Gaiam Yoga Mat 6mm vs 10mm: Which Thickness Should You Buy?

Buy Gaiam's 6mm Premium for yoga and the 10mm Essentials for Pilates and floor work. They are the brand's two best-selling budget mats and look like one mat in two thicknesses, but the 6mm Premium is a PVC yoga mat and the 10mm Essentials is a foam exercise mat, so the extra 4mm is only half the difference.

Shopping update (October 17, 2026): the linked Gaiam Dry-Grip selects the Blue standard 68 × 24-inch, 5 mm mat, confirmed with an Amazon.com offer at our check. The previously linked Black variant had no confirmed offer. This changes the selected color, not the model or dimensions; check the current offer before ordering.

6mm vs 10mm at a glance

Specifications are from Gaiam's Amazon listings, checked in September 2026. The Amazon listing doesn't give the Essentials' size, but Gaiam's own product page lists it at 72 by 23.6 inches and 10mm thick, in NBR foam. The 10mm Essentials ranked 32nd in its Amazon category at the time, which makes it one of the most-bought mats on the site. A 5mm Premium also exists.

Why thickness isn't the whole story

The main point of our thickness guide is that density matters more than millimetres. A dense 6mm mat feels supportive and stable. Soft foam at the same thickness starts to feel squishy in balance poses, and at 8 to 10mm standing poses feel unstable and hands sink in plank and chaturanga.

Gaiam says as much about its own 10mm mat. Its listing describes a softer, cushioned feel that "prioritizes comfort and shock absorption over firmness" and positions the mat for floor-based and low-impact routines. That describes a good floor mat, and explains why it is the wrong one for a vinyasa class.

Choose the 6mm if

• You are doing yoga, including standing poses. It is far steadier underfoot than 10mm foam, though our thickness guide rates its balance stability only fair next to dense mats. The sticky surface grips in a dry practice. It is the mat we recommend as a first yoga mat in our beginner's yoga kit.
• You want something light. It is easy to carry to a class or keep in a closet.
• You might move up later. If you stick with yoga, a denser mat such as the Manduka PRO is the upgrade; the Premium is a sensible way to find out first.

Choose the 10mm if

• Most of your practice is on the floor. Mat Pilates, stretching, core work, physical therapy exercises: our thickness guide recommends 8mm or more for Pilates' spine rolling and side-lying work.
• You exercise on tile, concrete or hardwood. The foam's shock absorption is what you are paying for.
• Knees are the problem and balance is not. For yoga with sensitive knees, though, our bad knees guide prefers dense 6mm over soft thick foam, because soft foam bottoms out under a kneecap.

What neither mat does well

Hot yoga. PVC and foam both get slippery once your palms sweat. If you practise in a heated room, look at the Gaiam Dry-Grip or the other mats in our hot yoga mats guide.

How we compared them

The 6mm Premium's pros, cons and verdict come from our beginner's yoga guide, where it is our recommended first mat. We have not wear-tested the 10mm Essentials; its details come from Gaiam's Amazon listing. Sellers and sales ranks come from Amazon's product data in September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which to buy

Buy the Gaiam Premium 6mm to practise yoga, and the Gaiam Essentials 10mm to exercise on the floor. Both are inexpensive and sold by Amazon.com; the choice is about what you will do on them, not which is thicker.