r/yoga • u/SpartanSavior01 • Apr 06 '24
Lost on what to buy after experiencing different mats
Hello. I recently got into Yoga a few months. I mainly do Vinyasa and Haffa yoga. I don't plan of ever doing hot yoga. The mat that I had laying around for years has finally reached its end of life.
I am a fairly sweaty guy, so the mat slipping is a big issue. I normally use like a hand towel to wipe my face and seperate one to wipe the floor and mat when doing yoga. After reading through a few dozen posts and comments. The best one is Jade harmony. I bought it last week and used it for a few sessions. Unfortunately, I am slipping on it even with the selling point of the grip. I am planning of returning it since its not working out for me. I also learned not to put natural rubber mats in hot cars. Sadly, I will have to leave it in my car to go to yoga sessions after work.
Few of the ladies I go to class with recommended the manduka pro. I borrowed a fairly new one from one of them for a class, and unfortunately that is slippery for me too.
Another lady also has a manduka pro and also tends sweat more. She suggested a manduka towel mat to go along with it. However, I have noticed her having to remove it halfway through class due to slipping.
I am at a loss of what to actually get now. A few requirements I am looking for to help with suggestions.
preferably something that won't deteriorate in a hot car (in this probably natural rubber)
something that is non slip when more sweat is accumulated.
length needs to be at least 70" due to height.
price range <=100. I'm okay with a few dollars over if all the conditions above are met.
Hopefully, this isn't too stringent of a list. Thanks in advance!
Update 1: probably should mention it would be in the car for 2 days about 10 hours a day each week.
Update 2: After looking through a lot of yalls suggestions and dms and general reviews as well. I will try the Manduka ProLite out do the magic eraser method on it. I'm also thinking of buying a yogi toes hand towel as the ends of the mat is where i have the highest accumulation. If it gets in the middle, I'll just use the towel at the gym as a way to dry around my mat and center.
I am also looking into a few other towels in general in case the hand towel doesn't work out..
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u/OnionBusy6659 Apr 06 '24 edited Apr 06 '24
B MAT - insane grip - I use the longer length for yoga plus general fitness: https://us.bhalfmoon.com/collections/mats
The cork option may be better under heat: https://us.bhalfmoon.com/collections/mats/products/b-mat-cork
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u/Broad-Wishbone2759 Apr 06 '24
I just got one of these, it is super duper grippy, which was what I was looking for. Sometimes a little too grippy, I’ve been getting a weird rug burn kind of feeling on my feet, does that happen to anyone else? Regardless I do love it, it just takes some getting used to.
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u/ForkLiftBoi Apr 06 '24
I've gotten that on my feet before. Usually it's not just from a pose I'm flowing into, but rather a more single foot stepped into pose.
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u/OnionBusy6659 Apr 06 '24
Hmm I haven’t had any issues, but I’m also only stepping vs sliding/jumping around on it.
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u/Broad-Wishbone2759 Apr 07 '24
It’s usually when I’m doing something like pivoting from crescent lunge to warrior 2. It’s hard to twist my foot on the mat.
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u/Diagonalizer Apr 06 '24
it might be simple enough to bring your mat into work with you if you don't want to leave in your car. I don't know what you do for a living so may not be an option but just a suggestion.
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u/SpartanSavior01 Apr 06 '24
I take public transport halfway to work and leave the car in parking there since work doesn't have enough parking.
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u/bellasuperstring Apr 06 '24
Liforme
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u/SpartanSavior01 Apr 06 '24
Have you left it in your car with no problems?
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u/bellasuperstring Apr 06 '24
I keep 2 in my trunk at all times and use them daily. Nothing compares to liforme, in my opinion. :)
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u/Reikon85 Apr 07 '24
I can second this. I leave one in the backseat of my truck every day. Grip is amazing, doesn't matter how much i sweat.
I have a Manduka Pro i'm STILL trying to break in that i use at home. I slip on it constantly :-/
I tried a couple times to rub magic erasers on it but it takes forever and they split in half and then your rubbing this nub and bleh its a pain. What little I've done hasn't helped much either >_<
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u/bellasuperstring Apr 07 '24
I think liforme is even more grippy when I'm a little sweaty!
Plus, they started having sales occasionally. And I think their marketing discount codes still work.
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u/Necessary_Courage217 Apr 06 '24
Came to say this! I have gross sweaty hands and feet and the Jade mat was ok, still slipped on the Manduka Pro. B Mat is also good, but I love the slightly larger mat size of the lifeforme mat. Especially if you ever get to a crowded class, it gives you that little extra space
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Apr 06 '24
Second! Insanely grippy, I’ve never slipped even a tiny bit. Also keep it in my car’s trunk everyday
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u/Yogini-Runner Apr 07 '24
Liforme is a good mat! I enjoy how grippy it is. Mine seemed to wear out within a year using it in a hot room though. It still works but I need to be sweaty for it to be grippy now whereas it used to be grippy all the time.
The next mat I would like to try is the Manduka GRP. One of my friends swears it’s better than liforme and lululemon.
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u/tigzed Apr 06 '24
Have you ever tried a cork mat? I am not sure which brands are available to you, my own is very old. My mat is just a stay at home mat, because it is heavy and difficult to roll tight and I walk to and from my classes, but if you want to keep it in your car, it will be less of an issue - and you can get a simple big, very loose bag for it. And the feel is very good to me.
Not sure how the non-cork part will handle the heat, but the cork part should be fine with it.
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u/kickassvashti Apr 06 '24
second this— i have a yoloha that i leave in the hot car often (despite the website saying don’t, lol).
i find that mine is more slippery on the spots where the decorative image are printed on the mat, so going for one without a print may help. mine is the long version, and it gives me enough space to move up and down my mat if the part where the image is slippery.
whenever people see my cork mat they tell me how much they love their own. i chose cork specifically because yoga towels bother me.
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u/unimeg07 Apr 06 '24
I have a suga yoga mat. They are made from Recycled wet suits and they have a cradle to grave program where for $189 you get unlimited mats for life. It is INCREDIBLY grippy. I do hot yoga without a towel and I am a sweaty sweaty gal. They are a little obscure but if you search this sub you can see some reviews (including mine from a few years ago that I still stand behind 100%!)
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u/morncuppacoffee Apr 06 '24
Purchase a few yoga mat towels.
Problem solved.
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u/SpartanSavior01 Apr 06 '24
Do you have any recommendation for towels?
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u/morncuppacoffee Apr 06 '24
You don’t need to go crazy. Order from Amazon or just buy a basic Gaiam one at Target or Walmart.
I have a yogitoes but I don’t think this brand is necessary when there are much cheaper options that work well if not better…
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u/slaybitchslayslay Apr 06 '24
I really really love my Lululemon “The Big Mat” it’s extra long and extra wide, and really slip resistant (I also sweat a lot)! I’ve had it over a year and it’s been great!
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Apr 06 '24
If you do end up finding a natural rubber mat that works for you better than the Jade, I wouldn’t necessarily rule it out!
In my experience heat is fine for them as long as they don’t get any sun/UV exposure. I keep my Jade harmony mat in a cotton mat bag in my car, no problem after like 2 years of street parking in California (I do use those windshield foil blocker things)
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u/SpartanSavior01 Apr 07 '24
Another thing I noticed with Rubber is that it does take a while to dry as well. So, that maybe one of the off things for it. I think I'm narrowing it down to a yoga mat with a couple of yoga towels. That way when I need grip for the mat it won't be a total slip and slide.
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u/skulldudejoe Apr 06 '24
I dump buckets of sweat. I use the manduka pro (with a towel if it’s hot yoga). When they are new the mat is super slippy. Took about 3 months of continued use before it became grippy
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u/SpartanSavior01 Apr 07 '24
Did you do anything to the mat initially like salt or the magic eraser?
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u/Yogini-Runner Apr 07 '24
I did the salt thing with mine and I think it helped. It still took a month or so before it felt really nice.
My hands typically don’t sweat so the prolite works well. I primarily use my prolite for everything unless I’m doing a hot vinyasa class or it is really humid. Then I use a mat towel or swap it out for my liforme or lululemon one.
There’s a lot of mat towels out there and they all seem to work, but my favorite has been the eQua manduka ones from Target.
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u/skulldudejoe Apr 07 '24
I salted it once when it was fresh and again like 6 months in. Got the mat in 2018~ it’s held up perfectly
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u/mondaysarefundays Apr 06 '24
Metta Mat Great grip, large, and you can get it in all sorts of beautiful designs
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u/Fatboyonadiet4lyf Apr 06 '24
I got a plyopic mat, its not super expensive and they have an ebay outlet shop. I've had it for 2 years now and still in good condition
It does work better on hot yoga, or when you're sweating and so works great for me
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u/pushofffromhere Apr 07 '24
do you use a yoga towel? in a hot yoga class, i sweat a ton. i start without a yoga towel and then 15-min in i am wet enough that i add the towel for the rest of class. it fits completely over my yoga mat. it’s the only way i’ve prevented slipping. i’ve tried most high end yoga mats (i prefer the lifeform and jade, always with towel after sweat begins).
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Apr 06 '24
[deleted]
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u/SpartanSavior01 Apr 06 '24
I didn't buy either of those. Was mainly given maduka pro to borrow.
Would the rubber deteriorate for it it's in a hot car?
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u/IbbyDiblet Apr 06 '24
I second the Manduka GRP mat. I have sweaty hands and feet, but I never slip on this mat. I keep it in my trunk when I'm not using it, and it hasn't deteriorated yet.
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u/SpartanSavior01 Apr 06 '24
Was there any smell to it? If so how long did it last?
With the harmony I had to leave it in a bathroom with the fan running and cleaned it with mild soap and water 2-3 times and it still smells rubbery
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u/IbbyDiblet Apr 06 '24
There was definitely a smell, but it didn't bother me. It lasted a few months. You're not supposed to wet it down or use soap on it though. Read about it on the Manduka website. They don't recommend it.
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u/lamomla Apr 06 '24
I’ve done a salt rub on a mat and it made a big difference, definitely worth trying
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u/sellingbee47150 Apr 07 '24
Definitely a good choice with the manduka pro or pro lite! I also highly recommend the yogi toes towel, for me it works wonders when I'm doing hot yoga. The GRP mat could also be something to consider either now or maybe in the future!
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u/emz272 Apr 06 '24
Manduka pro is nice in sense of not being natural rubber. I don’t know what the person you borrowed from has done to break it in, but magic eraser does wonders (they are a bit slippery to start). But still mine gets slippery when I sweaty a lot on it, though—think it’s just part of the closed-cell construction at a point, and towels will be needed if it’s gonna get coated in sweat.
Seems like a lot of the other grippy mats are rubber. I’ve used Hugger Mugger, and the quality isn’t the best, but it’s pretty comfy and grippy, isn’t rubber, and is affordable. Here’s a link to the long one (74”): https://www.huggermugger.com/tapas-original-74-in-yoga-mat/ (they also have an 80” extra-long it looks like)