Product Description

The Manduka eKO yoga mat offers something new for eco-conscious yoga practitioners - a natural rubber, closed-cell mat that is designed for durability and comfort, and will decompose completely at the end of its useful life. The eKO mat is longer, wider and thicker than the average size yoga mat, providing more practice area. Free of toxic foaming agents and plasticizers commonly found in TPE, POE and other rubber mats, the eKO mat is designed to be kind to the earth and your practice. Note: Like any natural rubber mat there is an initial scent which will fade after an initial break in period. A new mat should be left unrolled when possible to accelerate the break-in period.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #254 in Sports & Outdoors
• Brand: Manduka
• Dimensions: .20" h x 26.00" w x 71.00" l, 6.00 pounds

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)

Customer Reviews

Pretty darn good
I got this mat for Christmas and use it at LEAST 2 times per week. I just began teaching Yoga and decided it was time to give up my other Eco-friendly mat made by Gaiam- which is TERRIBLE, by the way. This mat is great for the serious Yoga student. It is super durable and doesn't flake off even with vigorous practice. I practice and teach Asthanga and Vinyasa and my mat still looks like i just got it. The mat doesn't have that icky slippery film over it like most other mats, and you don't have to break it in. Another positive aspect of this mat is that when rolled out, the mat lays totally flat, and the edges never curl under. The mat NEVER slips on the floor. If you drip sweat onto the mat, it does get a little slippery, but i just wipe it with my towel.
The only downside to this mat is that its VERY heavy and smells strange, like cookies- its odd, I know, I cant describe exactly what the smell is, but it goes away in a few weeks.

Not great
As a background, I have been doing yoga for more than 15 years and have used many different mats, both personal and studio mats. I am spoiled by the Manduka Black Mat, which for me is the best there is. I do different styles of yoga, Iyengar and Vinyasa mostly. I bought the Eko mat hoping it would be a good light weight alternative to hauling the Black Mat to class. Unfortunately, it is nearly useless. Yes, there is the smell, which I know goes away, I have another rubber mat (Jade) which had that smell but no longer does,. The Jade is also far superior to the Eko for practice, btw. My main complaint is although the Eko mat is touted to be sticky, it only feels sticky and in actual use I find my hands creeping forward in down dog (I am at least an upper intermediate yoga student and do not have this problem with any other mat.)I find this mat to cause a sweat to form under my feet, which makes them slip. I have washed the mat to the manufacturer's specifications, let it dry indoors - but if has gotten worse, not better. I am disappointed and will have to find another alternative. Manduka makes a great mat, but I really don't like the Eko - other than the obvious green factor. The mat also has a hardness to it that is unlike anything I have ever used, and it does not feel welcoming.

Awesome mat!
I just got my mat in the mail yesterday, and from the moment I put it on the floor it was love at first sight. What a wonderful mat! I've never owned a Manduka before, but I have owned two other mats (the standard Harmony mat by Jade and another eco mat, the Earth Elements by Hugger Mugger). I was dismayed when my Earth Elements started getting abrasions all over the place after using it for less than a year (daily). So I sadly looked at other options, not thinking I'd find anything better (Prana and Gaiam make almost identical mats to the Earth Elements). Then I read about the Manduka eKO and decided to try it. Boy am I glad I did! What a great mat. It was sticky even right out of the packaging, lays super flat, and I feel incredibly grounded despite it's very generous 5mm thickness. Also, it's a bit wider and longer than regular mats, which is very nice. I've used it twice already, and I am never going to use another mat! Plus, it's 100% totally environmentally friendly, unlike the Earth Elements (made out of TPE). I'd much rather spend $65 dollars once and have the mat forever than have to buy a new mat every year because my mats keep breaking down! I highly recommend this mat.