Product Description

For ten years and counting the Black Mat has been renowned by serious yogis and hailed as the ‘Bentley’ and Taj Mahal’ of yoga mats. It is ideal for yoga and Pilates practitioners looking for performance, comfort and longevity from their mat. Its fabric-like surface finish is not sticky, yet slip-resistant, even when wet from perspiration. The firm material resists bunching and remains flat even when practicing on carpet or with sticky feet. The Black Mat is exceptional for cushioning your spine, hip bones, knees and elbows from punishing hard floors; its durability is superior to other mats.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #326 in Sports & Outdoors
• Size: 26 x 85 x 1/4
• Color: Black
• Brand: Manduka
• Model: BM 85"
• Dimensions: .25" h x 26.00" w x 85.00" l, 8.50 pounds

Features

• Superior wear and longevity
• Comfortably cushions spine, hips, knees, and elbows on hard floors
• Slip resistant, yet non-sticky, even when wet from perspiration; provides stability on hard or soft surfaces
• Eco-responsible manufacturing
• 8.5 lbs; 85 inches long; 26 inches wide; 1/4 inch thick

Customer Reviews

A Wonderful Space for Practice
When I used lighter, less dense mats they would sometimes bunch up or move around during flowing vinyasa practice. If my toe caught the mat, the edge would flip over and require adjustment. Also, they did not cushion very well. In addition, lesser mats wore out quickly and had to be replaced. When doing poses like the side-arm balance, my foot would slip off the end of the regular length mat and I would fall out of the pose.

With the extra-long manduka mat, none of these issues is a problem. The mat is solid and dense, and stays put on the floor no matter what I do. It cushions really well, but because it is so dense it is no problem to balance or move on the mat (not mushy). I beat the daylights out of these mats and they still look great. Durability is outstanding, and they show no signs of wearing out. Ever. The extra length allows me to move with confidence, knowing I won't run out of room or slip off the mat. An additional benefit of the long mat is that it allows you to change your starting position on the mat somewhat, so that the small area worn by your feet is not the same every practice. In other words, you can spread the wear over a larger area to make it last even longer. The surface is plenty sticky for normal yoga, and if you do a hot yoga class or sweat a lot you will likely want to have a towel anyway. No complaints about stickiness.

As for weight, it seems that if you are big enough to need an extra-long mat you are probably plenty strong enough to carry it around. It ain't heavy, it's the best yoga mat I've ever seen.

Which Size Manduka Is Right for You?
I obsessed about whether to purchase the regular size Manduka or the longer 85" model. I am only 5'9" tall and was told by almost everyone that unless you are 6' tall or over you don't need the longer mat. Besides, the longer model is "so" heavy. As usual, I went my own way and purchased the longer mat and am glad I did. I love the longer mat. First of all, when I am completely stretched out on my stomach, my entire body is on the mat, face, hands and feet--not on the floor. I like the balanced feeling of every part of me being on the mat. Also, when I do my various asanas, I can now start in different spots on the mat and therefore put less wear and tear on the same spots. Second, I am afraid I don't understand the "weight" issue? The 71 inch model weighs 6.5 pounds, this one weights 9 pounds. For me that's not much of a difference, especially since I am only carrying the mat from the parking lot to the yoga room, not backpacking across India. Most of the time the mat is at home anyway.

As far as the Manduka mat in general, I have used two other mats and this one provides a lot more support. I find it to be very dense and firm, with just enough tactile feeling. And, the mat does not move around on me. I really like that. My yoga teacher said this was the best mat around.I am glad I listened to her sage advice.

Joe Drew (Kent, Ohio)

If You're Tall or Like Extra Padding, this Mat Is for You!
I'm 6'6" 225 lbs. and have been doing yoga for a few years. This mat is nice and long as well as a little wider and thicker than the standard mat. Yes it's heavier than a standard mat and I found it to be unpleasantly slippery at first, but I recommend it highly. If you ever find yourself stacking one mat on top of another to get the padding you need, or running out of room on your mat, then please buy this mat now and you will thank yourself later.

Pros: Longer, thicker, wider

Cons: A bit expensive (I think it's worth it), slippery at first (goes away after a few classes).

NOTE: You might want to periodically roll the mat from a different end to get rid of the teacher-tripping curl that develops over time.