Question:
Hi, can anyone please recommend a yoga mat that is definitely non-slip. I have bought two over the last year or so but they have no grip whatsoever. I have tried washing them etc but no change. I have heard that the natural material ones are best, but as they are pretty pricey I would appreciate some views, especially from teachers, before I go ahead and get one. Many thanks, N
answer:
Used to be all the eco-friendly mats were all up there in price but there are certainly less expensive options now (including from barefoot) so if that's an important criteria keep looking.
But there's several aspects to eco-friendly. One is whether the mat is good for you (PVC contains chemicals that are now widely considered to be bad for you.) Then there is how friendly the manufacturing process and material is to the environment. And durability matters, the mats made of natural materials from most accounts don't last as long, so you'll eventually buy more mats, not so eco friendly even if you find a reuse for the old one.
I have a Manduka black mat which is great. It's not advertised as an eco mat but I think I read someplace they are mostly polyester and little PVC so maybe not too bad for you if that's true. While it's a man-made material they claim the manufacturing is relatively eco-friendly. And they are so durable they last practically forever and won't wind up in the landfill anytime soon, so that's good (and cheaper in the long term even though it's another expensive mat.)
I also have a Manduka Eko Mat, which is pretty nice but I can already see it will wear out at some point, long before the black mat ever would. So eco-friendly in some ways but not necessarily all.
Every mat I've had has smelled somehow at first, but with a cleaning and airing it has always gone away after awhile. Actually I have an inexpensive PVC mat too that was a gift, it never smelled like my more expensive mats did when new.
