Yoga Mat Comparison – there is a huge difference

Many people who are taking up yoga completely disregard their yoga mat in the first years of practice. The fact is a yoga mat makes a huge difference in your practice. I have prepared a comparison between two yoga mats – a cheap and inexpensive one and a super premium product priced over $100 to see if any they would bring any difference into my practice.

Day 1. Packages arrive.

A few days ago I ordered the highest rated cheap yoga mat from Amazon - The YogaAccessories Extra Thick Deluxe Yoga Mat (Link) in generic Purple color for a total of $20.99, I also ordered the Manduka BlackMat Pro (Link) only the highest rated (over 200 ratings, most are 5-4 Stars) and most expensive yoga mat for $101.29. The both arrived the same day. The YogaAccessories mat came in clear plastic wrap with a tiny paper label tugged inside, the MandukaMat was wrapped in brown paper and came with an owner’s manual. The manual stated basic cleaning and care instructions, since this mat is biodegradable and eco-friendly it required special care to prevent it from deteriorating (no open sun) and growing bacteria inside (yuck). The YogaAccessories mat had no care instructions – it seemed indestructible and required no care, as it was made from synthetic material called PVC which was actually toxic and not biodegradable. Both mats have a distinct smell, not sure which one is worse but Manduka’s is definitely stronger – smells like car tires.

Day 2. First Practice on YogaAccessories mat.
I practiced on the cheap mat today. I must say I felt pretty good, there was very little slipping and the mat stuck to hardwood floor pretty well. I did find it a bit too sticky initially, but I will wait for this to go away with time. The mat felt no different from a generic studio mat, in fact that’s what it was, I really didn’t notice any Deluxe or extra thickness. My studio stocked the same kind of mats with a different logo stamped on them. Overall, I was quite pleased.

Day 5. Still on YogaAccessories mat.
The mat is definitely breaking-in, I can feel the stickiness to be less discomforting. The smell is almost gone. I barely notice the mat, though today some of my sweat dripped on the mat and I my toes slid a little in the triangle pose. No biggie, but I still noticed it.

Day 17. Still going on the Y-A mat.
I can safely conclude that my studio’s mats are exactly the same as this mat. I asked the owner how much he paid, and he was generous enough to share that he bought them in bulk for like $5.99 a mat. Wow, I feel ripped off. Whenever I come to class and unroll my mat I get looks from people, they think I carry the studio mat home

Day 19. My  first practice on the Manduka Mat.
Holy Crap, this thing is heavy. I felt like I was carrying a small baby to my class today, I definitely need a yoga mat bag for this monster – carrying it on the train was really awkward. Needless to say, I got a few more looks today, but the reaction was opposite – I was getting respect. Looks like people really know this mat well. I immediately saw about 10 more people with the exact same mat and 4 people with other Manduka Mats, I suppose I didn’t pay attention to other people’s mats before. 
I unrolled my mat and it just stuck to the floor, I didn’t have to make any adjustments like I usually did with the YogaAccessories product. Most of the times I would have to pull at different corners to get the mat straight and flat, this mat was like a magnet – it just glued itself to the floor perfectly flat and straight. That was nice, I thought and stepped on the mat. Holy Yogiraj, I exclaimed, I feel lighter. The mat’s surface was neither too sticky nor to slippery, it was just perfect, I literally felt like I was either lighter or stronger in the legs. The mat was doing a lot of work for me The surface was gripping to my feet and holding me firm on the horizontal axis but allowing complete freedom on the vertical, thus allowing smooth transitions between poses and firmness when fixation is needed. I was impressed I decided to stop writing this review because the Manduka Mat was much better I couldn’t even compare the two.

Day 28. Manduka All The Way!
I’ve been on this mat for 9 days now, and I can very confidently say that this is an amazing yoga mat. Aside from weight and smell, I feel like I have my own personal super surface designed for the sole purpose of yoga practice. This mat does everything – from holding my feet in warrior poses to absorbing my sweat. The Manduka has superior support for my knees – I don’t feel the floor, yet my knee does not drown in the mat and never wobbles. I can now do headstands for much longer as the top of my head receives a lot more support without any hurting. What can I say, the Manduka BlackMat Pro is the best yoga mat of our times!

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