without adjusting based on my own body's needs.

Have fun! Yoga can be fun, meditative, and a work out.
posted by troytroy at 7:29 AM on February 23, 2019 [2 favorites]


A towel under your knees or folding your mat double there will provide better cushioning. I have a thicker mat and I do like it (I am tall and fat) but I still use my towel for cushioning. I’ve found microfibre or wicking towels better than soft towels in terms of cushioning, and the cheap versions work fine.

I wouldn’t worry about the extra width either, your key points for mat cushioning will be on the mat at the standard width.

Good luck!
posted by carbide at 11:00 AM on February 23, 2019 [1 favorite]


TPE is a closed-cell foam made of a mixture of plastic and rubber, for the desired flexibility. It won't absorb sweat, odor, whatever, so it'll be easy to clean after a workout.

However, I can speak as a fat guy who uses a different (much stiffer) closed-cell foam for some padding applications, that as the foam gets compressed, the cells can burst from normal use in addition to abuse. We're talking millions of tiny bubbles, so it's very much incremental, but the whole thing becomes less strong and supportive over time, particularly in the spots that're holding your weight. Wherever your knees and elbows go, probably. (I don't really know much about yoga.)

Basically you'll get soft spots, and since you'll be supporting your weight in those spots, the mat will get less comfortable. Try to move around to different parts of the mat if you can, flip it, and rotate it to extend its life.
posted by Sunburnt at 11:25 AM on February 23, 2019


I agree that a thicker mat is a lot harder to balance on. As an alternative to doubling up the mat or using a towel they also make “yoga knee pads” which are either disks or rectangular slabs of thicker foam.
posted by oceano at 11:50 AM on February 23, 2019


I used a thicker mat for mat Pilates and it was great. For some yoga poses, it was tough, though. The thicker mats stretch just enough in position a like downward dog that you have to work extra hard to balance. For yoga, I’d use a thin mat on a carpet or use towels as others have suggested. I didn’t need to clean my mat much. A wipe down with water or very mild cleaner every now and the was fine as I wasn’t sharing it with others. I wouldn’t use tea tree oil or any oil on it.
posted by quince at 1:54 PM on February 23, 2019


I'm a fat lady and I use a 5mm mat. For the reasons others have said, I wouldn't go with 10mm. You won't be able to ground into the floor in your poses and will be more likely to fall.

A standard yoga mat is usually 3mm; if your options are 8mm or 10mm, I wonder if you are looking at pilates/cross-training mats rather than yoga mats. I use a regular width mat and I practice on hardwood floors.

I bought my thick mat at HomeGoods for $9.99 and a standard 3mm one at Grocery Outlet for $15, so those may be options if you have either near you.
posted by assenav at 7:53 PM on February 23, 2019


Response by poster: Thank you for your answers, based on your feedback I would be purchasing the 8mm mat and use a towel to cushion my knees. I am also looking at yoga towels and it amazes me how much they are charging for microfiber towels with tiny knobs on the underside!
posted by whitelotus at 8:59 PM on February 23, 2019


I practiced yoga regularly for 4 years (although not hot yoga) and never needed a yoga towel. Unless you find yourself dripping in so much sweat that your mat literally doesn't grip -- and for most of those 4 years I was using a cheap made-of-who-knows-what $20 yoga mat from Amazon -- don't bother with a towel until you actually need it.
posted by serelliya at 10:36 AM on February 24, 2019


Response by poster: serelliya: thanks, I'll skip the towel for now then. We'll see how things go when the mat arrives.
posted by whitelotus at 5:49 AM on February 25, 2019


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