If you’re looking for a yoga mat with alignment lines, you’ll soon realize that many of the major brands such as Manduka, Jade Yoga, and Lululemon don’t have any suitable options. This can make it hard to find a good mat for you.
After a lot of research, I’ve found out which brands have alignment lines on their yoga mats and I’ve put together this guide to share my recommended products with you.
Do You Really Need Alignment Lines?
Before we jump into the recommendations, it’s a good idea to consider whether you need alignment lines and which type of markings would be best for you.
The benefits of alignment lines are:
- Great for beginners to perfect posture
- You’ll feel more balanced when you have better symmetry
- Easier to follow instructions
- Visual reinforcement when practicing without your instructor
- Safest way to do yoga without overworking your muscles
If you’re a beginner, a full set of alignment lines will be helpful. However, there are also mats with paired back designs which can be better as your progress.
For more information, see my full article with the benefits of alignment lines and how to use them.
Best Yoga Mats with Alignment Lines
In my view, the best yoga mats with alignment lines are:
- Best Overall: Liforme
- Runner Up: Yogi Bare Paws
- Sustainable Choice: Atmananda
- Great for Classes: Heath Yoga
- Budget Pick: Ewedoos
- Best Cork Mat: Body by Yoga
- Alternative Design: Gurugrid
Below is a full review of my recommendations along with the pros and cons which will help you understand why I chose them.
At the end of this article is a full comparison chart with the key specs of each mat to make it easier to compare them.
Best Overall: Liforme
Pros:
Cons:
Liforme take the top spot as the best yoga mat with alignment lines thanks to their ‘Alignforme’ alignment system which I would consider to be the original and best-in-class design.
It features end-to-end lines to keep your feet and hands aligned lengthways, reverse points for when you’re on your back, a central line for keeping balanced width ways, and 45° lines for use in standing yoga poses to help keep your heels aligned. There’s also a large lotus design that shows you the central point on the mat.
I also like that they have a paired back alternative If you don’t want all of the lines and prefer a simpler look, this is known as the Liforme Evolve range and would be better suited for someone with a little more experience.
The Liforme mat is made from a natural rubber base and polyurethane surface. I also featured the mat in my guide to the best eco-friendly yoga mats as natural rubber is a sustainable material and the mat is both biodegradable and recyclable.
The Liforme mat has an open-cell structure on top, this means that it absorbs some moisture so it will retain its grip even when you sweat a lot. However, these mats can also absorb odors more easily and can be difficult to clean. The rear of the back that is placed on the floor has a shiny surface that is super easy to clean.
This guide shows you the different lines on the Liforme mat and what they are for:
Runner Up: Yogi Bare Paws
Pros:
Cons:
Next up is Yogi Bare Paws which is often touted as a great alternative to Liforme as it still has a premium feel and incredible grip whilst coming in around 1/3 cheaper. Although it’s a small brand, I like this mat so much that I included it in my round-up of the best yoga mats in 2022.
Like the Liforme mat, it’s also made from a rubber base and polyurethane surface with roughly the same thickness at 4mm.
However, one key difference with the Yogi Bare Paws mat is that it has a closed-cell structure. This means that the mat doesn’t absorb moisture. The benefit of a closed-cell structure vs open-cell is that closed-cell is very easy to clean and doesn’t retain odors.
Typically, a closed-cell mat would get slippery as soon as you start to sweat, but this one holds out well and maintains grip for a long time. Still, I wouldn’t recommend it for hot yoga though.
The downside to this mat is that it only comes in one size which isn’t particularly long at 180cm (71”), this is best suited to people under 5’6” based on the typical rule for sizing a yoga mat where you add 15cm (6”) to your height.
Sustainable Choice: Atmananda
Pros:
Cons:
I love the story behind the Atmananda mat because it was first created by a yoga teacher simply as a device for helping his students get the correct alignment in his classes. It was a side project that turned into a successful product.
The mat itself is made from 100% natural rubber so it’s the most sustainable of those shared here. It has great grip and performs well even when your hands get sweaty.
Unlike the other mats here, the lines on this one show you exactly where to place your hands and feet which might be easy for beginners to understand. However, I don’t think the design is visually appealing or relaxing which is why I’ve not placed it in the number one spot.
There are three different mat sizes and it’s key that you choose the one that’s most suited to your height because the lines on each have been mathematically designed to fit the user’s body.
This image shows how to use the alignment lines on the Atmananda yoga mat to full effect:
Great for Classes: Heath Yoga
Pros:
Cons:
Next up is the Heath Yoga mat which is lightweight and has a very attractive price tag under $50.
This is a TPE yoga mat which means it’s made with thermoplastic elastomer, an alternative to PVC that’s slightly better for sustainability because it is biodegradable and recyclable, although it still comes from non-renewable sources.
The advantage of TPE is that it can provide a good amount of cushion at a relatively low price. The mat is 6mm which is thicker than all except the Ewedoos mat blow which is another TPE product.
Despite this thickness, it’s still one of the lightest mats at just 1.3kg (2.8lbs) which means it’s ideal for taking to class with you.
With a width of 66cm (26”), there’s plenty of space for exercises and the alignment lines can help with your positioning on the mat. The lines on the mat include end-to-end lines, reverse points, a central line, and a central point. It doesn’t have 45-degree alignment lines like some of the other mats.
Budget Pick: Ewedoos
Pros:
Cons:
Ewedoos is a budget brand but still offers decent quality at a low price point. It’s not too dissimilar from the Heath Yoga mat above, only the material is less dense so it won’t provide as much cushion for your knees.
Similar to the Heath Yoga mat above, this one is also made of TPE so it’s not as sustainable as the other mats in this review.
The mat features a full set of alignment lines including the 45-degree lines. It looks like Ewedoos have tried to replicate the Liforme mat which took the top spot as the design is almost identical but with a more budget-priced material.
Given the price of the mat, the quality is good. It doesn’t roll up at the edges so that you feel like you’re on a sled as some other cheap mats do, and the grip is good too.
Ewedoos released an upgraded version of their mat with double cushioning which is better on your knees, however, the newer mat does not have alignment lines so you’ll need to purchase the original mat if this is important to you. The mat comes with Velcro and a carry strap included which is excellent value for money.
Best Cork Mat: Body by Yoga
Pros:
Cons:
If you practice hot yoga where the room temperature is kept warm, you might want to consider a cork yoga mat instead.
The benefit of a cork yoga mat is that it becomes easier to maintain grip as it gets wet, this is ideal when your hands start to get very sweaty.
Cork is also naturally antimicrobial and proven to reduce bacteria by itself so keeping the Body By Yoga mat clean is a piece of cake. Plus, it doesn’t absorb odors from its surroundings so you’ll never be that one in class with a smelly mat.
This is one of the few cork yoga mats with alignment lines, although it is a paired back design compared to the Liforme or Yogi Bare Paws mats as it only; has the central line and end-to-end lines.
Although the top is cork, the base is made from natural rubber-like many of the other mats here. This means there’s a lot of padding so it’s quite easy on the knees.
However, cork yoga mats are more expensive and heavier than those made from 100% rubber or TPE, this one weighs 4kg (8.8lbs) which is by far the heaviest on this list. If you need something easy to carry around, then you might want to consider an alternative.
Alternative Design: Gurugrid
Pros:
Cons:
The final mat that I recommend comes from Gurugrid. This mat uses a non-traditional style of alignment lines which I like the sound of. It has numbered circles all over it that can be used to help align your body during yoga poses.
I like that you can use the markings on the mat as a focal point whilst you perform each movement, this is good for restorative yoga when you hold the poses for a longer time.
The downside is that there isn’t a huge amount of information to help you make the most of the markings on the mat so I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners who follow online classes.
Similar to the first two mats I shared from Liforme and Yogi Bare Paws, this mat also uses natural rubber and polyurethane, however, the natural rubber is recycled which gives it an edge in sustainability.
I’m not huge on the look of the mat because it almost feels like a twister mat, but I have included it because it’s an interesting idea and it will grow on you with continued use. However, at 3.5mm thick, it may not be as durable as some of the thicker mats.
Comparison Table
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the key specs of each yoga mat with alignment markings shared in this guide:
| Liforme | Yogi Bare Paws | Atmananda | Heath | Ewedoos | Body by Yoga | Gurugrid | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|
| Length | 185cm (73”) | 180cm (71") | S: (64”) M: (68”) L: 183cm (72”) | 183cm (72") | 183cm (72") | 203cm (80”) | 183cm (72") |
| Width | 68cm (27”) | 66cm (26”) | 61cm (24") | 66cm (26”) | 61cm (24") | 66cm (26”) | 61cm (24") |
| Weight | 2.5kg (5.5lbs) | 2.5kg (5.5lbs) | n/a | 1.3kg (2.8lbs) | 0.9kg (1.9lbs) | 4kg (8.8lbs) | 2kg (4.4lbs) |
| Thickness | 4.2mm | 4mm | 3mm | 6mm | 6mm | 6.5mm | 3.5mm |
| Material | Rubber base and polyurethane | Rubber Base and Polyurethane | Natural Rubber | TPE | TPE | Cork, Unknown | Recycled Natural Rubber and Polyurethane |
| Price | $$$ | $$ | $$ | $ | $ | $$ | $$ |
| Where to Buy | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Gurugrid |
The YogaMad is founded by Mila, an avid yogini who is passionate about inspiring others to live their best lives while finding mind-body-soul balance. She has a background in business consulting but has left the corporate world in her quest to live out her dreams as a yoga nomad.
