Lottus Life Natural Jute Fiber Premium Yoga & Exercise Mat with Strap Extra Thick 8mm Mat - Eco-Friendly - Extra Long 72” - Unique Designer Colors – Memory Foam-Like

One of the worse yoga mats that I’ve ever used. The first issue was that it was heavy-not the mat to get if you’re carrying it around, but I wanted to give it a chance. I could deal with a heavy mat since it seemed well made. I sat down to start my practice and immediately felt pricks! The fibers had poked me through my clothing and really irritated my skin. I would not recommend if you have sensitive skin. Unfortunately I’m probably not able to return it, but I won’t be using this mat.

The mat arrived wrapped in plastic. After cutting open the plastic, I unrolled the mat and a waft of some indescribable stink filled the room. Thinking that maybe it's just plastic/jute smell, I left it open for a few days until the smell disappeared. I do yoga in the evenings, under low light, appreciating the thickness of the mat for a couple of days before I realised that my left knee is itching and what appears to be a ringworm infection took over.I'm sheltering at home with no pets, only taking occasional walks in the neighborhood in a very dry summer in California, so that was strange. However, on the weekend during the day, I decided to wipe down the mat with chlorox wipes and that's when I saw, between the fibers, little dark spots that looked like dirty/mold. I tried to clean them off, but there were too many...Suffice to say, I'm returning the item while nursing my ringworm infection. I'll also be closely scrutinizing any new mats during daylight.

I recently started my yoga-journey and was using a very thin mat. I have hardwood floors and the thin mat was not very comfortable. I decided to invest in a thicker, more comfortable mat. And I am so glad that I did! WOW! What a difference. I am very happy with the Lottus mat's comfort and length. It is longer than the thin mat I had been using. I have not had any issues with the stability of the mat. As far as durability, time will tell, but it seems to be made very well. I would recommend this mat!!

This mat is fantastic, it is little heavy but well worth the weight for how nice and thick it is. It's also very pretty and not like any other mat I have seen, it's also got good footing and I felt very comfortable doing advanced moves. I let it air out for two days and used it last night for my yoga class and did not notice much of a rubber smell. I can't wait to use it again tonight in my class.For the amount of yoga I do I'm glad I splurged and treated myself to this mat!

This mat has a very strong chemical odor. I thought it would lesson over time but i have had it a little over a week and its still very strong. Like hard to breathe in certain yoga positions where your face is near the mat strong. I also bought this mat because it looked very nice and seemed like it would hold up well. While it does look very nice, pretty much every time I use it little blue pieces of the mat fleck off all over the floor. It's also not as thick as other mat's I have bought. For the price point i wouldnt recommend this mat.

If your gym is as bad as mine, but yet you keep going, this is the mat for you. Day after day of doing camel or happy baby on my flimsy old mat on the concrete floor was aging me. This mat adds great cushion and is a lovely conversation piece even if you don't want to talk to your fellow yogis.

Love this mat - the natural fibers make it naturally slip-free, there’s no awful latex/ rubber smell, and it’s got the equivalent cushion of two regular mats. Totally worth the cost.

Beautifully made mat! Gave it to my mother for a Christmas gift and she has been using it weekly for a year now. It comes with a nice carrying strap that keeps the mat rolled up when not in use. The jute weave gives it a non slip surface and keeps moisture/sweat from collecting on the mats surface. Its thick enough to comfortably do various yoga positions without pain on pressure points. Highly recommend, especially for those who need some more grip and padding to be comfortable when exercising!

UPDATE to the past review (Did not have to pay import duties) - I've had the Hugger Mugger biodegradable 5mm mat for 10 years, and it started to let go so I thought I would treat myself to another mat. I was disappointed in this purchase. Yes it is usable, and heavy like described, but I was mostly disappointed by the grippy top layer of the mat. It leaves imprint marks on my hands, and when I put a knee down, it is not comfortable. This is disappointing to me because I bought a thicker mat like this to have additional cushioning for kneeling/upward dog and dolphin movements. It's basically built to use a yoga towel, and if a yoga towel was needed to make this more comfortable, that would have been great info.I also admit, I may be more sensitive than others, or do more planking/hand/arm intensive balance poses than the normal yoga user.Generally, I'm disappointed by the purchase. I have only used it 2x, and hope the mat imprints will change over time, but for now, I will try using it with a Yoga Towel. I would recommend other thicker mats.

Not as grippy as i expected. But still pretty solid product.

soft and doesn't slip at all