Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Update 3/4/2019: I still have the mat. It's going and going. I use it mainly for my outdoor yoga practice these days. One flaw that I noticed is that the mat has sort of taken on a curvature to its form from being rolled up. I can't seem to get it to lay perfectly flat at the edges. I still use it despite this flaw. ----- Let me tell you all the reasons you will love this mat. Before I get started, I will tell you how I discovered this affordable yoga mat that has stayed with me for every hot, power, flow, restorative and vinyasa yoga class I have taken, ever since purchasing it. I, like many other beginning yogis, wanted to have the best yoga mat I could find. I looked online, I asked yoga teachers, I saw what yoga studios were using, and I watched a much of youtube videos narrowing it down to yoga mats like the Manduka Pro (which my boyfriend has) or the Jade Harmony Mat. For me, it was not going to be the Manduka (overpriced, and heavy/bulky) or the Jade Harmony (open-cell design which is gross because of all the sweat it absorbs). Instead, I took my brother's advice and searched high and low for something that would be: 1. affordable; 2. durable; 3. versatile for all the different classes and locations I practice yoga. This mat meets all those requirements and more and came to me via an online article, but that did not convey any sort of in-detail product review. It was a risk for me to buy it, but ultimately, I am satisfied and have kept the mat with me for the last few months and have tested it in a number of settings. Here is my pros and cons list: Pros Works everywhere - I have used it outdoors, in studios, and at home. Has these two great center lines for building confidence and proper form. I love this feature. Its a great reminder to find proper form in every asana. I use it much more than I thought I would. Sweat-resistant - I took this mat into several hot yoga classes without using a towel (which I recommend bringing along for any hot yoga class), it held my planted feet really well. Surprising well. I believe it is able to do that because it has these small circle grippy dots all over it and that is just the right amount of friction to hold me up. I kid you not that I sweat so much in hot yoga (and power yogas) that I really believe that most normal mats would never be able to give me grip, but this one exceeded my expectations completely. Color is exactly as advertised and I love it. It wakes me up. I never noticed a smell. If there was one, it went away fast. Easy and Fast Cleaning - the material really allows you to easy clean it which was one of my main concerns. I like the closed-cell format which does not hold onto any of my sweat. Nice Thickness - I like the thickness. It is much more supportive and gentle on my body. Since using this mat, I never feel pain or the hardness of the ground in my knees anymore. This was a huge bonus for me. Lightweight - I was pleasantly surprised at how light this yoga mat is. It is much lighter than my book bag and most things I carry. You will never feel the weight of this mat especially with the included strap, which I also love and use. However, if you are not very thin, you might have a hard time carrying it with the strap across your chest and back. But over the shoulder will certainly be fine. It is very adjustable so you will find what configuration works for you. Cons When you roll it out, you will notice that it does not always lay exactly flat. It holds some of its curve towards the edges. A really easy solution I use for this is I roll it up upside down which means whenever I open it, I flip it so the curved edges are slopping to the floor. Once I start hopping around on my mat and getting into warrior positions and downward dogs, the mat is laying perfectly flat and out of the way. That is my most honest and unsolicited review. I'm a yogi and if you need a mat that is affordable, but worthy of an advanced yogi, I would look no further. This did it for me. After several weeks of using it, it is holding up really well, no signs of peeling, or flaking, like the yoga mats from Walmart do after the first use.