Yoga Design Lab Mat Review

How Yoga Design Lab Gives Back

For every purchase you make from Yoga Design Lab, they contribute $1 towards urban youth yoga programs around the world. Currently, they support:

• The Earthchild Project, which offers free yoga classes to kids in selected communities in South Africa
• Success Academies, an American charter school operator, who incorporate yoga into classroom time
• Vinyasa Yoga for Youth, who offer free yoga to kids in Saskatoon, Canada

Find out more about the programs or reach out about your own program.

Sugamat Recycled Wetsuit Yoga Mat

When it comes to sustainability SugaMat have a rather unique focal point: Wetsuits. When people hand in their old wetsuits at locations around the US Sugamat takes them, crushes them down to tiny fibers and turns them into yoga mats.

Why recycle wetsuits in such a way? Well, the materials used to make wetsuits are notoriously hard to recycle in conventional ways. However, the fiber used to make them is also extremely durable, grippy and very easy to clean, so transforming them into yoga mats seems like a no-brainer.

For some, this might be a bit too large at 6 feet long and the 5mm may be slightly chunky, but for that you get a very soft level of cushioning, piece of mind that you’re saving the environment and one of the nice-looking designs we’ve seen on a yoga mat.

Natural Cork Yoga Mat 55 Mm Yoga Design Lab

SKUDetails

A thicker yoga mat made of natural cork for everyone who loves their yoga practice and Earth. Made of completely natural materials, cork + natural rubber. It offers excellent grip if you have sweaty palms and feet . Pleasant to the touch, odorless and completely durable. This time in a thickness of 5.5 mm, for greater comfort, but still a compact surface.

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Yoga Design Lab Serenity Travel Mat

THE TRAVEL MAT

Super lightweight and foldable version of our Combo Mat. This luxurious mat was designed to be the ultimate on-the-go yogi companion!

• Use on its own or bring to class to cover over those oh-not-so-clean studio mats
• Premium mat / towel combination yoga mat. All-in-one product! You no longer need to bring a mat AND towel to class anymore
• Non fade patterned prints and colours
• Durable carrying strap / sling included
• Quick dry
• Lightweight, flexible, foldable, and portable
• Reversible
• Extra comfy cushion, stability, and responsive grip to reduce injuries
• Great for beginners, intermediate, advanced, men, women, and kids!
• 70in long x 24in wide x 1mm thick
• 0.8kg
• Zero odor. No toxic smell like those cheap yoga mats!
• Ideal for yoga, hot yoga, hatha, vinyasa / power, bikram, yin, ashtanga, jivamukti, iyengar, kundalini, acro, prenatal, restorative, barre, pilates, TRX, home workouts, zumba, crossfit, HIIT, and general fitness / exercise

Washing Instructions

• Machine wash alone with detergent in cold water
• To speed up drying, wrap mat in a towel and squeeze out excess water
• Hang to dry.

$1 from every purchase goes to support Urban Youth Yoga Programs in need.

Yoga Design Lab Paying It Forward

One notable factor is that Yoga Design Lab gives $1 from every purchase to support urban youth yoga programs in need. Its always a bonus when companies give back to the community.

Overall, if youre looking for a beautiful, durable and eco-friendly yoga mat that is made to keep your grip during hot or sweaty yoga, we think the Combo Mat by Yoga Design Lab is an excellent choice.

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Jade Yoga Harmony Mat

Its not surprising that many of those practicing yoga have an active interest in sustainability and lowering the impact we have on the environment in any way that they can.

This is because many yoga students often try to incorporate the eight limbs of yoga . One of these is ahimsa, or”do no harm”, and means living consciously in terms of the environment.

US mat crafter Jade Yoga has taken note here and ensured that its made from 100 percent natural rubber sourced from rubber trees instead of PVC, a material that many cheaper mats are made from and often includes harmful metals, and other ozone-damaging substances.

But the Harmony mat isnt just about keeping the earth happy. It also makes for a great balance of grip with just the right amount of cushioning, ideal for those practicing a mix of both seated poses and balances.

Mat Stickiness And Comfort

The slightly fuzzy surface of these mats makes us want to lie in savasana all day long! It feels cosy and gentle to the touch, unlike most mats, which have a hard or rough feel to them.

According to Yoga Design Lab, the mats get stickier when wet, which makes them ideal for hot yoga.

I really liked the stickiness level of my travel mat when using it in Balis moist climate it wasnt completely non slip but it gave enough grip to keep me in place while still encouraging me to engage my muscles.

However, when I brought it back to Canada during winter and tried to use it as an everyday mat, I slipped too much for my liking. In that climate, I have super dry hands and feet and dont sweat at all not what this mat was designed for. I did spritz the mat with water a few times which instantly gave me a stickier surface to work with.

The Yoga Design Lab Inifinity Mat is designed to be sticky in dry situations, so check that out if you want a sticker surface to work with.

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Our Experience With The Combo Mat

Brandon and I find ourselves in hot vinyasa flows more often than not, so weve had plenty of opportunities to spend some quality time with our new mats. We also had a chance to commute via bike with these mats, giving us a good feel for how they travel. Lightweight and compact, they travel well! The straps that came with it were perfect to use and adjust on our backs while getting from point A to point B.

Why Yoga Design Lab Stands Out Above The Rest

I have looked at many different yoga mats, since we have four people in the family that needs them.

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Yoga Design Lab Combo Mat: Review

Anne0

We spent a month in Bali last year and it made an impact on us. The majority of our time was spent in Ubud, the epi-center for yoga. When it was time to go, we left the island feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and inspired.

The same goes for Chad, the founder of Yoga Design Lab. After sitting through a yoga class at the ever popular Yoga Barn, he felt an urge to design a yoga mat that was not only aesthetically beautiful, but highly functional for all the various styles of yoga. Not long after he returned back home, he packed up his bags and moved to Bali to follow his dream.

And man, are we glad he did! Weve had the opportunity to practice on this yoga mat and towel set during hot yoga and its been a great experience.

Without further ado, here is our Yoga Design Lab review!

Contents

Lululemon The Mat Review

• Thickness: 5mm/.19 This mat is thick but comfortable without feeling unstable. This mat is great for those who like an extra bit of padding for their knees while still maintaining a solid connection to the ground.
• Stickiness & texture: This mat has a very smooth texture and the grip/anti-slip is fabulous. The mat is a little plasticky so it does feel a little a little like lying on lino
• Price: $68/78
• Material: Its made from polyurethane, rubber and latex. If you are in any way sensitive to latex then we dont recommend this mat. It has a very overpowering smell thats not very pleasant. They say it will go and recommend airing it first. The smell is certainly dying down a little bit, but we have had a few complaints here in the Studio
• Eco-friendliness Not ranking high in this area. The chemical smell from this mat is not encouraging. Their eco policies are unclear so would love to be enlightened?
• Size and style: 71 x 26 and available in a variety of colours. Simple, sleek and cool.

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What Is The Yoga Design Lab Combo Mat

This mat is the ultimate travel companion. Its a yoga mat and towel in one, eliminating the need to bring both a towel and mat to practice. The top layer is made from microfiber, while the bottom is made from natural tree rubber. Designed specifically for hot practice, this mat/towel combination gets sticky once wet.

Yogi Bare Paws Yoga Mat

With a special non-slip technology, the Yogi Bare Paws yoga mat is one of the best out there for a juicy grip, making it ideal for those yogis who are dripping with sweat only ten minutes into practice but dont want to slide out of a strong pose.

Crafted from eco-friendly natural rubber and polyurethane, its not only friendly on the environment but its also half the price of other yoga mats with a similar material and grip strength. The design includes subtle alignment lines on there as well, so you can keep yourself centered throughout the session.

We also found it one of the best out there for longer sessions due to its 4mm thickness, something which helps protect your wrists and knees when you throw yourself a little too hard into certain movements. While its a little shorter than some of the other mats on the market at 180cm long, all in all, its a really great mat designed by a yogi, for yogis, which becomes more apparent the more you practice on it.

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Yoga Design Lab Infinity Mat

It may be one of the priciest options on the list, but if you’re looking to invest in a yoga mat that delivers the goods on an enormous range of fronts, the Infinity Mat is one of the best options out there.

Everything about the Infinity Mat is a testament to the detail that Yoga Design Lab puts into its products, managing to create a technically impressive piece of kit that also feels incredibly soft and has the aesthetics of a piece of artwork.

That beautiful design isn’t just for looks though as the clever pattern is actually a pattern devised to help with alignment of the hands and feet as you practice.

The natural runner material used in the mat not only offers a nice level of cushioning for your knees and back, but delivers a high level of anti-slip grip whether you’re dry or sweaty. If it does get wet it’s also impressively quick-drying.

As well as the design, one of our favorite aspects of the Infinity Mat is how durable it feels without being thick or clunky, which is something you don’t often find with the cheaper mats.

Sweaty Betty Super Grip Yoga Mat

Sweaty Bettys Super Grip mat is a great all-rounder for practitioners who prefer to take their own mat to a yoga class. Weighing 2kg, its not too heavy, either, meaning you can carry it around with ease.

Once its rolled out, it has a super soft, comfortable finish but a strong grip at the same time. While perhaps not first choice for dedicated yogis with a daily practice, it still looks the part and offers great support providing all the padding you need, even in a strong and sweaty class and when doing headstands, for example.

Its also made from natural latex making it biodegradable – take note if you have any allergies though.

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How To Clean These Yoga Mats

For everyday cleaning, Yoga Design Lab recommend hand-washing with a wet washcloth and detergent. Then hang the mat to dry completely before rolling.

If you want a deep clean once in a while, you can throw your mat in the washing machine on a gentle cycle in cold water . I was a little wary of machine-washing my mat but I recently tried it and it came out looking and smelling like new.

Yoga Design Lab: The Combo Mat

Vanessa Grant is a freelance writer and the editor of So Fresh Mag. Her work has been published in Flare, flare.com, Nylon magazine, Style At Home, theloop.ca, The Globe and Mail and Parents Canada, among others.

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I love a good yoga class. Unfortunately, as a stay-at-home/work-from-home mom of two, I find it hard to make time to get out to an actual yoga studioprobably because I prioritize sleep over exercise. So, Im also a work-out-from-home mom, which is unfortunate because I was recently sent a gorgeous patterned yoga mat by Yoga Design Lab that is worthy of eyes besides my own. I know yoga isnt about who has the cutest mat, outfit or even whos most flexible but its just so pretty!

Yoga Design Lab has only two products: The Combo Mat and the Hot Yoga Towel. Both come in an array of patterns.

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Lululemon Reversible Yoga Mat

This is one of stickiest mats on the market, making it perfect for those that like hot yoga, or genuinely just sweat buckets during class. This is thanks to its top layer of antimicrobial polyurethane, which helps to absorb moisture and prevent slippage.

It also has something most others dont. Its reversible, meaning it can be flipped over and accommodate different styles of practice. On the opposite side, youll find a more grippy texture that gives better traction for less vigorous practices, or for trying out your inversions such as headstands and crow poses.

The mat also comes in a variety of sizes, both in the length of the matt and thickness. So you can pick and choose one that’s right for your size as well as your style of practice.

Does The Combo Mat Perform Well

We love that using these mats eliminates the need to bring a mat and towel to practice. The tree rubber bottom sticks well to the floor so there is barely any movement at all when youre transitioning in and out of postures. Its quite slippery unless its bone dry, so weve found that spraying it lightly with water before class begins works best. Light weight and great for commuting by bike. However, with a light mat comes less padding. It wasnt as comfortable as my everyday mat thats a bit thicker. Its also long enough for Brandons height.

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Aurorae Classic Mat Review

• Thickness: ¼ inch / 6.35 mm. This mat is lusciously thick without feeling unstable.
• Stickiness & texture We have a mixed jury out on this one. For those of us who do not sweat the grip seemed fine. But if you do sweat, this mat is not for a dynamic practice as you slip easily. They also have an anti-slip towel to place over this mat.. but we have not tried it. It is our favourite for Yin yoga as it supportive yet soft. Yummy is the word!
• Price: 54.95
• Material: made from specially designed memory foam. The mat is free from Phthalates, Latex and Silicone so its quite hypoallergenic.
• Eco-friendliness: The classic mat is biodegradable and made from eco-safe PER.
• Size & style: at 72 x 24 this is a good sized mat making it also suitable for the taller and wider. It available in a wide variety of colours too.

Yoga Mat Made Of Natural Cork 55 Mm Yoga Design Lab:

• suitable for all demanding yogis as well as for beginners
• excellent grip in a humid environment or for those who sweat more
• with dry palms and feet you achieve excellent grip by lightly spraying the mat with water
• a thickness of 5.5 mm offers plenty of comfort and the density of the rubber provides stability
• mandala print is water-based and does not contain toxic substances
• mandala print helps us in alignment in the asanas
• cork does not cause allergies, it is a natural antibacterial “product”
• material: 100% natural cork from Portugal + natural rubber from Vietnam
• dimensions: 178 cm x 61 cm x 5.5 mm
• weight: 2 kg

Mat carrying strap included!

The cork yoga mat is truly Eco Friendly. In order to obtain cork, the oak tree does not need to be cut down, only the surface layer of the bark is cut off from the tree. This layer is renewed in 15-20 years. Farmers in Portugal who produce cork take good care of oak trees, nurture them and allow them to grow unhindered because it is their income and they strive for the highest quality cork.

Cork does not cause allergies, it is a natural antibacterial “product”. It contains the substance suberin , which makes it resistant to fire and water. Cork is a supernatural insulator.

Maintenance: Cork is a very durable material. Therefore, your yoga mat will last a very long time with minimal care and maintenance.

Do not expose the mat to direct sunlight, do not leave it in a hot and dry place, do not leave it in the car in the sun .

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