A lovely new yoga mat will transform my life right?

[hazelnutlatte]

Because I need to justify the price! I'm tempted to get a jade harmony mat or possibly a manduka mat to encourage me to do a daily practice at home. My old yoga mat was from Aldi and was never great but is now ruined as I keep dumping the pram on top of it in the car boot - new mat will be treated with more respect I promise!
So owners of posh yoga mats - are they worth it really? Or should I just get another cheap mat?
I'll be using it for home practice plus ashtanga and body balance at the gym.

[CoteDAzur]

We have Manduka mats in the yoga studio and they are quite nice - thick, feel soft and firm at the same time.

I have a Lululemon one at home, which is brilliant because It Does Not Slip. Ever. It's brilliant and I would totally recommend it, too.

[Minimammoth]

Natural tree rubber mat for me, am on my second. A bit smelly at first but best grip ever, springy, supportive. Will last years. Heavy though.

[hazelnutlatte]

I'm tempted by the lululemon mat - and a lot of the clothes on the lululemon website. They are very expensive though, plus I've promised myself I'm buying no more gym kit until I've lost some baby weight.
Better stop browsing for now, I'm up feeding the baby and feeling sorry for myself, don't want to make any impulse buys I'll regret!

[hazelnutlatte]

Don't think the tree mat is what I'm looking for - the reviews say it's quite heavy compared to most mats and I'm already pretty laden down when I go to the gym!

[CoteDAzur]

Good thing about Lululemon website is that their stuff goes on sale all the time, so it's worth checking their "We made too much" page once a week. Prices look much more reasonable when they are halved

I have taken to wearing yoga clothes all the time now, especially bras and tanks under my normal clothes. They are incredibly comfortable and they look great.

[yogiannie]

manduka mat here ;) delicious ;)

[Wolfiefan]

I'm after a new mat. It must be nice and thick to cushion my old bones! It must also be non slippy so I don't break my nose when doing downward dog!

[MagicalHamSandwich]

Blissfully happy owner of several Jade natural rubber mats here. They are so slip-proof that I can't even hoover them because the vacuum head won't budge. Downward facing dog on a sweat drenched mat with sweaty hands and feet? Not a slip in sight!

The one slight downside to them is that they are on the heavier side, I think around 2.5kg. I have no problems with lunging them to a class across town, though.

Oh also: they can be showered when dirty, though they act rather like a sponge and will take half a day in a dry, warm place to dry.

[hazelnutlatte]

Well I've bought the jade mat - was feeling sorry for myself as getting no sleep at the moment due to dd feeding all night so thought I deserved a treat!
I think I like it - definitely non slip but the surface is quite a rough texture and the palms of my hands felt a bit numb after using it - think I'll get used to it though.

[megletthesecond]

My mat must be 16 yrs old . A new one is certainly overdue.

[CoteDAzur]

Is the Jade mat's surface a rough texture because it is made of cork? I thought it would be smoother. Doesn't sound good if your hands go numb during your yoga practice.

[hazelnutlatte]

It's made of natural rubber. I'm hoping the numb hands will only be a short term issue. When I first started practicing my wrists and knees would get sore but they don't any longer.

[MagicalHamSandwich]

Mine are the texture of a fine rib knit or corduroy fabric, cote, as in that they have these tiny ridges and valleys on the surface. All very non-slip, though. They basically lack that super-smooth surface that you get in dense foam mats.

That having been said, it's never bothered me. It's not like caressing silk satin but it's also nowhere near yogaing on a sandpaper surface. I reckon if you've never had one they might take some getting used to. I purchased my first one from the studio where I took my first classes, so whenever I end up using a different type I find them to be oddly slippery and unstable.