An amazing yoga flow has the power to boost your mood, relieve your stress, and make you feel incredibly balanced both inside and out. However, if your hands are constantly slipping and sliding on your mat, I'm not going to sugarcoat it, fam: Your entire practice will become frustrating AF. This is exactly yoga mats for sweaty hands are literally a gift from the heavens, because they guarantee minimal slippage, even during the sweatiest of yoga sessions.
If you're a dedicated yogi, then you know that finding the right mat is a huge priority in your life. Sure, most of your friends are apartment-hunting and having night sweats about student loans, but you're just over here trying to find a kickass yoga mat that will stand by you through thick and thin (and sweat).
I've personally been practicing yoga for four years now, and let me tell you, those few times I forgot my mat at home and had to use a cheap, flimsy studio mat, were incredibly distracting, to say the least. There's nothing worse than feeling your palms casually sliding away from you every single time you readjust yourself in downward facing dog. Let's just say that the thoughts I was having during those classes were not very ~yogic~ at all.
Whether you know your hands are prone to sweating, slipping, and sliding during your yoga flows, or you just want a secure mat with some solid grip, one of these bad boys is sure to become your favorite workout accessory in no time.
Manduka PROlite Yoga Mat, $59.95, Yoga Outlet
Whether you're heading to hot yoga, or you're simply sweating it out in a fast-paced vinyasa class, this lightweight Manduka mat is basically perspiration-proof. This bad boy is solid and sturdy, and built to keep sweat from seeping into the mat's core.
According to MindBodyGreen, if you consider yourself to be the sweatiest yogi on the planet, you're going to have to break in this mat properly to get the full anti-slippage experience. Manduka's support page suggests you wash the mat in sea salt and leave it to dry outside in the sun for optimal grip support.
The Reversible Mat, $68, LuluLemon
The polyurethane coating of this Lululemon mat absorbs moisture in an instant, which makes it so ideal for sweaty yogis. It's grippy AF, durable, and long-lasting, so it's definitely worth the investment.
Speaking from personal experience, the only weird thing about this mat is that the rubber smell is super strong and pungent when you first start using it. That should fade in about a month, but to speed up the process, you can try washing it with baking soda and lemon juice, so that you won't have to constantly scrunch up your nose while you're chillin' in down dog.
Jade Yoga Harmony Two Tone Natural Rubber Yoga Mat, $77.50, Yoga Outlet
This. Mat. Is. Life. I may be a little biased, because I practice on this baby every damn day, but TBH, I don't care — I just want to scream from the rooftops how awesome this mat is.
My palms are pretty clammy during a typical yoga class, but as a whole, I don't sweat that much, so I've never had a problem with slipping on my Jade mat. However, if you're one to sweat buckets, I'd recommend bringing a regular towel or a yoga towel with you to class, just in case the sweat builds up and creates a slippery layer on your mat.
And BTW, for every mat sold, Jade Yoga plants a tree!
Hugger Mugger Para Rubber Grip Yoga Mat Extra Thick, $69.99, Yoga Outlet
Hugger Mugger created a mat with equal stickiness on both sides, so when one side is dirty, and you're low-key too lazy to clean it, you can just flip that bad boy right over and live your life. According to the product's description, the rubber on this mat is made from sustainable and renewable materials that keep your sweatiest practices in mind.
Honestly, this mat is surprisingly heavy, but that just means it won't budge one bit while you're trying to get your yoga on.
Cork Yoga Mat, $39.98, Gaiam
Now, maybe the last time you even thought about cork was when you were trying to pry a broken one out of your wine bottle on a Friday night back in college, but Gaiam's totally changing the yoga-mat game by turning this eco-friendly material into an awesome, anti-slip mat.
Believe it or not, cork is antimicrobial, meaning it can handle all of your yogi sweat while simultaneously repelling germs and odor (yeah, you know that vinyasa BO is real, girlfriend).
This mat will make sure your palms never creep forward in all your downward dogs, and honestly, I think that's something worth celebrating.
