Manduka eKO 5mm Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat

I absolutely love this mat. I've had it for a few months now and you wouldn't know it by looking at it. I was concerned because I've read that other eco-mats fall apart with regular use, but this one is extremely durable. It's much heavier than any other mat I've seen, but it doesn't really bother me. I'm taking yoga to be strong, after all. I love that it is a little longer and wider than my old mat was so I'm not always repositioning myself like I used to do. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a well-constructed, durable eco-friendly yoga mat.

I bought this mat because I wanted an eco mat and Manduka was supposed to be the best. I knew it was going to be heavy, but not THIS heavy! Also, the natural rubber seems to make my feet and palms sweat and I keep slipping on it far more than my old one. I find this incredibly frustrating and it takes away from my practice. I actually bought it as I had read the natural rubber mats were less slippery. Not the case it seems. I am hoping with time this changes, but I must confess that I've gone back to my regular yoga mat. On the plus side this mat is wonderfully long and gives good support. Sadly, I still find it fairly disappointing.

the manduka eKO yoga mat 5mm is excellent. very durable, comfortable, and big enough for all poses. If you are transitioning from a smaller mat - different material then you will find this mat a little on the heavy side, but its worth it. the eco friendly material makes it outstanding in all respects.

I just started yoga, and this is my first mat so I can't really compare it to others. I started trying Ashtanga yoga and was having some difficult with the poses on the floor/towels/carpet. Once I got this mat, everything really starting working and now I'm loving yoga and also loving this mat. I'm very happy that after much research and reading reviews I picked this mat. It was more expensive than I wanted to spend on my first mat but from other's advice, it was better to buy the best mat possible than have a collection of 3 or 4 cheaper mats that really don't match up to the quality and performance of the Manduka mats. Yes it was smelly in the beginning, but after about 2 weeks or so the smell is gone. I'll admit it was pretty bad in the beginning. All I did was leave the mat unrolled on the back of a few chairs to give it as much air flow and air contact. It's fine now. Yes it's heavy, but I don't travel with it so the weight is not really an issue with me. I don't... Read more

After seven years of practicing yoga I thought it was time to splurge on a great mat. I bought this one, let it air out for a couple of weeks (as they suggest), and hefted it to my yoga space at home. Carrying it already felt akin to lifting weights, but I thought it would be worth it. Not for me. The side you use is hard as a rock. The underside is padded, but, somehow, that does not translate into a cushy surface to practice on. If you like a hard surface under you by all means get this. It's certainly bigger than other mats which will give you more space if you're practicing in class. Frankly, that's the only recommendation I have for this product. Of course, I liked the idea that it was eco-friendly; so, now I'm researching ways to recycle my old mats. I'm thinking of cutting them into yoga block sized squares and gluing them together to use as props for supta baddha konasana.