Drenched in sweat after an invigorating vinyasa movement? Worry not! A yoga mat towel might help rework your yoga mat from a slick and doubtlessly hazardous floor to a safe, slip-free security pad. Whereas any towel can sop up moisture, yoga mat towels are made for the job—and the perfect choices shall be skinny, light-weight, and constructed from moisture-wicking or absorbent supplies that clear and dry rapidly. Bonus factors in the event that they function an on-slip backing or pockets to stop it from shifting round and turning into a distraction that takes you away from the current second.
To bid farewell to slipping and sliding, we tapped the yoga execs for his or her suggestions. These finest yoga mat towels will allow you to skip the drip (or a minimum of, clear it up with ease) regardless of your yoga routine or stage.
The very best yoga mat towels, at a look:
- Greatest total: Manduka, Yogitoes Yoga Mat Towel, $54
- Runner up: Ufit, Common Towel, $48
- Greatest funds: Gaiam, Keep-Put Yoga Towel, $20
- Most sturdy: Lululemon, The Towel, $38
- Greatest multipurpose: Nomadix, Authentic Towel, $40
- Greatest various: Polyte, Microfiber Towel (Set of 4), $17
What to Search for in a Yoga Mat Towel
In keeping with Maine-based yoga instructor Katherine Englishman and Bethany Lyons, founding father of Lyons Den Energy Yoga in New York Metropolis, there are some things to remember as you store on your ideally suited yoga mat towel.
First is the fabric. Should you are likely to sweat when you follow, it’s finest to pick out a fabric that wicks away sweat and dries rapidly. Artificial efficiency fibers, comparable to polyester and nylon, will match the invoice. You can even go for ones constructed from microfiber, a fabric that’s usually constructed from polyester and nylon and lauded for his or her moisture-absorbing skills.
Associated Tales
You’ll additionally need a light-weight yoga towel with a low profile to stop it from bunching up as you follow, says Englishman. Conversely, keep away from utilizing a daily seaside or terry bathtub towel (“They are not meant for yoga,” she says). She recommends buying yoga-specific choices, that are often the dimensions of normal yoga mats. “You don’t need something too lengthy or too quick,” she explains. “You need to be sure that it frames your mat completely.”
Lastly, it’s your decision a non-slip yoga towel that has a grippy backing or nook pockets that safe it onto your mat. Whereas not needed, these options (together with a non-slip yoga mat, after all) are ideally suited for many who need an choice that’s certain to remain in place.
Store the perfect yoga mat towels
Greatest Total: Manduka, Yogitoes Yoga Mat Towel — $68.00
The Manduka Yogitoes Yoga Mat Towel comes extremely really helpful by Englishman because of its sprawling measurement, absorbent materials, and non-slip backing. It’s constructed from a poly-nylon mix to wick away sweat however dry rapidly so it gained’t keep damp for very lengthy. Plus, it’s strengthened with grippy silicone dots that Englishman says hold it in place. “It’s actually skinny and low profile to stop it from being distracting or bunching up,” she says, including that it’s “comfortable,” too. A bonus: It is available in two sizes—normal and lengthy—and 22 colours and prints.
One tradeoff is that the producer warns that the yoga mat towel can stain lighter-colored yoga mats and garments so it’s vital to clean the towel earlier than use.
Materials: 30% recycled polyester, 60% polyester, 10% nylon
Out there sizes: 71″ x 24″, 79″ x 24″
Out there colours: 22
- Non-slip backing
- Sweat-wicking
- Fast-drying
- Two measurement choices
- 22 colours
- It could actually stain yoga mat or garments if used with out washing
- Expensive
Runner up: Ufit, Common Towel — $48.00
“I’ve tried so many [yoga mat towels] and Ufit yoga towels are my absolute favourite,” says Lyons. “They’re the perfect towels I’ve discovered for not bunching and shifting.” What’s extra, the yoga mat towel is constructed out of microfiber to make it “tremendous absorbent.” Simply remember the fact that microfiber can entice hair, mud, filth, and lint, so it’s possible you’ll need to wash it individually to stop it from transferring filth and dirt to the remainder of your laundry.
Materials: 100% microfiber
Out there sizes: 72 x 25″
Out there colours: 13
- Produced from lint-free microfiber
- Fast-drying
- Sweat-wicking
- 13 colours
- No extra options to safe it in place
- Solely is available in one measurement
Greatest funds: Gaiam, Keep-Put Yoga Towel — $20.00
This yoga mat towel from Gaiam is probably the most reasonably priced choice on this record, however that doesn’t make it any much less high quality; it shares most of the identical options as our teacher-approved picks. For one, it’s constructed from microfiber to make it absorbent and quick-drying, plus the 4 nook pockets assist safe it to your mat. It’s additionally the smallest featured yoga mat towel, so it’ll work for many standard-size mats. Simply notice that this choose is barely out there in two colours (blue and purple).
Materials: 88% polyester, 12% polyamide
Out there sizes: 70″ x 26″
Out there colours: 2
- Reasonably priced
- Nook pockets for safe attachment
- Fast-drying
- Sweat-wicking
Most sturdy: Lululemon, The Towel — $38.00
I’ve owned my Lululemon yoga mat towel for a number of years, and it’s seen me by means of many a sweaty yoga class. Manufactured from 100-percent polyester, it wicks away my sweat—and I sweat quite a bit—and it doesn’t slip and slide throughout follow, because of its low profile. It manages to remain put as I bend my physique into warrior poses and downward-facing canines. After a very troublesome exercise, the yoga towel is drenched, however it doesn’t soak by means of to the opposite facet or take up any odors together with my sweat. This yoga mat towel has additionally stood as much as many washes, proving it to be sturdy, too. (Win-win-win.) You’ll be able to store it in two traditional neutrals: black and white.
Materials: 100% polyester
Out there sizes: 71″ x 26″
Out there colours: 2
- Sweat-wicking
- Fast-drying
- Straightforward to scrub
- Sturdy
- No extra options to safe it in place
Greatest multipurpose: Nomadix, Authentic Towel — $40.00
In order for you one thing to be used on and off the mat, the Nomadix Authentic Towel will match the invoice. “It’s an all-purpose efficiency towel that you may take with you in case you’re touring, or possibly on the seaside,” says Englishman. “I really like its versatility.”
Whereas it isn’t a yoga mat towel, per se, it does as properly. It’s constructed from a mixture of polyester and nylon that works to wick away moisture, and it is available in a measurement that’s appropriate for many standard-size mats. Englishman notes that it isn’t designed with options to lend it endurance, which is a small value to pay for its versatility. Store it in dozens of enjoyable prints.
Materials: 80% polyester, 20% nylon
Out there sizes: 72.5″ x 30″
Out there colours: 26
- Versatile
- Sweat-wicking
- Fast-drying
- 26 colours
- No extra options to safe it in place to your mat
Greatest various: Polyte, Microfiber Towel (Set of 4) — $17.00
Should you don’t need to put money into a yoga mat towel, yoga instructor and aerialist Rebekah Cloud recommends utilizing a small towel to put beneath your arms. Go for one constructed from microfiber, like this set of 4, that are sturdy sufficient to catch sweat drops whereas providing a safe grip. At lower than half the dimensions of standard yoga mat towels, its smaller measurement additionally makes it simpler to move to and from the yoga studio.
Materials: 100% microfiber
Out there sizes: 30″ x 6″
Out there colours: 6
- Journey-friendly
- Reasonably priced
- Absorbent
- Is available in a set of 4
- It gained’t forestall sweat from dripping onto your yoga mat
- Small measurement doesn’t cowl the complete mat
FAQS
What’s a yoga mat towel?
“A yoga mat towel is an adjunct that goes on high of your yoga mat that absorbs sweat and retains individuals from slipping if they have a tendency to sweat quite a bit they usually don’t have the grip and stability that they want,” says Englishman. Lyons echoes the sentiment, including that it’s additionally a “nice layer of safety from germs and micro organism, particularly when renting a mat.”
Can a yoga mat towel work as a yoga mat?
Not fairly. “The padding of a yoga mat offers assist on your joints and prevents discomfort or ache that may come from a tough floor,” says Englishman.
Plus, mats are quite a bit much less slippery than towels on their very own. “A mat below the mat towel will all the time be higher in offering a safer and extra steady floor and the suitable grip for a vigorous follow,” says Lyons. That mentioned, you might be able to forgo utilizing a mat in case you’re training yoga on a seaside or on a rubber mat ground the place you’ve got a bit extra buy beneath your toes.
How usually ought to I wash my yoga mat towel?
Ideally after each single use! “You sweat on it and drench it, similar to you sweat in and drench your clothes in a scorching yoga class,” says Lyons. “You by no means need to re-use with out washing all these objects!”
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