The very best yoga mat according to practitioners and teachers all around the world and the most trusted brand in yoga business – Manduka are the most reliable, longest-lasting, and now environmentally-friendly yoga mats around.
The BlackMat Pro is a perfect mat for all levels of practice and the best non-slip yoga mat along with Jade. Made from natural rubber, and featuring amazing craftsmanship, this mat will beat any other thick or thin yoga mat on the market. This is currently the bestselling professional yoga mat on Amazon, with hundreds of rave reviews.Review:
Review
This is a very high end yoga non-slip yoga mat for serious practitioners. This Manduka Mat has specific top and bottom surfaces. The top’s sticky surface keeps feet firmly rooted during balancing poses, the bottom side remains stable on hard floors or carpet, and won’t shift or bunch up during movement. The mat’s fabric-like surface finish is not sticky, yet slip-resistant, even when wet from perspiration, though some people with extremely sweaty hands may find this mat (or any other mat) slippery. The Black Manduka Mat is exceptional for cushioning your spine, hip bones, knees and elbows from punishing hard floors; its durability is excellent.
The story of Manduka started about 10 years ago, when an architect designed a revolutionary new yoga mat. That person was Peter Sterios, a passionate yogi practitioner who created a mat with a perfect combination of grip and support.
The name Manduka was chosen in honor to Peter’s teacher, S. Remete, whose practice and teaching always included the ancient Mandukasana or frog pose. The word and the pose are simultaneously playful and profound. The joy of Manduka is now felt in more than 35 countries all over the world.
The quality and performance of Manduka mats and yoga accessories are still unmatched in the marketplace. They are still crafted using simple, enduring, natural, and whenever possible, renewable materials and a fine attention to detail. Manduka is a company built by and for yoga teachers and their students. And as Manduka celebrates its 10th year, we are still evolving, still introducing new products, and still celebrating the spirit and wisdom of yoga teachers and their students. From the road less traveled, something great and meaningful has arrived.
Manduka Mats are made from a high-quality blend of emission-free PVC and fabric, which are durable and will stick to most surfaces. Most double-sided mats lack stickiness to prevent them from creating discomfort during contact with your body. While this feature aims at a more pleasing experience it is responsible for the mat’s sliding on the floor. Manduka mats have a distinct back surface especially designed to stick to the floor, it should not be practiced on. The floor side of the mat is very sticky while the other side has a more relaxed grip more suitable for practice. There were almost no occassions where the mat would bunch up or curl during practice.
Weight 
The mat’s heavy weight is an important factor in durability and stability, but a great burden when it comes to carrying this mat in and out of class. This is one of those mats that are best kept in storage close to your place of practice and not for carrying around a lot. There are thinner versions of the same mat available for those who want to travel with their Manduka Mat.
Thickness
Most practitioners found the 1/4″ thickness of the material to be perfect. The Manduka Mat is slightly thicker than most similar mats. There were some people who wanted even more thickness. Pilates students and absolute beginners may benefit from additional thickness. 1/4″ of material seemed like more than enough cushioning for our team.
Slip protection
Once a regular yoga mat is wet most of its surface traction is lost, this is a serious issue for some hot yoga students. The practitioners are offered a number of solutions from special wipes, to absorbent yoga towels. Finding a mat with a fabric surface may also be the answer. The fabric surface of the Manduka Mat does an excellent job of keeping the moisture away. We found that the mat’s spongy surface was only able to absorb a limited amount of moisture, especially in a hot yoga class full of overweight excessive sweaters. We don’t know of any mats that are sweat-proof but the Manduka products do a pretty good job, however – they are also not 100% absorbent. We also found a small problem with the mat’ material – it absorbs moisture, and if not cleaned regularly, it will eventually start harboring bacteria in it’s pores. We recommend cleaning this mat at least once a month, following the included instructions.
Appearance and features
As stated in this mat’s name, it is quite black. The look is classic, but may not attract many customers. On the other hand, we don’t know any other mats in this category that have the same appearance, so your mat is guaranteed to stand out.The Company have recently released a limited edition Cherry version of their popular Manduka Mat at the same price. We really enjoyed the original black color, it was quite awesome. The mat is made of a PVC blend (synthetic rubber), which has a smell that most people find quite unpleasant. Even after washing the mat as the manual suggested the smell remained. In just a few weeks the brand new mat stops smelling, and the problem never returns. We found this to be an issue with every single rubber mat we ever tested. Our reviewers concluded that the smell eventually went away and did not return.
Our conclusion
The Manduka Mat is a indeed a Rolls-Royce of yoga mats – it’s heavy, long, thick and extremely durable. This mat will last for years, it’s an excellent investment worthy of any serious practitioner. The cushioning, slip resistance and floor grip are all well above average if not perfect. The only downsides of this mat are its weight and size. It’s perfect for home practice or to keep in a studio locker but not for carrying around, especially in public transportation.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
This mat is heavy, soft, and appears to be made of very high quality material. However, I have had a lot of difficulty in removing the slippery film. I have used it for approx 20 yoga sessions, I have wiped it down after each session, and I have scrubbed it a few times with a nylon brush, but it is still slippery when wet. I’d recommend this Manduka Mat to anyone.
First off, I’ve been practicing ashtanga/power yoga for about a year and a half now. I’m not an expert, but I know what works for me. My hands and feet sweat a lot during class. Most mats I’ve tried turn into a slip-and-slide after the first 5 minutes. From day one I’ve had to use a towel under my hands at the front of the mat to keep from collapsing in down dog. I’ve tried them all, your standard “sticky” mat, a mysore rug, etc. The sticky mat gripped until I got sweaty then it was worthless. The mysore rug needed to be so wet to grip that I ended up sitting on wet spots (not fun). The Manduka Mat is the only one that works. It grips perfectly and I don’t even need the towel under my hands. I also love that it is so thick and dense. It doesn’t “follow” me when I jump through, provides plenty of padding for my knees/arms, and is very stable for balancing poses. I even like that it’s heavy…it helps tone my arms!
This is one of the best yoga mats on the market. It is well constructed and will last for years. It is not your typical wimpy yoga mat so be prepared for the weight of it. One important thing to note is: if you have sweaty hands you may have some slippage problems. I solved this by using a towel for my hands.
I have been practicing yoga for nearly 3 years. I feel that the Manduka Mat is the best investment I have made. Its comforatable for all the floor work, and stable for all the standing and inversions asansa.
Its heavy, but no no one is perfect.
For anyone tired of slipping around while in downdog, this is the mat you want. The thickness took some time to get used to because with thinner mats there is slippage that you can to your advantage such as when moving into cobra, and with the manduka you have to force yourself forward thus getting a better sweat because your not cheating anymore. Which you won’t realize is cheating until you do cobra on this mat. The price intially may be a litte off setting, but it is sooooooooooo worth the price. I wish I had bought this mat sooner. I recommend the 85 inch to have room to move, I use the whole mat and I’m short. Do buy a sling or case since the mat weighs about ten pounds and it has to be rolled very tightly.
The 85″ Manduka Mat is probably best for 2 different situations: if you are tall like me (6’3″) and you don’t mind carrying some hefty extra weight around to class, or if you want to do yoga at home (or wherever) and you don’t need to ever move this mat. It is heavy (like 10 lbs) because it is so dense – but that is a good thing! It is a solid mat in the sense that when you twist your feet your mat doesn’t bunch up like thinner mats. It also gives you great padding for the hard floors. It is obscenely long – which gives you room to stretch out, and also has an additional advantage of giving you some extra space in a crowded studio – call me selfish but that’s a nice bonus. It is very sticky unless you are really sweating, but at that point you would probably have a towel. I use this on carpet and hard floors and it works great in both cases. Yes, this mat is expensive, but didn’t you just spend $100 on those shoes with the little shox on the back? You should consider your yoga mat just as important – and buy yourself the best!
I bought the Manduka Mat due to great Amazon Customer reviews. Bottom line with this mat: If you are going to use the mat to constantly go to the yoga studio, buy the Purple Travel Mat from Manduka. If you are keeping this Black mat at home and not needing to travel with it, its an excellent mat. The Purple Travel mat is great for traveling, light weight enough and provided adequate yet firm padding for joints/knees. The Black Mat which I returned due to its weight and bulkiness, is better as a stationery, at home mat. Its depends on where you pratice your yoga. Both Manduka mats a wonderful products.
This is definitely one of the highest quality mats around. The price tag is a little steep, but with a lifetime warranty, you seriously have no risk. Anyone that I’ve ever talked to that has one as absolutely LOVED it, no questions asked..
I have a PROlite Manduka. I wanna Love my mat but I am having problems towards the end of my practice where the mat is so slippery I cant even do a full wheel cause my hands and feet are sliding out from under me. I hope it gets better! The last thing you want to worry about is sliding around when you are trying to hold a pose. Its a very nice mat otherwise.
Nice Mat!
http://www.selftrainermat.com
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