i bought this mat and used it on some extreme yoga: outdoors in the sand and tire flipping, and it worked great. the smell is like any other brand new plastic. as for it loosing its grip after the sand session all i needed to do was wash it with soap and water and it regained its grip. i had to leave this mat behind to a friend because i was moving but here i am buying exactly the same one again. the design is great to fit my personality. Gaiam Prosperity Yoga Mat (Gray Peony)
I love the design, and I get tons of compliments on it. Unfortunately, it's still pretty slippery after about a month of use. As much as I love this mat, I would only recommend it for lighter workouts.
I'm editing this review to add that it has also become discolored after only about three months of use. It really shows wear fast -- next time, I'll be buying a darker mat.
I am half and half about the mat I received. It was sticky, doesn't slide around and its a very pleasing coloration to look at. I love the fact that it is very ecologically friendly. I am half n half on the thickness of the mat, I got too used to having a thicker mat compared to a thinner one.
Butttt What I was disappointed with was the print of the actual Peony design - it didn't line up with the edges of the mat what so ever. And it looked a bit messy like they just plopped it down on the mat :/
Honestly I do not think I am going to buy this particular mat again.
I'm unsure of what strange smell some folks talk about or what is mentioned on the instructions paper that comes w/ it? It seems to smell just fine, sort of like a new carpet or the interior of a new car.
However for those who are still concerned about the "new smell" the product comes w/ an instruction paper that tells you how to get rid of it.
Ironically it's not all that different than how to be-rid the new car smell.
This product works perfectly fine & quite big actually. Maybe that's because this is my 1st yoga mat ever. Lol! I like this product & encourage others to get this too.
I used it for the 1st time this past Wednesday at the free yoga class in the park by the bay.
Very nice & the one I ordered not only came from Gaiam Co. but it also matched the yoga bag I got for it too!
This is an excellent product for beginners & for experts!
I use to own this mat and put it through a LOT of use, at least 3-5x a week of yoga classes (all sorts, vinyasa/ashtanga/bikram). It did fairly well -wasn't slippery, I didn't slide much and for most poses the thickness of the cushion was enough. It also wasn't too heavy so it's a good portable mat to have if you plan on bringing it with you for classes right before/after work. However after about half a year of heavy usage for me, the mat did start to slowly deteriorate and crumble at certain areas where the hands and feet are in contact usually (it might be from your nails grazing on it). Still usable but it just doesn't look very nice when small holes on the mat where pieces crumbled off starts to appear.
It's a really great looking mat though, I loved the subtle gray color and large peony pattern -it was very pleasant to practice yoga on. If you're planning to use it on a light to medium basis, then I think this would be a great mat for the price. However, if you're a regular yogi who will be relying on your mat a good few times a week, then I'd suggest a different mat to invest in since you spend so much of your time on it!
I like the girly design, and am unsure about the "smell" some people comment about. Mine didn't smell bad. Purchased this with Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners (for which you need no other props besides the mat) and am perfectly satisfied. The mat is thick enough that it doesn't hurt your ankles to sit indian style.Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners - Yoga Mats - Yoga - Yoga Mat - Yoga Accessories'
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