AURORAE Synergy 2in1 Hot Yoga Mat with integrated Non Slip Microfiber Towel No Slipping No Bunching Odor Patent

I purchased this mat based on the reviews of the product. I practice hot vinyasa flow yoga 6 days a week. I'm used to practicing with a thick mat and absorbant towel (I don't think I can use product names in a review) and thought that the concept of this mat looked pretty interesting- especially from what the reviews stated about the grip. I have a couple of pet peeves about the mat and towel setup that I've been using. First, I could never get a nice grip on the towel, regardless of whether I sprayed it or not. So I would find my hands slipping forward in downward dog and wheel pose often. Readjusting the towel when I accidentally dragged my foot moving into warrior also drove me crazy. I hate when the mat bunches up and I have to stop my practice to straighten my towel, or refocus on readjusting my towel with my foot while I'm in down dog. So, this mat/towel combination seemed like a great concept! I also found the grippy plastic "feet" on the towel, to help it grip the mat, were uncomfortable when I'm in camel or similar poses where a lot of my body weight is resting on one area. As usual, Amazon prime ordering and shipping was perfect- though I've come to expect nothing less. I purchased two mats because I wasn't sure how often I would need to wash them given how often I practice yoga. The mats were packaged perfectly and came with washing instructions (more on that later) and information on the company. The mat is thinner than the mat I was used to using so I was a bit concerned it wouldn't be enough padding. The top surface is soft and smooth and I was a bit concerned that it might be too slippery. Both of these concerns were quickly put to rest in my first class. I lightly sprayed the area that my hands and feet rest on and came into a dog dog. To my happy surprise, my hands and feet gripped better than they ever have. I could feel the padding in the mat and it's perfect. Not too much as to be distracting where you feel like your hands are sinking into it- but just enough that I could feel where my knuckles were compressing the mat with still plenty of padding against the wood floors that I practice on. Through the practice as I sweated, the mat never lost it's grip- if anything, the more I sweated, the better my grip was. I never felt like I didn't have enough padding, I didn't even need to double the mat over or fold my towel under my head in headstand. I'm used to washing my towels after each class, so I was concerned about how often I would need to wash these mats so I experimented. First, I brought my mat home and air dried it and used the other mat the next class. I checked on the previously used mat and found that it dries very quickly and doesn't retain any smell at all. Next, I used my Gaim mat wash to spray and wipe down the mat the way I would with my regular mat and left it to air dry. By the time I was ready to go to the next class, it smelled only of the mat wash that I'd used to wipe it down. Next, I washed both mats following the directions provided. My only concern with machine washing them was that I had to fold them to make sure that they would fit and I really didn't want to start to get a crease in the mat down the middle. Other than that, I didn't have any issues the first couple of times I washed them. Then, about a month after I got the mats I pulled one out of the wash and it had ripped. I was so dissapointed. I reviewed the washing instructions and I'd followed them perfectly. I decided to send a "hail mary" email to the company to see if there was anything they would do to help. Unbelievably, the owner got back to me within about 10 minutes apologizing for my experience, explaining that if my washing machine agitates (which it does even on gentle) that I should plan on hand washing them and offering to send me a replacement! My replacement arrived a couple of days later and I will be hand washing my mats from now on. I take one day off during the week and use that time to wash and air dry my mats. Other than that, despite a rigorous, sweaty practice, I rotate my mats and use the mat wash in between uses to keep them smelling fresh. I highly recommend this mat. I will certainly be purchasing more from this company based on the quality of the product and the excellent customer service! Read more

Both my husband at 6'2" and I (5'10") practice hot Ashtanga Yoga several times a week in a yoga studio near our home. We have been through a couple of mats of all varying price ranges. Most of them are too short for both of us once we get into some of the longer poses like warrior. These were plenty long enough for both us (although I believe my husbands height would be about the max) and very comfortable to practice on too. First, I ordered this on a Sunday night and it was at my house in time for our class on Tuesday evening! We certainly put both our mats through a very high paced class. As recommended we sprayed the mat with water (our studio offers spray bottles with water in them for people to use) where our hands and feet go for downward facing dog prior to class. I had to wear yoga gloves and socks in the past to keep from slipping. I did not put them on at all to see how this mat would hold up in the hot yoga class. It was spectacular! I did not slip once in any pose they put us in. Not only did my hands not slip, but in the jumps forward and back, and any other vigorious activity did the mat slip on the floor either. It was like there were suction cups on this mat that held it to the floor. At one point we had to move our mats in the class and we actually had to peel this thing from the floor by lifting and walking the entire length (incuding the edges btw) to get it to release from the floor! There are three of us in the class that had this mat and others were amazed because you could hear it releasing its grip from the floor. The mat also absorbed all the sweat and when we were in our relaxation poses at the end of the class we did not feel like we were laying in a pool of our sweat which in the past made us feel cold and even wetter because now our entire bodies were laying in the dampness. I have been on mats that are a lot more expensive and cheaper, but this was the perfect mat of any price point that we have tried. I don't know who thought of this and how they were able to make it so sticky, yet not so bad you couldn't move from one pose to the other. We both felt secure in our poses and ended up with a better experience because of this mat. We were both able to truly get into a pose and our alignment was much better because of no slipping, yoga towels moving or bunching up, or the mat literally sliding on the floor as we landed on jumping forward or back. The mat was easy to carry and is easy to take care of too. Our studio also provides a mat cleaner/sanitizer too and after class we sprayed that on both sides and wiped it down with a towel we take to class just for that purpose. I have not tried washing it yet as I have not had it long enough to give it a try. But I don't doubt this company in any claims they make after trying this superior mat. Please never discontinue this wonderful invention! The only thought I could have to make it better would possibly be a thicker mat. While this was fine for me and my husband there are some people in our class that double up there mats because they like a thicker feel when they practice. I will never be able to go back to a traditional mat and look forward to now trying other products this company makes. Read more