What is so special about a manduka mat?

[Kathryn]

It's woven from moonbeams on a midsummer night by fairies in a magical forest....

(It's thicker than regular yoga mats. I have one--from BeachBody--and used it when I did P90X. I think it does provide protection from too much impact, but certainly not as much as one of those springy floors that Cathe has do.)

[Judith L]

I love my Manduka Black. Love that I can use it atop carpeting.

[herya]

I had an opportunity to practice on one for a while when I was temporarily living with a friend who had several mats including two Mandukas. I remain unimpressed - it is a solid mat and it looks like it could last forever but it is very heavy and it is quite slippery, even when it is not wet, and when it is wet it's quite bad.

Apparently you need to wait until the top layer wears down or you can break it down yourself by scrubbing it really hard with rough salt etc. My friend told me that she finds it counterproductive - one of the advantages of PVC mats is their closed cell construction (prevents gathering of dirt, sweat, dead skin etc in the cells, which then decompose and cause bad smells) but as you scrub you actually tear the cells open, like in a sponge, so as you gain grip you lose this advantage. Looks like it's one or the other!

The price is very high too, it's just PVC after all. My friend had another solid mat she got from Germany, very similar in thickness and material but with no branding (sold as "ashtanga mat" or something similar), and it cost her 30 euro with shipping. It is her favourite mat now.

[Lucky Star]

I've often heard Mandukas can be slippery, but the Tapas Performance mat I mentioned above has been quite sticky from the start.

[tonus]

My Manduka is several years old. I bought it so I could do P90X with it, but I also prefer it for Yoga. In my experience it has never been slippery.

I took an Ashtanga Yoga class for several months last year. When the class entered, I was the only one carrying such a heavy mat. Then the teacher entered, carrying a mat just like mine. Sometimes she used a blanket on top of hers. She said that was to soak up some of the sweat.

[Vee]

Ok...a Tapas or Manduka Mat are on my list for 2012!

I like the sanskrit names. Indian languages derive from Sanskrit and in my mother tongue too, a frog is a manduka and the pursuit of nirvana (or anything else when said tongue in cheek) is tapas.

Thanks everyone.

Kathryn, I will remember your explanation if anyone gasps at what I will end up paying for the mat plus shipping to Malaysia.

[hotncmom]

I have a great mat I got from Yoga Accessories.

http://www.yogaaccessories.com/Drago..._p_121410.html

However, I had a lot of difficulty with my last order from this vendor and wouldn't order from them again.

The mat is sticky and thick and great for most situations. However, when I am really sweaty, I slide forward in down dog. I tried to get some fingerless gloves, but those slide on my hands and push down into the soft spots between my fingers, so I have a choice of being in danger of slipping or having my fingers pinched uncomfortably. I am thinking of wrapping my hands in gauze or something like that to see if that helps.

[Breezy Trousers]

Originally Posted by Kathryn

It's woven from moonbeams on a midsummer night by fairies in a magical forest....

lol ... However, judging from the Manduka mat's popularity among VF'ers, I wouldn't be surprised!

Thanks for taking the time to reply, Stephanie. The Pro is exactly what I'm looking for.

As with Vee, a Manduka mat is going on my 2012 to-buy list.

[SharonNYC]

Originally Posted by herya

I had an opportunity to practice on one for a while when I was temporarily living with a friend who had several mats including two Mandukas. I remain unimpressed - it is a solid mat and it looks like it could last forever but it is very heavy and it is quite slippery, even when it is not wet, and when it is wet it's quite bad.

I don't like the think black one much (I've used my teacher's for practice), but the prolite has been my preferred home mat for many years now. Daily use. Still just like new. It was never slippery. It's stabile and grippy without being clinging and yucky (like some of the tapas varieties I've tried).

I have a weakness for mats and have many, including the jade harmony, but the prolite remains my favorite.

However, as with many things, this is a highly individual preference. The only way to know for sure is to experiment. Hard to do though, with the high cost of mats etc.

[caligurl]

i have a manduka... one of the thinner ones... not the pro... and i seriously don't see the difference between that one and the ones i've gotten at target... well... except that the maduka still looks like new and the other ones would get chewed up and nasty looking rather quickly....

so i guess that is really a plus! i got a GREAT deal on it at sports chalet....