I was wondering if I could get any input. I can’t seem to find the right yoga mat. I try to do certain yoga poses and I slip a lot. I even tried using baby powder to keep the slipping down to a minimum but it doesn’t seem to work. I have bought three different yoga mats and I’ve had the same problem with all three. Am I doing something wrong or do I need to spend a lot of money on a good yoga mat. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I’m wasting my money :???:
Cheap mats are notorious for that. Personally, I would spend the money on a good yoga mat. My favorite as far as slipping in concerned is “The Mat” from lululemon. $68. Should last a goooood long while.
You know what, I have to amend that last post in the interest of honesty. Personally, I would probably suffer the slippage. I never bought myself an expensive mat, but I did get one for free by teaching at Lululemon. And I LOVE it. So if you have more money than me (and since you’ve forked over for three mats, I suspect you do) I [B]recommend [/B]buying an expensive one.
Well luckily the most I spent on a yoga mat was $24. But I will definitely spend the money for a good yoga mat. Thanks again. I really appreciate it 
I’m assuming lululemon is a website. Is that right? 
Thanks for the reference. I think i found my new yoga mat
My pleasure. They are a good company to support too. Some people don’t like them because their stuff is expensive and therefore considered kind of yuppie. But they are very sustainable, eco-friendly, good to their employees, and spend most of their marketing budget doing free events for that communities where their stores are. I have a couple of friends who work for them and they love it.
If slippage is your main problem, you might look into one of these:
I sweat A LOT and so even though I love my mat (jade fusion) and it’s nice and grippy, once I get going nothing has kept it from turning into a slip-n-slide as much as a towel from the link above.
My first real mat purchase was a Jade. I love this mat but I eventually, “upgraded” to a manduka.
With the Jade I had spectacular grip but often times I could feel my mat stretching away from me or bunching up while transitioning to up dog.
The Manduka is a denser mat and this problem has gone away. The problems I have now are that when sweat lands on my mat it stays on the surface rather then being absorbed. This has caused me to fall out of a few poses. The obvious solution to this is to purchase a towel to put over it but that defeats the purpose of having what we push as, “the best” mat you can buy.
I have heard many people, including ashtanga instructors, sing praises of Lululemon mats however I have never used one.
Luck
Lululemon is definitely where I plan on getting my new mat. I read all the reviews for the mat I plan on purchasing. Everyone really liked it, didn’t have anything bad to say about it. I do feel like you need to put out a good amount of money for a good quality mat. Thanks to everyone for the links and info. I appreciate it. I was getting so frustrated with going through so many different mats. Even though it really was only three but I feel like that’s just too many to go through. :b I should have realized the cheap mats just don’t cut it.
You get what you pay for. I hope that mat serves you well.
I like the sticky mat from Gaiam and it is only $30. In fact, if you just search “sticky mat” then you will find plenty of options. But a yoga mat is like a good pair of shoes and takes some trial and error to find the right match. Good luck!
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If you go with a sticky mat, which would be my suggestion. Make sure it is REAL rubber, not synthetic. Real rubber comes from rubber trees. Check them out.
Just in case you didn’t know, you have to wash a new yoga mat really well to get the manufacturing film off that is usually there that makes a mat slippery. A good wash alone might make the yoga mats you already have more appropriately sticky if you haven’t tried that yet.
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What’s the best way to “wash a new yoga mat really well”?
Swish it around in the bathtub with a few inches of water and a little vinegar, rubbing over the surface with a cloth, hang to dry.
[QUOTE=Anandamaya;67099]What’s the best way to “wash a new yoga mat really well”?[/QUOTE]
Vinegar and water is a good option, it cleans EVERYTHING! Mats, bathtubs, hair… Put it in a spray bottle to get a nice even coating, and then rub it off with a wet washcloth and scrub it dry.
Or,… I just bought the Manduka Black Mat and it was suuuuper slippery just like everyone said. On day two, I followed the online directions and scrubbed it down with sea salt and ran a vinegar rag over it. After I scrubbed it dry, it works better than any mat I have ever tried. I didn’t put a lot of muscle into it, so I suspect that it will get slick again if it’s too humid or it gets wet - but another scrub down should clear off the manufacturing clime, and everyone says it’s supposed to get stickier with practice.
How many more yoga mat threads do we need on this forum? There are tons of reviews online as well. Urg.
[B]Suryadaya[/B], I’m [I]very[/I] curious to hear if your sea salt scrub does the trick when you get a little sweaty during practice. Please let me know! I’ve tried all the other methods, my Manduka mat is great but it’s still slippery when wet. 