Manduka  PROlite Yoga Mat

I read online reviews for about all brands and styles of mat. Guess what? Every single one has the same complaint - it smells, and it slips. In my yoga life, I've found that to be true - however... I find this one not *that* smelly, or that slippery providing you aren't in a hot class where you are dripping like a waterfall. For regular class, use some chalk on your hands (why does no one talk about chalk anymore? life saver) and with time, some scrubbing (the salt idea is a good one) and some use it will break in. I honestly don't think there is a mat that comes out of the packaging 100% ready to go. If there was, we'd all own one. :)

I used these mats at my local studio and really wanted my own. But I waited for a long time to buy this mat because I read all the reviews about the initial slipperiness...and they are true! I almost face-planted while in downward dog and may have tweaked my knee as a result. Not good! One thing that helped was using the Manduka mat spray (yes, I bought that too and no, this isn't a paid review). I (carefully) used the mat almost daily for three weeks and used the mat spray to clean it every time. Each time I noticed the slickness starting to disappear. Now I feel like the mat is getting better and I feel more secure in my asanas.

I have been an avid hot-yoga enthusiast for almost 10 years. I practice 4-5 x weekly. I also sweat - ALOT. I have used several different mats, the most recent being The Mat from Lulu. This manduka has exceeded my expectations. I use the equa-plus towel over it and have found no slipperiness at all. I also like that it is a closed-cell mat, that should resist breaking-down as well as bacterial growth. I spray it down after each practice with a mixture of water, witch hazel, and essential oils. I am very pleased with this mat - hoping it will last a long time!

I've had this mat for about three months now and I absolutely love it!!! I usually do yoga right after I run so I am already super sweaty, but my manduka STILL keeps me from sliding around (and I get really sweaty). Also, I like doing yoga in the sun and this mat works super well in these conditions, too. While some people have to avoid sun yoga, I rest assured my mat can handle it. One tiny issue though - I have the dark purple mat so it can get a little toasty, but it's not something that really bothers me or that I expect any other mat could prevent; this summer's sun has been brutal. Love that it's not super cushioned, but also cushioned enough so I can stand on my head while practicing on concrete.

I've used this mat four times since buying it @2 wks ago. Bought it after reading countless reviews across many different websites attesting to its eventual stickiness during sweaty yoga situations with a sufficient amount of use. So far, it hasn't lived up to its reputation. I've only been doing low key yoga as opposed to hot or even vigorous vinyasa flow. I noticed a guy in class had one and asked how long he's had his and if his has become stickier/grippier over time. He answered: about a year, and no. But I'm not giving up hope Manduka....I paid a lot of money for you! Oh, and it's heavy....which I wouldn't mind so much if it would just live up to its reputation for providing some grip.

I'd been on my second Gaiam mat with a YogiToes towel on top and was mostly happy with the combination... somewhere down the line my YogiToes towel was stolen (very not cool) and I couldn't justify spending the $80 again for just a mat towel that was mostly good enough, no matter how pretty it was. I bought this the moment my member dividend showed up and am SO happy. It's actually sticky. You aren't going anywhere in that sweaty downdog. Oh yeah, and it's even got a few extra inches if your tall like me. Buy this mat now.

I am new to yoga and hesitated to purchase such an expensive mat, but compared to the $40 mats I borrowed at the yoga gym this mat offers dense cushioning for my knees and easy grip for my bare feet. It is so-o-o much more comfortable especially for a beginner. Worth the money already. Bought with the commuter mat yoga sling to carry it. Also very slick and easy to use.

Usage I received the Manduka Pro Lite yoga mat in the color lotus about a month ago and having been using it nearly every day since then. I have been using the mat for both hot yoga in a studio as well as using it at home. The Pro Lite works perfectly for both. I had used the Manduka Pro occasionally before I bought the Pro Lite, and found the Pro to be too thick for balancing poses as well as too heavy to carry back and forth to the studio. Buying the Manduka lite solved both of these issues for me. The mat is one of the lightest mats I have ever had and is the perfect thickness for a yoga mat to use both at the studio and at home. Grip The top of the mat is much easier to grip compared to mats from other brands, such as Gaiam, that I have tried in the past. The mat is especially easy to grip at home, but I did find that it got slightly slippery when I used it in a hot studio. After first using it and slipping, I decided to try to do the salt bath that is recommended on the mat to remove the residue. After putting salt on the mat, I found that the mat had a much better feel to it and would definitely recommend to do this for the best performance. I did also buy the Manduka Yogitoes towel for the mat, and found that this combination leads to absolutely no slipping even in the hottest yoga class. Color I liked how many different color choices are available for this mat. I did find the color of the yoga mat I bought to be slightly different than in the picture, but I prefer the way it looks in person. It has more of a green or teal tint to the mat, compared to the bright blue in the picture online. Quality You can tell that the material of the Manduka Pro Lite is a high quality mat, and it is nice for it to have the lifetime warranty if something ever happens to it. I would not hesitate to recommend this mat to anyone, and look forward to using it for many more years.

Best Mat; Use Coarse Sea Salt! I love my two Manduka mats! I own the Intuition Manduka ProLite pictured and just splurged and bought the larger 85 inch Black Magic Pro. I want the extra space because I hate when I misjudge and end up touching the gym floor. Like others I had problems with slipping but I normally workout on the treadmill before class. It was my sweaty feet! So I began using Yoga Socks with the toes. That stopped the slippage, but I did not always want to have to take the time to put those on. Other mats still had a slipping issue plus I needed more cushioning for my knees. I tried using my cheaper mat over a studio mat, but they often bunched up, or threw my balance off. Now NO balance issues, and no bunching. Since the Salt treatment as demonstrated in the Manduka website video.. no slipping and no yoga socks needed. I followed the video with my added step of spritzing my mat with water before the salt. I really rubbed it in well using a paper towel. That coarse salt was scraping off the slippery layer. I let that sit for 24 hours then washed it off with a cloth dipped in warm water. Yes it is costly unless you get it for under $50 at an REI sale! I too thought for this price Manduka should remove that film. But once I approached it from, “...this is the only yoga mat I will ever need, and I will use them for the rest of my life... “ It was worth the investment to get the mat in my chosen colors. Lifetime warranty on a great product. I am a “10,000 % happy camper.”

This mat is a game changer. I don't do a lot of yoga, but I use this as a workout mat for strength training in my home gym. It provides plenty of cushion but the most important part is that this thing does not move. At all. Now matter how much wriggling around you're doing for core exercises or if you're doing more plyometric movements, you can trust that this thing is going to be rock solid. I was a little wary of the price when I bought it, but I've had it for about a year now and it's absolutely been worth every penny.