Best mats

[TheRealMaryMillington]

I have just seen a yoga mat that costs £135. It is cork, and apparently will last me until I'm 80 and is both indestructable yet biodegradable. Any apparently I will never again slip on my sweaty mits in down dog to the point where I nearly stove my chin in.

I will not be buying it. I am not that silly.

But what's the best mat you have used, esp for hot/sweaty yoga?

[SwivelHips]

Lulu lemon the mat, about 65 quid and it's excellent in the hot room and out. Lifeform I'm coveting badly but it's about 100 quid

[MargoReadbetter]

I can't paste but if you google Lululemon and employees you find interesting, if depressing, stuff.

[CoteDAzur]

I use a Lululemon 3mm mat. It is thinner than is comfortable for my dodgy knees but its lightweight and It Does Not Slip. Not ever. It's magic and I love it

[maybemyrtle]

I have a Manduka eko lite 4mm. Love it for hatha, ashtanga, yin, pilates, etc, but haven't tried hot yoga so no idea how it fares with the really sweaty stuff.

[CoteDAzur]

We have Manduka mats at the studio I go to. They are really good and non-slippery. I like them a lot.

[Loraline]

I have a Jade one and I love it so much. Really grippy and more cushioned than most mats (don't have to double fold under my knees).

[CoteDAzur]

I don't think I've ever seen a mat made of cork. Are they really completely non-slippery?

[TheRealMaryMillington]

this one

much cheaper here - was £135 where I saw it

[CoteDAzur]

£135 for a yoga mat

At that price, it better come with an anti-gravity field that allows me to do handstands

Did you order yours from the US? Or do they them in the UK?

[TheRealMaryMillington]

Haven't bought it Cote. I thought I was being extravagant with my £40 one from Sweaty Betty (nice and thick and bouncy, and great for most practice but doesn't cut it for a sweaty flow class in a hot room, even with a towel.

I've bought a mat towel, and have been experimenting with hot washes and radiator drying to try to get it nice and crispy for non slippage but not really working.

[Pinickins]

I have the Jade one linked to above and can highly recommend it. Grippy but not too grippy to prevent me moving around smoothly. Got rid of the slippyness I had with cheaper maps. Has transformed my practice.

[maybemyrtle]

I was looking at the Jade ones online before I got mine - did you get them sent from the States? I went round in circles looking at reviews and ended up going to yogamatters and just touching loads until I found the "right one", that sounds weird but you know what I mean!

[CoteDAzur]

"Yogamatters"? Is this a place in London?

[Pinickins]

Jade have a European distributor so you don't have to get them shipped from the States. I got mine from here - www.jadeyogashop.eu/buy-jade-yoga-mat/

Be careful about where you order from - I hear other people talk about fakes.

[maybemyrtle]

Cote, they're primarily online but you can visit and buy from their warehouse nr turnpike lane - super helpful staff if you need anything but there is no "sell". In fact they just left me alone to leisurely prod mats, it was great!

[CoteDAzur]

Ooh that sounds great! I'd love to spend a few hours doing just that

[maybemyrtle]

I really recommend it! I knew the sort of mat I didn't want, but wasn't 100% sure how to describe what I did want - touching and holding them was so helpful. It is a warehouse though so don't expect nice displays, it is quite functional :) This is them: www.yogamatters.com/

[TheRealMaryMillington]

ooh, nice website....thanks myrtle

has anyone got a liforme?

it can go on my fantasy gift list with the kayak and the bell tent

[CoteDAzur]

What is a bell tent?

I might ask for gift cards from Lululemon and Fabletics for Xmas this year

[drinkscabinet]

Now my kids are watching Cosmic Yoga Kids several times a day I am becoming obsessed with a circular yoga mat. Not sure where I'd put it though, maybe wait until I have a house big enough to have a dedicated yoga studio... that'll be a long wait then.

[tomatoplantproject]

Not a mat question but a towel one. I do hot yoga and have one towel already but it isn't quite long enough and gets a bit slippy by the end of the practice. I need another towel but I don't know what to get. Are Lululemon towels all that?

[CoteDAzur]

That circular yoga mat looks brilliant! My heels always hurt when they are wide apart & off the mat during seated forward bends.

I would be embarrassed to roll it out and make a huge space for myself in the yoga studio, though.

[SesameSparkle]

Hi, I want to upgrade my cheaper mat, bought from tk maxx many years back and now starting to shed little bits of green plastic. I'm looking for something more natural, and a bit wider than my current 60cm so I can claim a teeny bit more studio space to myself. My budget is meant to be around £40 but I could stretch a bit further if it's worth it. Please tell me if you can you recommend anything?

[maybemyrtle]

I can happily recommend mine again - it's a manduka eko lite 4mm. Sticky, not too heavy, natural rubber and I think the 3mm was around £40. Unless you want the extra padding 3mm would be fine. Not sure of the dimensions off the top of my head though.

[SesameSparkle]

Thanks for that myrtle I was looking at the manduka site today and they look lovely. I also like the eco which is that little bit wider than the lite. Those ones are heavy tho.