When you take a yoga class in your local yoga studio, you’ll usually be practicing on a yoga mat rolled out over a hardwood floor or some other sort of hard floor surface.
However, if you want to find your flow during a home practice; you might not have any available hard floor surface upon which to set your mat.
The good news is that you can absolutely do yoga on a rug or carpeted floor.
In fact, some people do yoga directly on the rug or use a designated yoga rug, the traditional textile for yoga before the development of newer plastic, rubber, or cork yoga mats.
The best yoga mats for carpet are relatively heavy, firm, and thick. Although you don’t need a ton of extra cushioning when you have a yoga mat on top of a rug, a thicker yoga mat is heavier and sturdier, so there’s less of a chance that it will bunch up.
A flimsy, cheap yoga mat slides on the carpet if it’s not grippy enough, which can be really frustrating and even a little dangerous, so it’s important to buy yoga mats for carpet that provide effective anti-skid traction.
Below, we’ve rounded out our top picks for the best yoga mats for carpet to ensure your pilates or yoga practice is safe, comfortable, and frustration-free no matter what type of rug or carpet you have on your floors.
#7: Best Yoga Mat for Carpet for Beginners: Heathyoga Eco-Friendly Non Slip Yoga Mat
When you’re just starting out with yoga, it can be difficult to know if you’re holding the yoga poses properly and using the correct form; especially if you’re practicing alone in your living room.
There are some yoga mats for beginners that have various aids to help you learn and align your body properly, and these can be game changers for new yogis in terms of getting you started on the right foot.Our pick for the best yoga mat for carpet for beginners is the Heathyoga Eco Friendly Non Slip Yoga Mat.
This yoga mat is made from high quality eco-friendly material TPE, which is latex-free, odor free, and provides excellent traction, even on carpets and rugs.
The mat provides plenty of cushioning, as it is 6 mm thick. It measures 72 inches long by 26 inches wide.
Although it only weighs 2.2 kg, we didn’t find that it slid or bunched up on the carpet.
The mat has a handy alignment system on the top side to help serve as targets or guides for how to position your hands, feet, limbs, and body while you perform poses.
You can feel more confident that your body is in the proper alignment, maximizing the effectiveness and joy of each asana.
#6: Best Budget Yoga Mat for Carpet: Gaiam Premium 6mm Yoga Mat
Gaiam makes some wonderful yoga gear for beginners and avid yogis alike.
Although they have several types of yoga mats, the Gaiam Premium 6 mm Yoga Mat is an especially great yoga mat for carpet because it’s thicker and really tacky, helping it grip the rug below.
This affordable yoga mat comes in tons of colors and patterns (34 to be exact!), so you can get just the look you’re going for.
It’s made from easily washable non-toxic, 6P-free PVC, which means there are no phthalates like DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP and DNOP.
#5: Best Large Yoga Mat for Carpet: Lululemon The (Big) Mat Made With FSC-Certified Rubber
If your budget is a little bit higher, and you truly want one of the best yoga mats for carpet, it might be worth it to get the Lululemon The (Big) Mat Made With FSC-Certified Rubber.
This beautiful yoga mat is an extra-long and wide version of Lululemon’s flagship The Mat, so it’s designed for tall yogis wanting to fully stretch out on a premium large yoga mat.
The Lululemon The (Big) Mat Made With FSC-Certified Rubber has a natural rubber mat base for optimal cushioning and an anti-slip texture grip to keep the mat securely in place, whether you’re doing yoga on the carpet, rug, or any floor.
It’s a hefty, large yoga mat, weighing in at 3.2kg (7.05 lbs), helping prevent bunching up on the rug.
It measures an impressive 84 inches long, making it one of the longest yoga mats we tried. It is 28 inches wide and 5 mm thick, which is great for cushioned comfort.
One of the best features of this oversized yoga mat is that it’s reversible. You can flip it as you so choose, opting between the smooth, grippy side and the cushioned, natural rubber side.
It also has an antimicrobial coating to prevent mold, mildew, and bacterial growth.
Finally, we’d be remiss to omit mention of the gorgeous appearance of this Lululemon big yoga mat. Most large yoga mats are only available or in black or possibly a few other solid colors.
Here, you get to choose from four marbled designs. The options include Mineral Blue/Vivid Plum/White/Vivid Plum swirl, Silver Blue/Scream Green Light/Vapour/Silver Blue swirl, Pastel Blue/Soft Denim/White/Pastel Blue, swirl, and Black/White/Black swirl. Again, these are reversible yoga mats.
Note that this natural rubber yoga mat may contain latex, so those with latex allergies should not use this mat.
#4: Best Extra-Long Yoga Mat for Carpet: JADE YOGA Extra Long Harmony Yoga Mat
It can be hard to find sustainable extra-long yoga mats for carpet.
The JADE YOGA Extra Long Harmony Yoga Mat is made with natural rubber rather than the synthetic rubbers (PVC, PER, TPE, or EVA) used for most large yoga mats.
This natural rubber yoga mat is better for the planet, better for your body, and more secure on a rug or carpet because it grips better than a regular synthetic plastic yoga mat.
Essentially, the material affords a superior level of traction, which affords a much stronger grip and more cushion than yoga mats made from synthetic rubbers or plastic, so it’s one of the best yoga mats for carpet.
As a company, Jade Yoga is also committed to sustainability and plants trees with purchases of yoga mats through their partnership with Trees for the Future.
This eco-friendly extra-long yoga mat is made in the USA. It is lighter than most large yoga mats, weighing in at around 4.4 pounds.
In terms of size, the Jade Yoga Extra Long Harmony Yoga Mat is 74 inches long, 24 inches wide, and 3/16-inch thick. It’s not a ton longer than a standard yoga mat, but should be long enough for tall yogis standing 6 feet 4 inches in height or less.
It can be wiped clean with a damp cloth.
#3: Best Kids Yoga Mat for Carpet: Gaiam Kids Yoga Mat
If your toddler or child wants to join you in your yoga practice or do a few asanas on his or her own, a kids yoga mat designed to be used on rugs or carpeting will ensure your little one has a safe, designated space of their own to exercise.
The best kids yoga mats for carpet provide a secure, slip-free surface for your child to perform yoga with the added benefit of some cushioning for enhanced comfort over doing yoga on a carpet itself.
Our pick for the best kids yoga mat for rugs is the Gaiam Kids Yoga Mat.
Available in tons of cute patterns or graphics like Birdsong, Animal Surprise, sharks, dinosaurs, cacti, unicorns, butterflies, turtles, elephants, and mare, this yoga mat is not only sized for kids, it’s designed for kids.
With the array of available designs, you can get different graphics for each child in your family.
The Gaiam Kids Yoga Mat measures 60 inches long, 24 inches wide, and 3 millimeters thick.
It is ideal for kids ages 5-8, though it’s also a good yoga mat for toddlers, older kids; and tweens, as long as they are under five feet tall.
The mat has a slight sticky or tacky feel, which makes it a great child’s yoga mat for carpet. This tackiness helps prevent slipping and ensures your child feels safe and secure on the mat and that the mat stays in place on the carpet.
Best of all, all Gaiam Kids Yoga Mats are non-toxic and 6P Free, which means the PVC mat is free from the phthalates DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP and DNOP
As a nice bonus, when you purchase the Gaiam Kids Yoga Mat, you also get access to a free downloadable kids yoga class.
#2: Best Floor for Yoga Mats: Lifeboard Portable Floor
Although not a yoga mat per se, if your yoga mat slides on the carpet, you can place it on top of the Lifeboard Portable Floor to ensure your mat will stay in place.
The rigid, portable floor prevents skidding and sliding and gives you all the benefits of doing yoga on a floor without having to strip your carpets or practice in the kitchen.
It comes as two, lightweight pieces, each 8.5 pounds, that you can easily assemble and disassemble as needed when you want to work out.
The assembled dimensions are 73 inches long by 29 inches wide, and the panels are 0.63 inches thick, giving you a nice, stable, rigid surface for your yoga practice.
Made from 50% recycled materials, the Lifeboard Portable Floor is a great option when you don’t want to place your yoga mat on the carpet.
#1: Best Premium Yoga Mat for Carpet: Manduka PRO Yoga Mat
Our pick for the best premium yoga mat for carpet is the Manduka PRO Yoga Mat.
With a plush thickness of 6 mm, it’s a great extra thick yoga mat for yogis wanting to practice on the carpet because it has the rigidity and heft to prevent bunching up on the rug.
This is a solid, durable yoga mat built for heavy use. Meticulously crafted in Germany, the Manduka PRO Extra Long Yoga Mat is made from PVC that has been certified STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX, meaning that it’s responsibly crafted in a sustainable, emissions-free facility.
The standard size of this thick yoga mat is 71 inches long by 26 inches wide and it weighs 7.5 pounds, again, indicating that it is one of the best yoga mats for carpets because it holds its shape, stays flat, and doesn’t scrunch up while you transition between poses.
There are also extra-long sizes available, the longest of which spans an incredible 85 inches long and weighs a whopping 8.5 pounds.
There’s perhaps no better indication that this durable yoga mat is designed to last than the lifetime warranty that comes with the mat.
Need some tips for starting your yoga routine? Check out 50 actionable tips for new yogis here.
