PRO Yoga Mat

I Love this mat! I am a relative newbie in yoga, have been sporadically going to YMCA yoga classes for a little over a year. I started out by just using the mats at the Y. Then I decided that I would get my own mat... I didn't really want to use the same mat that lots of other people have been using; wasn't too sure how often they are cleaned or the health of previous users of the mats. Well... I got a yoga mat in the $20 range. Thin and my hands slipped in Down Facing Dog. Moved up to a mat in the $30 range and used both mats during practice. No problems with the thickness of the combined mats stacked together (comfort of knees in poses that require you to be on all fours), but still a little problem with slipping hands. And standing balance poses were a little more difficult since the two mats together were a little "spongy" and my balance is not that great that I needed the extra "added benefit" of a less stable surface to balance on! I noticed that all my instructors use Manduka mats... Hmmmm, wonder if the mats are worth the (lots) extra money they cost??? Asked a couple of my instructors, and they all said emphatically "YES!" Sooooo.... Decided to give the $$$ mat a try. I mean, after all, I spend well over $100 for running shoes... and stability and comfort in my yoga mat is also important! Well, I have to say, the instructors are right! I LOVE this mat. My hands do NOT slip in Down Dog, even toward the end of a strenuous yoga workout when I am a little "damp". (I sweat like a well lathered horse after a hard run...). The mat is comfortable in all of the poses that I have done; no issues with knees on the hard surfaces of the gym floor. Standing balance poses have become a little easier; the firmness of the Manduka mat provides stability that I was just not getting with less expensive options. The mat itself is obviously of better material than my previous less expensive mats. Firmer, heavier, less slippery. I have seen some reviews that say it is TOO heavy... not a problem. If you are doing plank position, and you are complaining about the weight of this mat, then something does not equate! I like the fact that the mat has a lifetime guarantee. One of my main instructors has used her mat for over 4 years; and she teaches classes 2 hours a day on average ... every day (or maybe more...). Her mat is still in perfect condition. She said that she went through 2 mats a year before moving up to the Manduka... So is it really more expensive than the cheaper mats??? Maybe not!!! I got the extra long Manduka mat. I am not tall (5'9") but I like to stay on the mat and not on the floor - shorter mats have me hanging off the ends on some poses with the normal sized mats. The longer mat is perfect! If you are new to Yoga, give yoga a try using the studio mats at the class before buying a Manduka (they are expensive). If you like Yoga and want to continue... BUY A MANDUKA MAT!!! You will not be sorry!

I decided to try a Manduka Pro mat because my Ashtanga teacher and another one of my experienced yoga teachers highly recommended the mat for durability, comfortability, and practice experience. My Ashtanga teacher has 2 Pro mats that she’s used for 15 years, and they hardly look worn at all. I was concerned about cushion for the knees - like, is the Pro mat too hard? (I need some extra padding for my knees. They hurt kneeling on hard surfaces because they were injured years ago in a fall.) My teacher friends assured me it was comfortable, even on knees. I know people usually get a Pro Lite for use outside the home/at the studio, but I wanted the extra cushion for my knees, so I got a Pro (6mm) for the extra padding (and extra width!). I love it!! It is a heavier mat than most, but I still take it to the studio without a problem. (Even my 12yr old brings her Pro mat to the studio for Ashtanga practice without a problem.) I use the Pro mat for meditating, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hatha, and several other styles of yoga. I use it for Yin sometimes too, but I usually bring my extra squishy mat for that practice, just to give a more comfortable feel while I hold poses for 5 min. Either that or sometimes I put a blanket on my Pro mat. The Pro mat did come with a slippery residue on it. I did the salt treatment and also scrubbed it with a bit of water and grease cutting dish soap. That worked pretty well to get maybe 75% of the slippery residue off. That was enough to use it for my practice. Beyond that, in my mat bag I keep a dish sponge with a (blue) gentle scratchy pad on one side, and I just gently scrub the mat when I’m done with practice. That has helped a lot to get the last bit of slippery coating off my mat. I love that the Pro is good for my knees but still a good surface for doing balance poses on. I don’t have much of a problem doing tree pose on the Pro. On squishier mats, that felt ok on my knees, I’d have to step onto the floor for some of the longer held or more complicated balance poses/sequences. I don’t have to step off the Pro mat. I love this mat! I got the “colorfield” blue one because I thought it was pretty and I figured I’d have the mat for a long time, so I might as well get one I really enjoyed! Another note: I was also able to try a Pro Lite before I decided on purchasing the Pro. I think the Pro Lite is an excellent choice for someone who doesn’t need the extra knee support or cushion, or wants a lighter mat to carry to practice, but still wants the same surface the Pro mat has.

I thought my previous Manduka mat was the best but this one is even better! I had my last mat for about 20 years, it was the Eko Rubber Tree one & I still love it but it's showing wear. I treated myself to this Pro model & I'm blown away. Absolutely, 0 oder (the rubber smelled for months!), great grip, (I didn't do the salt method- I just keep using it!), the 6mm makes such a difference, (my knees & back love it), its not squishy just dense, it rolls up easily & lastly the color is gorgeous, I chose the black sage. I don't do hot yoga, so not sure how it works in that situation but for my everyday use this mat is just perfect! I also bought the starp on Amazon, very generic but extremely useful!

thick and sturdy high quality mat. good grip, even with sweaty hands and feet. easy to clean. definitely my favorite mat ive owned and hope to use for years to come

I finally upgraded to the Manduka PRO in the Odyssey print (71"), and I honestly wish I’d done it years ago. This mat is in a league of its own. The density and cushioning are perfect—firm enough for stability in standing poses, but with just enough give to protect my knees and spine during floor work and Pilates rolls. The Odyssey design is gorgeous, subtle enough to feel premium but distinct enough to stand out. At 71", it fits my full frame comfortably (I’m 5'10"), with no awkward hanging over edges. The mat stays put—no slipping, even during hot yoga or sweaty Pilates sessions. Yes, there’s a short break-in period (as others mention), but after a few uses and a salt scrub, the grip is phenomenal. Compared to cheaper mats I’ve tried, this one doesn’t stretch, tear, or absorb odors. It cleans easily and still looks brand new after months of daily use. If you practice regularly, do yourself a favor: skip the $30 mats that fall apart in six months. The Manduka PRO is an investment in your practice and the environment (it’s built to last a lifetime). Five stars, no hesitation.

Pros: - Good balance of firm yet supportive. My knees don't hurt in kneeling poses, while at the same time in standing poses my feet aren't sinking in into too much cushion. - Stays put on the floor and doesn't move under my hands and feet like my cheap old mats used to do. - Longer and wider than my old mat - a perfect size for my height (5'8) - "Lifetime" warranty Cons: - Main: A little slippery if my hands get moist (more on that below) - Minor: Much heavier than my cheap old 3mm mat, but that's totally understandable given the much greater size and thickness and thus not a big deal. - Minor: Random stuff (hair, fuzzballs, etc.) sticks to it like glue. Light color highlights that. - Minor: Manduka recommends folding it with the top surface facing out, and it is a mild inconvenience having to turn the top side onto the unclean studio floor. Now more on the slipperiness topic since that seems to be a top issue of concern for many folks. First, a note about my sweating level and yoga style, so you can put my review in context: I sweat very little. In the past I have attended some very hot (90-100+ degrees) classes and always been fine with not having any towel on my cheap old Gaiam and Reebok mats. These days I do not attend hot yoga classes, but just mildly heated ashtanga and power vinyasa and I barely squeeze out a few drops of sweat here and there. After getting my new Manduka mat I went to a few classes before I had time to do the salt scrub. Slipperiness was not a big concern. I was completely fine for most of the class, except some slipperiness when my hands got a little moist towards the end. Nothing too bad though. I decided to do the recommended salt scrub. I put the mat out on the patio, sprinkled it generously with coarse sea salt, scrubbed it around a bit, and left it like that for a day (I live in Southern California, so freezing weather is not a concern). I used a wet rag to scrub vigorously and wipe the salt away. Here is a tip I found the hard way: Make sure to completely wash off the mat surface, not just wipe it with the rag, because salt will remain. The next time I used the mat I discovered that the little bit of salt film that was left on the mat triggered a bizarre reaction in my palms and feet - it made them sweat profusely! I don't know if it has to do with osmosis or what, but my palms and feet were drenched with water (while the rest of my body was completely dry) and I was slipping all over the place. Ironically the salt scrub made the mat far more slippery than it was previously! I couldn't wait to get home and thoroughly rinse it off with water to get any remaining salt off. After I did that, the mat returned back to normal. I can't tell if the salt scrub made any difference from the pre-scrub level. I use it just fine for most of my practice, and if my palms get a bit moist towards the end and things start to get a bit slippery, I move my hands to a different (dry) spot. I don't know how the mat would perform if I take it to a true hot yoga class - I suspect it may get quite slippery and perhaps I would need a towel. But like I said, for my purposes (non-heated or mildly heated ashtanga and power vinyasa) and my sweat level (low), it is largely fine. Also, I've only had the mat for a few weeks, so I may see improvement as time goes by.

As a serious student of yoga for a year and a half, I have now used 4 different yoga mats. The first two were very cheap mats that I found at a department store; I then upgraded to a Aurorae mat while also discovering Yogitoes. I stuck with this combo of Aurorae/ Yogitoes for a long time in my hot yoga practice, and it worked very well for me as a newer student. The Aurorae mat is made of a more cushioned feeling foam, and its bumpy bottom surface gripped decently to the floors so that it did not slip around in a energetic class; and needless to say, with a Yogitoes on top of it, I had found a great combo. The comfort and stability that these two afforded me helped bring my practice to a higher level. After more than a year of using this combo, I decided to buy myself an appropriate present for completing my teacher training and purchased the Manduka black mat pro. I researched a variety of mats by companies I trusted, asked a few teacher friends how they felt about the mats they had used, and came to the conclusion that the Manduka mat sounded like what I wanted. It does not disappoint. It is a dense mat, first and foremost. It is quite a bit longer and wider than most yoga mats, and weighs around 4 times as much as a typical mat. The density and material used are an interesting combo, where it just feels incredibly solid and easy to grip underneath you when you are on it. I can not imagine it ever moving during a vinyasa practice, and even without a Yogitoes towel under me, I can easily find traction in my hands and feet in any pose. It is a superior mat for a dedicated, serious student. I must say that heated classes still require me to use a Yogitoes towel with this mat. I sweat a lot in vinyasa classes, and having a towel down to absorb this sweat and give me added traction is a must. I have tried Yogitoes and Yogarat towels, and I am still looking for a towel that would compliment the Black Mat a bit better. My only complaint, which is a very minor complaint, is that because the Black Mat is so dense, the grippy underside of a Yogitoes is not as well absorbed into the mat below it; you can feel the bumps under your feet much more distinctly than you do when using a more cushioned mat. The complaint about the Yogarat/ Black Mat combo is that because there are none of these grippy bumps on a Yogarat towel, it has nothing to keep it from sticking completely to the top of the Black Mat, creating a suction with the sweat, towel and your body and sometimes resulting in embarrassing sounding fart noises when you get on to your back for abs/ backbends/ inversions etc. Usually I just laugh when this happens, but the first time it was very surprising and I could see people being embarrassed by their farty mat. Any recommendations for a better combo? I still have not tried the Manduka brand towels. Perhaps that will be next :)

I researched mats for weeks before finally deciding to go with the top of the line Black Mat Pro. What I love: I really love the size of this mat. No more hanging off the mat. It gives you a fair amount of real estate with out looking out of place in the room. (I am 5'4", perfect for me). I love the density of this mat. Plenty of cushioning but with a good level of firmness which helps when balancing on the mat. This is a big improvement over my previous mat (Nike). This mat does not move on the floor. No shifting in Warrior 2. It has a nice feel to it. Slightly fabric-like. You have the feeling this mat is well made. About the color: I am in my grey phase as I like to call it so this color works for me. It is more of a charcoal grey than a true black. Personally, I get tired of the colored mats after a while, so this is nice an neutral color to look at. The downside of the color is that it does tend to show dirt but really, you are face down on the mat, it should be cleaned regularly anyway, right? About the smell: I was a bit surprised about the smell at first. I left the mat hanging over a half wall for several days and the smell quickly diminished to not noticeable. I can still smell it after 1 month but only when my nose is right against the mat and it really is not an offensive smell to me. About the stickiness: After reading some reviews about the slipperiness of the mat, I was worried, but I got through the breaking in period easily and a month into it, I find it is perfect. Just the right amount of stickiness. Regarding the break in period: The day the mat arrived, I washed it down with a gentle cleaner followed by the sea salt wash, waited a couple of hours and off to class I went. Well, that first class, I was slipping all over the place. I am not sure if it was the new mat or maybe I didn't wait long enough after the washings. Next I tried wiping it down with vodka (I read about this online) and that made a big difference. I left the mat open for a week+ on the floor and walked on it every evening in bare feet to try and break it in a little quicker. Next time I tried it at class, no slip. (Disclaimer: I don't sweat all that much typically, if you are a heavy sweater try rosin or a yoga towel) About the weight: it weighs 7 lbs. if you live in NYC, maybe this might not work, but if you are carrying this from car to class, this is no big deal. Honestly, the weight is no issue in my mind at all. You are going to class for a workout, right? Overall, after a couple of weeks of regular practice and just walking on my mat with bare feet, I got through the breaking period. I love the lifetime warranty. This is a great mat and a good investment. I think my mat and I will be very happy together.

Amazing mat. Works well and it is thick enough for me not to need a knee pad.

Nachdem meine vorherige Matte (etwa 0,4 cm dick, 60 cm x 180 cm) immer rutschiger wurde, machte ich mich auf die Suche nach einer neuen, etwas festeren Matte und stieß auf die Manduka Pro. Für den Gebrauch zu Hause ist sie 1A. Sie gibt einem viel Stabilität und Sicherheit im Stand und gute Wärmeisolation im Liegen. Sie fühlt sich sehr angnehm an und riecht am Anfang etwas nach Kautschuk, was mich allerdings nicht im geringsten stört. Beim nach unten schauenden Hund neigen meine Hände immer etwas zum Rutschen, dies ist auch auf dieser Matte so, jedoch nicht so stark wie auf anderen, dünneren Matten. Diese große Ausführung könnte meines Erachtens noch einen Hauch breiter sein (obwohl die 66 cm absolut in Ordnung sind) und dafür etwas kürzer. Für Menschen von 180 cm Größe finde ich die 180er Matten etwas zu kurz. 216 cm sind jedoch wirklich reichlich lang. Was man noch beachten sollte ist, dass die Matte ziemlich schwer ist, zum schnell mal Mitnehmen ist sie nicht geeignet. Für die tägliche Yogapraxis zu Hause eindeutig eine sehr gute Wahl. P.S. Nach bereits zehn Tagen kann ich sagen, dass der Kautschukgeruch verflogen ist, die Matte immer flexibler wird und sich auch die Rutschfestigkeit immer weiter erhöht. :)

Turned up with blue stains on it, MAT itself is great hence three stars. I was only offered a refund due to stock of a replacement, purchased the Mat from Amazon to spread the cost. Should have purchased it from Manduka direct, lesson learned

I’m 95kg and need something to support my weight when I put my knee down and that won’t stretch on the floor like a rubber band when I do down dog. This mat is solid and great for someone tall in the XL size.

Beste yoga Mat! Ich nütze sie jedem Tag. Schon fast 2 Jahren und ist noch perfect.