yoga mat opinions please

[dewlady]

I have been trying to find a good yoga mat for my daily practice. I get sweaty and tend to slip. My mom bought me the Manduka Black Mat as a Christmas gift but I thought that even after trying to break it in in was extremely slippery in certain poses. so...after researching a lot online this is what i am thinking....

either this mat:

http://www.yogalifestyle.com/EQMatLongLife.htm

or this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

and one of these for on top:

http://www.barefootyoga.com/Detail.bok?no=56

I have also considered:
the Prana Revolution

I am really open to anything that is sticky and stays grippy even if I'm sweaty!

Any help would be very much appreciated

[kangamitroo]

if i were buying a mat i would get one from manduka, for its eco-friendly production practices. they are very sweat-friendly.

i love the practice rug idea, tho i have not tried that yet.

*oops! really, i did read your post. somehow i did not see it was a manduka mat you were having trouble with. tired here, i guess. i hope the rug proves to be helpful.*

[LukesMum]

i really think the manduka is the top of the line. I use a practice rug sometimes. I also have a good ol faithful Tapas Mat that I have had for 10 years. Love it, cheap and "sticky" I get mine from Hugger Mugger.
good luck

[dewlady]

I was really excited to try the Manduka and gave it several months to "break in," but it is still really slippery for me. If i'm going to cover it with a practice rug or towel or something than i guess i figures why not have a cheaper mat underneath. Amazon was awesome and returned my manduka, so that is why I'm looking around...the Manduka was a gift so I will have about $85 yo spend. I found myself tossing aside my manduka for the 10 sticky mat i've had for 10 years!!! thanks for the feed back.

[lindsayjean]

I go to a lot of hot classes and take showers in my own sweat... and I just have a cheap mat from target, but I have a yogitoes yoga towel on top.... no slipping here

[pixiepunk]

did you wash your manduka? if so, how many times, and with what? pretty much all mats seem to have a finish on them that needs to be washed off. if you don't wash it off well, your sweat washes it off it by bit over time, and it's slippery as all get-out.

i agree about a rug - the thin microfiber ones worked for many of my ashtanga friends who slipped and slid on everything else.

[zoebird]

jade harmony is eco friendly and has a coarser texture than manduka. it seems to work well for people who tend to slip. also, a yoga rug or yogi toes towel too. you have the wet the rug first to stick to it (not soaked, but a bit of water on it to make it sticky).

often, though, this is not about sweat, but about proper grounding/alignment in the hands/feet in the given pose. if you are using the hands/feet properly (proper rotations and pressure points--you can practice in a puddle on straight varnished hardwood and not budge (know from experience!). so, there is an aspect of that as well.

personal preference, organic mat with organic rug on top.

[dewlady]

thanks for the feedback, i really appreciate it. I did try washing my manduka. 3 times I scrubbed it with sea salt as they suggested and i used it exclusively for almost three months. I used a regular hand towel under my hands. it seemed to slip the most on my feet when i was going in and out of warrior poses or prasaritta. i don't have any problems with the cheaper mats i have been using which make me think it's at least not entirely alignment issues (though that could play a part, i'm sure!)

I decided to go with the Natural Fitness mat because it was on sale and it seems like a good eco friendly mat a company and I also got a yoga rug from barefoot yoga. I figured it was beautiful enough that even if i don't love it for my practice i could find somewhere for it!

It's hard now that there are SO many different choices and reviews on what the BEST mat is. I just want one that works! I hope this does.

[maptome]

Originally Posted by zoebird

often, though, this is not about sweat, but about proper grounding/alignment in the hands/feet in the given pose. if you are using the hands/feet properly (proper rotations and pressure points--you can practice in a puddle on straight varnished hardwood and not budge (know from experience!). so, there is an aspect of that as well.

Agreed. I'm a sweater, and I use Manduka.

[dewlady]

I just got my Natural Fitness mat and...no slipping. none. It is very flexible compared to most yoga mats I have used (rubber?) and I really like the feel. I really can't explain why my Manduka slipped so much, but it was just crazy! my feet were even slipping...in Prasaritta I would start to slide into a split! I can't imagine all that was alignment issues when it just doesn't happen on other mats? oh well, either way, I am happy with this one. my rug should arrive today as well

[zoebird]

i'm glad you found one that worked!