At-home yoga has been a part of my every day routine for I don’t even know the way lengthy, and through the years, I’ve tried and beloved a lot of expert-approved yoga mats (good day, Lululemon’s The Mat, Manduka’s GRP Adapt Mat, and Alo’s Warrior Mat). However it’s been a battle to seek out one which didn’t present apparent indicators of wear and tear and tear on the one-year mark.
That’s, till I examined Manduka’s Eko Yoga Mat ($100, amazon.com) final fall for 2023’s SELF Dwelling Health Awards. It impressed me straight out of the field and continues to take action over a yr later. Seems like I’ve lastly discovered the workhorse mat of my desires.
The design
The Eko mat has the identical fundamental design as plenty of different high-end yoga mats: Its grippy prime rubber layer covers a soft backside layer that’s meant to stay to the ground throughout your observe. It’s 5 millimeters thick and never reversible—fairly normal stuff.
However upon nearer inspection, I seen that the rubber floor had a singular zebra-stripe sample quite than a very easy floor or a pebbled texture. I acquired the mat within the stable charcoal colorway, however there are slight variations within the shade and really feel the place the stripes alternate down the size of the mat. It’s a cool impact, and I feel it’s the supply of the mat’s superior grippiness.
One other characteristic that caught my curiosity from the get-go (and has continued to repay within the final 12 months): The mat’s prime layer is closed-cell, that means it received’t let sweat or micro organism seep into its core. That additionally makes it simple to scrub—I typically wipe it down with light cleaning soap and heat water, then let it air-dry. Additionally, I’m a proud sweater, and the thought of all that moisture staying the heck out of my yoga mat offers me some severe peace of thoughts.
The texture
My expectations had been fairly excessive the primary time I took the Eko Mat for a spin—having used a bunch of different Manduka mats, I knew the model didn’t skimp on high quality. Even then, I used to be blown away by the way it felt all through my circulation.
My palms had been virtually glued to the mat throughout chaturangas and arm balances. I’d hop to the highest of my mat from downward canine and the mat wouldn’t budge (I apply it to hardwood flooring, which the underside layer sticks to love a magnet). The mat padded my knees and elbows in cat/cow and forearm planks. I stayed grounded and regular throughout one-legged balances. And I didn’t for one second really feel like I used to be practising in a puddle of my very own sweat.
