This is THE BEST Yoga Mat I've ever used :-)
I began practicing yoga 3 times a week 10 months ago, and being a beginner I thought a yoga mat was simply a yoga mat. I could see that they came in different colors and graphic designs, but I really had no idea about the many different *kinds* of mats, and how that collectively, a wide range of various features/combined characteristics affecting actual *functionality* existed: Things like the material, ie. foam, PVC, rubber, recycled diver wetsuits, etc. - then density, thickness, firmness, texture, "grip" factor, the size, durability, weight, etc...and how each of these play an underlying significant role in your yoga practice. So for the first 2 1/2 months, I was using a very thin, light, slightly textured but cheap ($10 to $12), yoga mat. Although there were times that my sweat caused it to become slippery (and in some postures that felt really sketchy: the feeling that my hands or feet could slip out from under me at any moment), but I didn't know what I didn't know and thought, "Hey, slippery-when-wet is normal, just be careful!" That is...until I bought a course on UDEMY.com titled "Movement Foundations: For Mastering the Yoga Basic" - by Kendra Hill. There, right in the beginning in chapter 1, she talks about the variety of factors that make up a "yoga mat", and how vitally important having the right mat is, to your practice. Everything she explained was an insightful revelation that made total sense. After all, everything we yogis do is on our mats, right? So if a mat doesn't best support and serve us, it could lead to a serious injury (as a result of a sudden slip) or facilitate ongoing problem (like lack of steadiness in a balance pose, because of being over soft or spongy). As Kendra shared, these are a couple of the things I realized...which set me on a quest to find the ideal yoga mat! Right about that time (February 2019), I decided to get into yoga more full-time and signed up for daily "unlimited" classes per month at a local yoga center. Lo and behold, it was stocked with a collection of different kinds of mats for members to use! So for 5-6 days a week over the next several weeks, I tried different ones and asked the teachers and other members about their own personal mats: What made them choose it? What was it they liked about it? or maybe didn't like? How much did it cost? Where did they get it? Etc. Armed with a new understanding and experience on different yoga mats ( note: a yoga mat, isn't simply a yoga mat - it affects everything!)... I felt like I had a really clear idea of what type of mat would be ideal, and that, I needed to have: A) Safety First --> so a mat that could handle getting wet with sweat, yet remain highly slip-free and "grip" dependable. B) Comfortable --> Not too soft/thick = spongy = wobbleness/instability in balance poses, etc... But not too thin either = sense of near direct contact with a hard floor or ground = soreness in the sit bones, knees, other joints/boney areas of the body. Also, non-abrasive. The *safest* mat I'd tried so far was made of recycled diver wetsuit material. Although the material was very durable and had a strong grip factor, it felt abrasive to me and might even cause "road rash" during certain movements. C) Affordable --> I wanted the best, ideal, most excellent mat I could find. But some of the ones going over $100 that some yogis have, was like "hmmm...maybe not, maybe there's something out there better for less. Let me look!!" So I went searching on Amazon, and guess what I found? The PLYOPIC Ultra-Grip Yoga Mat! :-) Honestly, I'm surprised there aren't more reviews on this product, because it not only met, but exceeded my ABC criteria. How? 2 Things -->> #1. The mat provides excellent grip and firm support (in 7 months of use 5-7 times a week and a lot of sweat, I've *never* once felt like I was going to slip). But somehow, the top is absolutely flat and smooth. There's no uneven or worse, abrasive texture at all. Remarkably, it actually feels very soft to the touch, sort of like velvet or brushed suade. So it's super sure and grippy, yet very gentle on your skin and body... and it does it without being over thick-soft and spongy. How PLYOPIC does this is pretty trick! #2. It has a Centerline, embossed on the top. One other "revelation" Kendra talks about in her Udemy course is the importance of body/structural alignment thru the 3 dimensional planes of movement. Having a mat with a centerline, lined up parallel with other visual cues in the practice space (in this case, ceiling beams overhead, hardwood floor seams, perpindicular window sills, vertical closet frames, etc.)...and knowing how to correlate these (like geometric reference points) as you move from one posture into another, makes a *Huge* beneficial difference in how confident and sure you execute each movement. Having a centerline for reference enables you to accurately observe your alignment, stacking, etc. and more importantly recognize *the feeling* when you have it precisely right, or, make the necessary correction when it's not quite there until it is. In other words, your practice becomes much more empowered and gratifying, all by having a centerline on your mat. It's quite amazing actually! Okay, so what are the drawbacks? Are there any? Well, the PLYOPIC Mat *is* made of rubber...so like others mention, it does have a noticable rubber smell when you first get it. How long that lasts I think depends on what each user does with it. When I first got mine, I started using it immediately. But each time before and after, I slung it over a wooden curtain rod in my open-air garage to let the flow of fresh air "flush out" the rubber smell. Within about 10 days it went from being quite noticable (up close) to barely being noticable. Then it became non-existent. So yeah, I'd say that's about the strongest drawback. But if you can put up with it for a little bit, you'll be fine. If there's any other possible drawback to consider, I'd say it's the weight. Rubber is generally denser and a little heavier than other popular mat material. On the other hand, it's also a lot more durable. That's why tires are made out of rubber yeah? ;-) So it's a give n' take: If for example, a person goes to yoga class bringing a lot of other stuff, they may not want to carry that little extra weight everytime. But being that your mat, is your #1 essential piece and everything else (other than possibly drinking water) is secondary, I think the PLYOPIC Ultra-Grip Yoga Mat is definitely worthy of any yogi's consideration. It may not be the lightest, or even the prettiest (having other colors besides black/grey would be nice) but it's definitely Super Safe and Functional! That's what I think ~ Cheers :-) Read more
