| | |  | Yoga & Pilates Mats | | Home » » | | | | | | Colors: | | | | | Description: | | We can confidently report that the new Manduka eKO mat is the best eco-friendly yoga mat on the market, period. Manduka is already well known for their terrific "black mat", which is incredibly durable and lasts for ages. Given their propensity for creating extremely high-quality yoga mats, it's no surprise that their new eKO mat, whose research and development process lasted three long years, would be stunningly impressive. It's crazily durable, has superior surface grip, and it has great cushion to keep your practice comfortable. The eKO mat's manufacturing process is of the highest integrity. It's made from 100% natural, non-Amazon forested tree rubber, and it's the only eco yoga mat on the market whose foaming agents are completely non-toxic. (Other eco mats might be made from rubber like Manduka's eKO, for example, but their actual manufacturing process still involves toxins.) Because of this, when the eKO mat is disposed of and biodegrades, it will leave behind zero toxic residue. The eKO mat's durability is also leagues ahead of any eco mat we've seen before (actually, it surpasses the durability of basically any mat we've seen before, eco or otherwise, except for Manduka's own black mat.) While other eco yoga mats are spongy, which compromises their durability, the eKO mat was created with dual layers - the top layer provides superior performance, longevity, and grip, and the bottom layer provides cushion and give for comfort. Unlike TPE and other petro-based chemical eco-yoga mats, the eKO mat does not have "memory" from being rolled up and will lay completely flat without corners rolling. The eKO mat is very dense and weighs a hefty 5 1/2 pounds - further testament to its durability. Available in 4 great colors. 26"x71"x5mm (2" wider and 3" longer than most yoga mats) | | | Features: | |
• Made from non-Amazon harvested, natural tree rubber
• Most durable, eco-friendly mat on the market; designed to provide the ultimate combination of cushion and grip
• Developed over 3 years by yoga teachers
• No PVC or toxic plasticizers
• 71 inches long, 26 inches wide, 5mm thick; scent free (after initial break-in period)
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 71.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 26.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.2 inches | | Product Weight:
| 6.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 8 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 I LOVE THIS MAT!Mar 29, 2008
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.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Heavy as lead and slipperyMar 26, 2008
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.
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
ExcellentJan 19, 2008
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.
2 of 5 found the following review helpful:
This is heavy as leadJan 14, 2008
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.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
new to yoga and I just love this mat!Jan 14, 2008
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 mind folding it up and moving it from room to room.
I LOVE that it lays perfectly flat - right from the start. No curled edges/ends. It does want to unroll, but some Velcro straps works just fine for storage. And again, IT LAYS FLAT!!! Again, I don't travel with it so maybe the unrolling issue is a problem for transportation.
I love that it's sticky. Being new at this the stickiness helps me keep the poses and prevents me from cheating or being lazy and dragging my feet from pose to pose. I have not had any slipping problems.
I do strongly believe that this mat has helped me appreciate and enjoy yoga more. I started two months ago and hopefully it will be a lifetime of yoga with this mat. A big thanks to the Manduka company.
One more thing - I live in NJ and I got this mat with the free super saver shipping the FOLLOWING DAY! Thank you Amazon!!!
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