If you’re shopping for an affordable mat that’s made from quality materials and includes a 2 year guarantee, the Aurorae Yoga Mat is a great choice. It’s a perfect mat for beginners or as a second mat if you want to switch things up.
Below, we’ve written a review of the Aurorae yoga mat as well as a guide for choosing a good mat so you can make an informed buying decision.
What Makes a Good Yoga Mat?

Choosing your mat is more than just picking the color you like. I want you to love the mat you buy and as a responsible person, I feel you need all the information I have to make an informed decision.
I’ve tested more mat’s than I care to think about right now (it’s cost me a small fortune) and the big takeaway is this: I can’t say “this is the best mat for you”. I wish I could. We don’t have the same needs, probably don’t do the same yoga, and we aren’t the same person. BUT I can give you a few things to consider in order to make an informed decision. Here goes:
Traction
The traction of your yoga mat matters – a lot. For example, if you slip and fall, how likely are you to keep using it? Not likely right. I wouldn’t either.
When you consider purchasing your mat, think about what you’ll be using it for. If you’re following along with YouTube videos at home, a standard mat’s probably going to work just fine. But if you’re doing hot yoga several times a week, you’ll want something that’s much stickier and absorbent (unless you’re bringing a yoga mat towel).
Thickness
If you have sensitive joints or you’re pregnant, this is especially important to keep in mind. In yoga you’ll put a lot of weight on joints – specifically knees and elbows. And while feeling the floor can have a nice grounding effect, you don’t want to be in pain. A thicker and denser mat will work wonders for you but if you haven’t yet established balance and stabilizer muscles, consider something middle of the road – like a 5-6 mm mat – since a thicker mat can interfere with balance.
Material

The material of your mat has a lot to do with how long it’s going to last, grippiness, how much you feel the floor underneath, and how much cushioning you actually get. I’m a big believer in natural rubber mats. And while they’re heavier, they’re dense, often grippy, and last a long time.
Thicker and softer materials have more give which can throw you off center and make poses harder. While the Aurorae yoga mat is not rubber, it maintains a firm support and it’s not too thick (6mm) to interfere with balance. It’s also durable, carries a 2 year warranty and it’s generally less expensive than rubber mats.
Size
Personally, I don’t like rubbing sweaty elbows with the yogi next to me. It’s a hygiene thing. So I like a mat that’s longer and wider than the average (average being 68 x 24 inches). The other benefit of longer mats, especially if you’re a little taller, is that you won’t accidentally grab the edges in pigeon pose and bunch your mat up.
Moreover, your elbows and knees won’t go off the sides onto the hard and dirty floor. But this is a personal preference for me and I’m 6’ tall. If you’re shorter, you might be fine with a standard sized mat.
Function
I covered this a little already but there’s a few more reasons to consider.
- Functional reasons: a thick and squishy mat can interfere with your balance. If you’re an experienced yogi, then you’ll probably be fine. But if you’re new or you haven’t built those stabilizer muscles yet, a thick and squishy mat’s going to make it harder to hold poses. The Aurorae mat doesn’t cause this problem. Yes it’s a softer material than something like natural rubber, but it’s not so soft that you sink into it more than a few mm’s.
- Hygienic reasons: Open celled vs closed cell mats. While open celled mats are generally stickier, they’re also slightly harder to clean since they can store sweat and bacteria in their porous surface. Closed cell mats on the other hand, can pretty much be wiped clean. That being said, neither are very hard to clean but it’s something to keep in mind.
- Moral: While a PVC mat might be cheap to buy, it never breaks down. If you’re someone who has a stance against buying products that pollute landfills then you’ll want to keep with natural materials like rubber, jute, cotton or hemp. The Aurorae is made from a resin which is biodegradable so you don’t have to worry with this mat.
Durability

Active yoga styles like Ashtanga and flow require starting and stopping often throughout your class. With cheaper quality mats, this can result in wearing holes in your mat or causing the material to flake or indent. Additionally, in poses like downward dog, for example, you’re putting pressure on your hands and feet in opposite directions which can stretch or tear the mat. Mats made from dense materials tend to hold up better and resist stretching or tearing even with many hours of use.
Weight
If you’re commuting to class and carrying your mat, you probably don’t want to lug a 7 lb mat around. Its something to keep in mind if you have to travel via biking or walking to your class. However, you can always get a yoga bag to carry the mat and make things easier too.
Who is The Aurorae Yoga Mat For?
The Aurora Yoga mat is one of our favorite yoga mats for beginners or as a second mat for those times when you feel like switching things up or your other mats dirty. It’s affordable, at the time of writing its under $40, and comes with a 2 year guarantee. That’s hard to beat.
But it’s not ideal if you’re doing hot yoga or active yoga since it’s not sweat absorbent. That being said, if you’re following videos at home, participating in restorative yoga or you’re a casual yogi, this is a great option.
Aurorae Yoga Mat Review
Our Rating
The Aurora yoga mat is a quality 72 x 24 inch mat making it longer than standard mats but the same width. If you desire a wider yoga mat, you may want to try their Ultra Mat which is 78 x 26 inches. This extra width helps you stay off the floor and keeps your legs on the mat during any pose. This is especially nice if your studio has hardwood floors.
It’s made from an eco-safe, non-toxic Polymer Environmental Resin that’s guaranteed to be free from harmful chemicals and off-gassing. Since the company was founded by a cancer survivor and remains a small family business, this is something that’s important to them.
The mat’s also biodegradable so you don’t have to worry about polluting the environment when you’re finished with it.
I found this mat works well for most purposes in yoga and Pilates. It weighs only 3.5 lbs making it easy to carry with you and includes a strap so you can toss it over the shoulder and walk to class or even take it with you on a camping trip. The thickness and density are perfectly comfortable for most people (unless you have very sensitive joints) and while you’ll feel the floor a little, it’s not uncomfortable.
Since the mat has a decent thickness and quality material, it’s durable enough to last for several years of regular use. If you’re into active forms of yoga that require lots of starting and stopping, you may eventually stretch this (I’ve had no problems so far). But it has a 2 year warranty so you can always exchange it if that does happen.
The top of the mat has a medium stickiness and textured surface designed to increase grip. It’s great for keeping you in place without interfering when you’re switching poses. However, several people have reported having problems with slipping until the mat’s broken in. They do include a free rosin bag to enhance stickiness which does help if you use it.
Overall, it’s a quality mat. It doesn’t put off any bad smells and provides a sensibly priced option that’s versatile. The only thing I didn’t like about the mat was that it tends to curl at the ends after unrolling. This doesn’t interfere with your practice and settles down after some use but still not cosmetically appealing.
Pros
- Comes in 72″ by 24″ size making it longer than standard yoga mats
- Earth friendly materials that are non-toxic and produce no bad smells or off gassing
- Free rosin bag included so you can increase the stickiness of your mat
- Free strap included for easy transportation
- Currently offered in 12 different colors to match any style
- 2 year guarantee so if anything happens or you don’t like it, you can send it back
Cons
- Some people have complained of slipping
- Top and bottom edges tend to curl
Caring for Your Mat
Aurorae recommends you use a soft brush and non-oil based soap to clean your mat and never use cleaners with conditioners as they’ll make your mat slippery.
- Gently clean your mat with soap and warm water or the Aurorae Yoga Mat cleaner (below).
- Rinse thoroughly to get all soap out of the textured pockets on the surface.
- Hang dry either in the shower or outside.
Pro tip: Aurorae recommends hanging outside in the sun to dry. However, since the mat is biodegradable, I would advise against that since it can fade your mat and encourage the materials to break down.