JadeYoga Harmony Yoga Mat – Durable & Thick Gym Fitness Mat, Non-Slip Natural Rubber Yoga Mat – Home Exercise & Stretching Mat, Workout Mat – Yoga, Pilates & Meditation for Women & Men

Sticky (and stinky) right out of the package
This is one of two high-quality yoga mats that people seem to recommend both here and on other sites. I initially purchased the other one after learning that it was very durable and guaranteed for life, but found it to be quite slippery. That has not been a problem with the Jade Harmony Professional yoga mat.The surface of this mat almost reminds me of a cat’s tongue. It feels somewhat rough, especially if you drag a bare elbow or knee across it, but it has excellent grip right from the start. The grip can make sliding transitions from one pose to another more difficult to execute smoothly, but I really do not mind this because of the confidence that I have in Downward Dog, where I feel rock solid with no slipping. I’m six feet tall, and opted for the 74-inch version which gives me plenty of room from head to toe when lying on the mat. I also love the midnight blue color.The rough surface is also more difficult to clean, which you’ll need to do more frequently because of its stickiness. The natural rubber also does a fine job of holding a static charge, which makes it prone to attracting whatever is loose on the floor. The mat has a very strong rubber smell, which I’m told goes away over time. It’s also not good to leave the mat in direct sunlight, because that can cause the natural rubber to break down. This mat does not come with a lifetime guarantee like the other mat that I purchased, so if I stick with it I will need to plan on buying a new one after a year or two.This mat strikes a good balance between thickness, weight, and portability. It seems like it will be a good mat for use both at home, and when I head to a class. While definitely not as cushy as the other mat that I tried, I’m perfectly happy with it so far. It’s definitely a big improvement over the yoga mats that you’ll find at a typical big-box store.I may keep the other mat that I bought to give it more time to break in, but based on my initial reaction I can already tell that this one will probably be my favorite. I also think it’s great that the manufacturer plants a tree for every mat they sell. We need more of those 🙂

Excellent grip, not too spongey, seems durable
I purchased this mat based off an article I read recently reviewing several mats. I wasn’t crazy about the price of a piece of rubber matting, but after spending $20 on a mat that immediately started shredding bits of “rubber” (or whatever the material was) I figured you get what you pay for. This has not disappointed me so far. It has amazing grip…almost too much grip. For hot yoga I’ve used a towel over it so I can’t speak for how grippy it is once it gets wet. I like the thickness and firmness of the rubber. It seems like it will last. So far, so good! Definitely earns 4.5 stars. Oh, the strong rubbery smell that others mention does fade over time, even without having to washed it. Just leave the mat out unrolled when not using. I have learned to like the smell a bit.

Beginner’s Review
I took up practicing yoga three months ago. I excitedly purchased a new Under Armour mat for $70 at a local sporting goods store, thinking that it must be good if it’s $70. (Sucker!) Within minutes of starting class I was inching toward “face planting dog” from down dog. Now, granted, I am a sweaty beast when I work out to begin with, but I couldn’t figure out why this was happening. So next class I brought a towel. (Fail) Next I switched mats and used one of the famous Manduka mats that the studio provided. I was STILL slipping! I then asked my yoga teacher what he recommended and he said, “Mats are a relatively new concept to yoga. Yoga has been practiced for centuries without mats. If you’re slipping, it’s improper alignment and you’re not reaching up with your hips and core”… This information actually made sense to me. But I have always been terribly inflexible. My workouts were always cardio and a little weights. The way that yoga builds strength in the muscles is a completely new concept to my body. Until I build up the proper core and other muscles, I needed a friggin mat that wasn’t going to allow me to go anywhere else than where I placed my hands/feet. I won’t make this any longer than it has to be, but after slipping 42,000 times, (ok mayyybe half that.) I did in fact, injure my shoulder. After this, I was on the hunt for the perfect non-slipping mat. After reading reviews on as many mats as I could possibly find info on, I purchased the Jade for it’s alleged performance under the influence of sweaty hands. I cannot even properly convey how happy I am with this purchase, but I will attempt. I won’t write a poem about it, because this is a product review, but I would like to because THAT is how happy I am with this mat. (“Ode to Jade” should probably have been my review title) I am in LOVE. I DON’T SLIP. EVER. I can now concentrate on actually getting into the proper poses and focus on my breath because I’m not focused on slipping! I am still able to move easily into poses without it being so sticky that I get stuck. I have made awesome improvements, and while I owe gratitude to my body, this mat has facilitated the advancement.Now, a couple things I’ve noticed:1.It smells. The smell does dissipate a bit after washing though. According to Jade, the smell will dissipate within two weeks to a couple of months. I’ve only had it for 1.5 months and smell is mostly tolerable.2. It takes forever to dry. You are supposed to wash with plain water. I went for the lesser recommended front loading gentle cycle. (I like to live on the edge) I used just a tiny bit of dreft and still had to rinse two extra times and spin two additional times because as noted on their website faqs, this mat is basically a sponge and will soak up any moisture. (side thought: so if I’m sweating on it, all the more reason to wash it! eww!). I will not be doing that again on a frequent basis though, unless I bleed or puke on it. I will definitely “wipe down with water” or find perhaps a mat spray because this process took hours. I then hung it to dry… and aged ten years. It took 18 hours to completely dry. This might be a deal breaker for some, but for me it’s just slightly annoying but something I work into the schedule because it doesn’t affect it’s performance, which is the reason I purchased it.3. Because of its texture and stickyness, it will not fit easily into a narrow yoga bag. I had to buy a yoga sling/strap carrier, which makes for easier exit at the end of class.4. Because of its stickyness it will pick up everything on the surface that you lay it on. Whatever touches will hang on to it. So this makes tip #2 a more frequent occurrence. But again, finding a mat spray or simply wiping it down as suggested would probably make this less of an ordeal.Innnnn conclusion, I am supremely satisfied with this mat. It fixed my problem thereby promoting growth in my practice. When this one wears down, as it will due to its biodegradeableness (is that a word?) then I will promptly buy another.

Excellent quality. It offers solid grip. Worth the extra price if you’re serious about practicing yoga.

Ce tapis a l’avantage principal de ne pas glisser. Il est en caoutchouc naturel et je pense que c’est grâce à cette matière qu’il est à la fois confortable et anti dérapant. Pour les poses d’équilibre il n’est pas trop épais et reste bien ferme.En outre, il est sobre et se range facilement. Il est fait pour rester à la maison (assez lourd, et pas de sac de rangement). Je le nettoie à l’eau.Je le trouve vraiment génial, et je ne peux plus m’en passer!Le petit plus serait d’y ajouter un sac de rangement.