The purchase of a travel yoga mat to toss in a bag for a quick trip via bike, plane, train, or bus is a surefire method to maintain your yoga practice throughout the summer.
As the warmer months approach, there’s the option to take your yoga practice outdoors—beachside, in the park, or abroad! A lightweight and durable travel yoga mat that rolls up easily allows you to drop into a last-minute class, no matter where you are in the world.
The Practice with Clara Team reviewed the best mats to take your yoga outside the studio. We reviewed the quality, price, material, weight, and appearance to assess which mats were worth their weight when travelling.
Keep reading to see our travel yoga mat recommendations and the brands we love best.
Table of Contents:
How is a travel yoga mat different from a regular mat?
What do I look for in a travel yoga mat?
The brands we recommend at Practice with Clara.
Our top five travel yoga mat recommendations.
Do your yoga offline and outdoors.
The best after travel yoga classes to take.
10 short classes to revitalize the body after travelling.
How is a travel yoga mat different from a regular mat?
A travel yoga mat is thinner and lighter than a studio yoga mat. For this reason, there is not much padding in travel yoga mats.
If you have knee sensitivity, a travel yoga mat may not be the best choice for you unless you practice on the grass, which is much softer. Clara recommends using a hand towel under the knees when using a travel mat. Lucky for us, most hotels and Airbnb provide these!
A regular yoga mat is approximately 1/8inches thick. This option provides ample padding and is best rolled up and carried in a yoga mat bag.
A travel yoga mat is approximately 1/16inches thick. This option is great for folding or rolling up tightly to tuck into a purse or backpack.
Yoga mats can weigh anywhere from 1.5-6lbs, depending on the thickness and length.
What To Look For In A Travel Yoga Mat
Lightweight.
Roll or fold to tuck in a bag.
Non-slip.
Machine washable.
High quality, eco-friendly.
BONUS: funky colours or designs.
Yoga Mats Brands We Love At Practice with Clara
Supported Soul, Halfmoon, Lululemon, and Manduka are four of the yoga mat brands we love!
The All-In-One-Mats by Supported Soul have fun and one-of-a-kind designs by artists.
The Essential Studio Mat by Halfmoon is the perfect price for a classic studio mat.
The Take Form Mat by Lululemon is super durable and made with FSC-certified rubber.
The GRP Series by Manduka has a super grip ideal for hot yoga and longer sweat session.
Our Top Five Travel Yoga Mat Recommendations
Here are a few travel yoga mat options based on the quality, lightness, durability, and price.
Manduka – PRO™ TRAVEL YOGA MAT 2.5MM
The Manduka Pro Travel Mat is recommended by teachers worldwide for its lightweight material and grippy texture. This mat can be rolled up and carried or folded and tucked into a backpack and is cleaned by wiping down with disinfectant and a cloth.
CA$81.00
Lululemon – Carry Onwards Travel Mat
The Lululemon Carry Onwards Mat is perfect for anyone popping into a yoga class between appointments. This mat is reversible with one sticky and one soft side for you to choose the texture and grip for your practice. An elastic band at the end of the mat means you can roll or fold the mat and use the band to make it compact and carriable without any additional accessories.
The best part about this yoga mat is that it’s machine washable: toss your mat in the wash for a quick rinse before laying it out to dry.
CA$88.00
YOGO – ULTRALIGHT FOLDING YOGA MAT
The YOGO Ultralight Folding Yoga Mat is convenient, cute, and compact. Weighing 2.1 lbs, the detachable straps mean you can roll or fold your mat up and carry it by its handles or stash it in your bag. The sticky top surface of the mat means your practice will be supportive, and the material is made of all-natural tree rubber.
You choose from the various mat and strap colours to design your experience and cultivate your style. Popular colours include Sage, Forest, Plum, and Slate.
US$62.00
June & Juniper – Light Travel Mat
The J&J Light Travel Mat is functional and fashionable with its dark navy backdrop and pastel pink and green floral decor. If you’re looking for a mat that stands out in class, this travel mat is for you; its 2.8 lbs weight, adjustable carrying strap, and moisture-wicking material means you can take it to any vinyasa or Bikram yoga class.
Perks of J&J: the yoga mats are made of microfiber and biodegradable, natural tree rubber that’s good for the environment and provides you with the grip you need to support your practice.
US$59.00
Jade Yoga – Voyager Mat
The Voyager is ideal for anyone looking for a simple, sticky yoga mat that folds or rolls to be transported to your next destination. This mat weighs only 1.5 lbs, so it travels light! Choose from various colours and add a yoga mat bag or strap to wrap your mat up, or fold it several times to place in a backpack.
CA$49.00
Take it to the Park – Do Your Yoga Outdoors
Now that you’ve got your yoga travel mat sorted, here are a few playlist options on the Practice with Clara Apps to take your yoga practice outdoors!
See the Take It To The Park – Audio Only Yoga Classes Collection on the apps.
Choose from eight yoga classes with 60-minute, 75-minute, and 90-minute class options.
Do Your Yoga Offline or Outside!
On the Practice with Clara Apps, members have the option to download and save classes to practice offline. Similar to the feature on Spotify, you can download classes to your mobile device.
When you go outside of cell range or do not have Wi-Fi access, you can still do a movement, mantra, or meditation class or listen to one of the app’s wellness or philosophy lectures.
Here are a few ways you benefit from yoga offline:
Take a yoga Nidra on the airplane to unwind.
Do a slow flow class in the sunshine.
Listen to a philosophy lecture while in transit.
Do a quick stretch while seated, waiting for your ride.
Feel refreshed with meditation no matter where you are in the world.
Do a quick class to feel more grounded when you’re on the go or to boost your energy if you’re feeling lethargic after sitting for a duration. A class that expresses the neck and hips may help relieve the muscles.
Meditation, breathwork, visualization and affirmation practices while travelling and moving between locations are wonderful tools to help you stay focused and clear. Regardless of the planning and preparations, hiccups tend to occur while on the road. Affirmation and visualization may help you stay calm and open to receiving the eventual setbacks.
Take a look at the Prop Free Playlist on Practice with Clara. This collection of classes requires no mat, blocks or props so that you can do your yoga anywhere! Enjoy simple stretching, meditation, and conscious rest to hit reset.
Listen to one of the wellness lectures to learn more about the anatomy of meditation,
Sign up for a 7-Day Sadhana Series to establish a weekly yoga ritual. There are five Sadhana Series based on various aspects of the practice, such as building strength, releasing the tension, chanting, or confronting fear through inversion play.
The Best Yoga for After Travel
Twists, folds, and heart-opening are great ways to relieve the spine after a day on the road.
The Practice with Clara Apps boasts an entire Travel Yoga Collection with classes to lengthen the muscles strained by long periods of sitting, such as the hip flexors, low back, and shoulders.
The After Travel Collection aims to loosen up the aches and pains that arise when we don’t move our bodies. In this series of classes, choose the style, duration, and body part featured based on what you need.
Classes to create space and shake things up after sitting for long periods at work, in the car, or travelling abroad.
10 Classes From the After Travel Yoga Collection:
Opens the muscles around the shoulders, neck, and upper back from a seated position. This class can be done anywhere – it does not require any props and is suitable for beginners.
A smooth vinyasa practice that features hip and side body lengthening. The pelvis’s front, back, and sides are treated with active and passive stretches. This class is the perfect flow to get things moving if you feel static.
Lengthens the muscles around the low and mid-back to lessen back pain. The whole class is doing various hip and side waist openers on the back, ending with a seated pranayama (breath work) and neck rolls.
A yoga class with side waist lengthening and upper body strengthening. Perfect for anyone who sits all day and needs to strengthen and stretch the body to relieve mental or physical tension.
This short yet invigorating pranayama (breathwork) practice is designed to create more energy in the body, focus in the mind and have a bit of fun while doing it. No props are necessary to do this class.
A slow and fiery vinyasa practice that works with creating strength in the core stabilizers. This class features core strengthening on the back with exercises to activate the transverse abdominals and obliques that assist SI stability.
A fluid slow flow class that plays with the element of water to connect you to the softness of your breath and body. This class expresses the chest, shoulders, side body, front of the pelvis, and hip flexors.
A short vinyasa practice designed for those who have just landed after a long day(s) of travel. We’ll flow, side bend, open our hips and have a good breathe.
This meditative flow class provides the space to ground through deep breathing and fluid movement from Shiva Rea’s Prana Flow. Stimulate the organs and nervous system through Bhastrika breath, jalandhara bandha, and a variation of Kapalbhati with alternate nostril breathing.
A slow yin yoga class that invites a deep breath into the side body and back of the heart, this class features gentle movement to express the lateral body and spine before moving into three yin poses.
