It most certainly does!
Over the weekend, I left my Manduka mat at one of the studios I teach at. It’s about 30 minutes away from where I live, and I’m only in that area once a week to teach yoga, so it would have been completely out of the way for me to go and grab it.
I have two other mats I can use, so I thought why not.
Practice is about non attachment anyways, right?
I grabbed one of my older mats, and started practicing. I knew that my hands would start to slip in Downward Facing Dog, but I had no idea of the pain I would feel in some of other postures!
Upward Facing Dog was the most irritating since it is an integral part of the transitions between postures. Usually, I can just move from Chaturanga to upward dog, then over to downward dog.
This hurt my feet so bad that I had to stop in plank, and flip each foot at time to avoid pain and my toes becoming raw.
The next issue was Janu Shirsasana B. This isn’t the most comfortable posture to begin with, but I do it pretty easily these days.
Not on my thin dinky mat!
It hurt my foot so bad to sit on it that I just did three breaths and moved on.
I had a realization that when people complain about this posture in my classes it’s most likely because they have a thin mat that has a very short life span. In fact, it’s probably worn down pretty far which might make it worse.
Headstand. That was a treat (kidding)! Headstand is a posture where ironically, you don’t want to press into your head. You want to have all of the weight in the shoulders and hands. It’s actually important to never go up into headstand unless you are strong enough to slightly lift your head off the ground. Otherwise, you could be compressing your neck. Regardless, the mat was so hard on my arms, and I could feel the solid floor underneath my head. Yikes!
When someone asks me, “What’s the best yoga mat?” I always answer with the Manduka Pro. There is no question or hesitation. Usually, I try to have a few different recommendations because it’s a little pricey, but because I am certain this is worth the investment, and it has a lifetime guarantee, I don’t need a backup. I actually don’t even recommend that certain mats are better for different styles of yoga, the Manduka is best for everything!
Now I have yet another reason to tell you to ditch the dinky mat and go with the Manduka!
Check out their site because they do have less expensive mats, and if you want to opt for something more in your price range, you MUST go with Manduka!
Lots of Love & OM,
Monica
I love my MANDUKA too and am never switching!!
My Manduka mat is my favorite. I have owned quite a few different mats over the past thirteen years, and believe it or not, three Manduka’s, all the heavy-duty thick ones. (One was” converted” where I left it sitting on my car near my home, and one was probably taken in error by someone at a yoga studio in Miami. So it goes.) I have owned at least a dozen of those inexpensive mats that you can buy it Bell’s outlet TJ Maxx etc. I’ve owned a Jade or two, a Danskin, sports authority private label Mat with perforations in it, etc. etc. I also keep one of those very very thin “tapas” travel mats in my car for the hotel as I travel frequently for business. If I know I’m going to get a chance to go to yoga studio, I almost always bring my Manduka with me just in case.
Amazon shows 17,195 results for “yoga mat,” I’m sure many of those are duplicates, generics, categories, etc. but still that number is amazing.
Your description of your relationship for mats is funny but my experience is that it really all depends on me and my body chemistry and postures. Skinny mats don’t bother my knees like they do some people. Too thick mats or too spongy mats can be troublesome because my balance is marginal. I’m a heavy guy and ever since the beginning of yoga I have sweated a lot so I have to pay attention to my slippery feet and also with some Mat materials, organic or not, have to be sure to wipe them down extra carefully or my skin acid destroys the uppermost layer.
One funny thing when I first started 2003 no one said anything about wiping down the mats area as I went along, one of the instructors mentioned that before long if you don’t clean it, your mat smells “like tobacco and dog.”(I don’t smoke and I don’t own a dog) and guess what?
A stretchy mat like the Jade loses its texture and shape and stretches becoming less useful for the warrior poses over time.
Anyway to boil it down, experience, willingness, honesty and perception will bring it to the right place.
During my second year, I was taking an advanced class Peter Barber in Miami and a visiting co-practitioner did his class without a mat at all. When Peter was asked about his opinions on mats, his answer was basically that a real Yogi didn’t care. I have been reading the Bhagavad-Gita this year and the writer mentions the proper yoga mat is some sacred grass, a piece of cloth, and a deer skin.
Thanks for your article. I’ll be following your blog.
Thanks for your reply! I am surprised you were never told to wipe down or clean your mat! All of the studios I go to have always had mat cleaner available, and also mention to come to the studio with your gear clean.
Awesome that you’re reading the Gita. Yes, you can practice anywhere, and use anything for your mat. The purpose is to practice with non attachment. The Gita is a lesson on how we’re all connected and living in a world of illusion, so if you think of it that way – everything is a part of the same thing. So, your mat – Manduka, TJ Max, or Jade – is sacred grass, a piece of cloth & a deer skin!
Hope to catch up soon!
I have an Aspen Yoga Mat and I LOVE it. I have a cheaper mat (from Target, I think) and it works okay if I’m on a softer floor, but if I’m on the hard floor at my gym, I have to have my Aspen mat to keep from bruising and pain!
I haven’t heard of the Aspen mat! I’ll have to check that out.
I love my Manduka! I got it for Christmas and I felt like a more serious yogini after that (haha!). It has been awesome though- I practice power yoga and aerial/acro yoga and it’s worked brilliantly for all three practices. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a new mat!
If the mat is purple, I’m IN! Just kidding… kind of. 😉