The Best Yoga Gear for Men

Posted: March 13, 2018

I don't particularly like yoga gear, because I don't particularly like yoga. As a man, I was born with man flexibility, and though everyone tells me I'm just "a few" down dogs and forward folds an sun salutations away from touching my toes, I know the truth: "a few" is, like, 9,000. Too much time! Too much pain! Too much flow!

But I know yoga is good. I mean, someone tells me how good it is, and that I "should do yoga" at least once a week, and I bet they tell you the same. Or maybe you're the sage, zen one telling everyone else how you went to a Monday night Vinyasa class a couple years ago, committed to stick with it for at least a month, and can now not only touch your toes, but put yourself in a head lock with your knees.

For all types of men out there, from those considering giving yoga a try, to the baddest yogis in the neighborhood, I've compiled a list of some of the best and most manliest (or at least man-appropriate) gear for your yoga practice.

And if you're just here for the Yoga Joes in the image above, you can find those here.

Note: Yoga gear prices are listed as they were at printing. Prices are subject to change.

HemingWeigh 1/2" Extra Thick Yoga Mat with Carrying Strap

The thick foam pad of HemingWeigh's yoga mat gives some cush to the spine, hips, knees, and elbows on hard floors. Especially when you drop a little too hard out of wheel pose, or take an inadvertent dismount from your head stand.

The mat is also generous in size at 71" long x 24" wide, and a pretty good price for a yoga mat. Especially in light of the other suggestions I've made here. The big HemingWeigh bonus for me though is its included carry strap, with is easy to slip on and off and really does make it way easy to transport the mat.

$20 ➠ Amazon

Yoga Crow Swerve Shorts with Odor-Resistant Inner Liner

Yoga Crow says their Swerve shorts were designed by Y-chromosome, for Y-chromosomes. Swerve fabric has both flexibility and structure, so you can bend and twist in them, but won't experience the bunch around your thighs during inversions or squats. The shorts are also moisture wicking, and come pre-loaded with special underwear - a non-abrasive, odor-resistant lining styled like a boxer brief.

$60 ➠ Amazon

Super Absorbent Microfiber Hot Yoga Towel

Super Absorbant Microfiber Hot Yoga Towel

Susama calls this the "World's Best Yoga Towel," and as an owner of two, I don't dispute the claim. I haven't tried that many different types, but I do like that they have a heavier, flatter microfiber weave that doesn't attract every single pair of my fiancee's underwear in the dryer like some of the lighter, fuzzier ultra-absorbent towels.

Yeah, I'm done spending the first part of yoga picking thongs off my towel.

$10 ➠ Amazon

Great Soles Men's Grip Socks

If you're doing hot yoga - or just sweat like an ice sculpture on the 4th of July no matter what type of yoga you're doing - and don't like lining your mat with a towel that moves and gets all bunched up during your practice, grippy socks have rubberized dots on the bottom that provide way better traction than skin on foam.

$12 ➠ Amazon

Alo Yoga Men's Warrior Compression Capri

I mean, I don't know if I'd wear crotch-hugging spandex capri pants with nothing over them to a class where ladies are also wearing spandex capri pants (and low-cut sports bras! And hot pants! ) with nothing over them, but, uh, if you want to give it a try, Alo makes some of the best. Their less clingy workout clothes are pretty good too.

$88 ➠ Amazon

YogaAddict Men's Yoga Pants

Loose and roomy, now these yoga pants are more my style. Probably not great for hot yoga if you sweat a lot and don't want to add 2 legs' worth of saturated cotton to your inversions and flying poses. But nice for normal temperature yoga, Yin yoga, and sitting on the couch for 6 hours watching the NCAA tournament.

$45 ➠ Amazon

Vaiden Bolt Anti-Stink Sports Shirt

Vaiden adds silver ion anti-odor / anti-bacterial technology to their moisture-wicking, quick-dry athletic shirts. Because no lady likes chaturanga-ing next to a dripping dude who smells like moldy barnyard cheese and makes her feel like she set up her mat in the splash zone. And for that matter, no dude does either.

$35 ➠ Vaiden

Han Solo Yoga Mat

Don't look to Han Solo to save you from going to Power Vinyasa with your girlfriend. He's stuck in both Carbonite and a yoga mat.

The mat is 5mm thick and reversible. In case the sight of Han in distress ruins the rest of the yogis' Zen and you need to flip him over. It's also moisture-wicking and non-slip.

$65 ➠ Onnit

Baller Yoga Football Leather Mat

A $1,000 yoga mat. Made of the same 100% pebble-grain leather as a football. Promoting itself as #BallerAF. Cheers, America, for bringing unchecked consumerism and raw aggression to an ancient discipline of simplicity, peace, and well-being!

Needless to say, Baller Yoga Mats are made entirely in the USA from the same Horween Tanned-In-Tack beginnings as the trusty prolate spheroids used in the NFL. The company says they are superior to traditional yoga mats - yes, there's an actual practical feature or two - because 1) they don't stink; and 2) they don't slip.

Using leather instead of chemical-scented synthetic materials means that Baller Yoga Mats "smell great from day one." According to BallerYoga, they also provide a more reliable non-slip surface without the use of sticky socks, microfiber towels, or Nike gloves. I wonder how many of the NFL's wide receivers would agree.

$500 to $1,500 ➠ Baller Yoga

MOBOT Foam Roller Water Bottle

Drink up & rub down. The MOBOT, or Mobility Bottle, is a clever, clever water bottle whose outer wrap of athletic-grade, firm-density EVA foam serves as both insulation for its contents, and a muscle roller for your body. Take a swig from the MOBOT to hydrate, and then take a spin on it to knead out your knots and fatigue.

$54 ➠ Amazon

Wicks Stick-On Sweat Shields

Wicks adhesive strips give wearers the functional advantage of acting as a sweat shield, diverting the blur and sting of salty secretions away from your eyes during exercise. And stylistically?

Well, I heard oompa loompas are the next unicorns and mermaids, so with race season coming up, here's your opportunity to be the first on that trend during your next half marathon or century ride. (Wicks also come in Shocking Pink and Neon Blue if you're still not over the unicorns and mermaids.)

$8 ➠ Wicks

YogaToes Toe Stretcher & Separator

If you can get past the fact that they look like the things ladies wedge between their toes to paint them, YogaToes sport gel toe stretchers could make your life from the ankles down a lot more comfortable. YogaToes spread and separate toes up top, down low, and in the middle, pulling them away from the balls of the feet to create increased flexibility and resilience.

$37 ➠ Amazon

Balhvit Cooling Towel

For that moment you're in your 75th warrior and feel like you're going to puke up last night's tacos and then pass out. Wrap this 40â€™" x 12" cooling towel around your head or neck to reduce body temperature and wick away sweat.

$8 ➠ Amazon

Sanuk Yoga Mat Flip Flops

Sanuk uses real, squishy, foot-contouring yoga mats to make several lines of flip flops for both men and women. I tried on a pair once a few years ago in the company's homeland of Southern California and they were probably the most comfortable things ever to touch my feet. Well, except for that Pomeranian-skin rug and my ex-girlfriend Karen's tongue.... Definitely the most comfortable shoes though.

$18 to $50 ➠ Amazon

Levitat Aerial Mat

Sweat it out walking the edge and striking a scissor leg side crow pose in the center of the Levitat aerial mat. This combo fitness tool and lounger latches to 3 points in 3 minutes or less to give you a space to enjoy whatever level of activity and concentration you need all day long.

And if you're not yogi-fied enough to down dog on a suspended triangle, use the Levitat as a hammock and take a Shavasana on it instead.

$320 ➠ LEVITAT

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