Hugger Mugger Earth Elements 5mm Yoga Mat - Non-Toxic Biodegradable, Reversible & Grippy Texture for Cushion & Support | Lightweight Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat for Home, Studio & Travel Use

This has been my primary mat for 8 years; after using the first one for over 6 years I bought a second one as the first one had started to wear a bit. Even so, the older one still is a functional mat and is used for play at home.I originally wanted an eco-friendly mat that didn't smell awful to me in child's pose, like the PVC mats provided at the gym do. I never found the smell of this mat offensive; as with all new mats however it helps to wipe it down with a damp cloth and air it out upon arrival.I like that it is biodegradable, and that means I also never expected to last forever; a material cannot be indestructible and biodegradable at the same time. Even so, this mat has proven quite durable for my uses, which have varied over the years from once a week yoga to six times a week yoga, including three times a week in a heated studio (90-95 degrees.) I haven't had notable slipping issues, even with the heated studio or on practice days where I just seem to be sweating more.I like that it is fully reversible, and my standard pactice has been to alternate sides and rolling direction with every consecutive class, so it has never been rolled up in one direction only when stored.The thickness is nice; it provides enough cushion for me in poses with weight on the knees and still feels stable for standing poses.At 5'8, and with shoulder width that fits a women's large shirt size, the 24" x 72" dimensions have been generally functional for my practice, and I appreciated that this mat has a 72" length rather than a 71" or 68" as I've seen as standard for some other mats. There are a few instances where I could use more mat space, and it would be nice if there was a larger 26"x 76" option as well.I had had the same yoga mat for 15 years so I asked for a new one for my birthday. My hubby let me pick my new one out and I chose this one because it is eco friendly, extra thick and has two-sided colors. Here are my thoughts.ConsIt is expensive compared to some other yoga mats. I am assuming that's because it is eco friendly and also because it is extra thick.It has no "give" to it. My old mat left my footprint on it for a few moments after I moved my foot. This gave me great traction and grip. This new mat does NOT do that and I find that balance poses are much harder to do.The "stickiness" of the mat is different than my old one and I find that my clothing gets caught when I try to change position or skooch around on my mat.My mat was leaning up against something in my car and seems to have left a permanent dent on the side of the mat. I tossed my old mat around and nothing ever bothered it.ProsIt is extra thick which is nice for doing yoga on hardwood floors.It has no weird rubber smell to it.It is two sided so you can choose which color you'd like to expose.It is really pretty with a nice pattern in the texture.SummaryIf you are used to a certain mat and try to switch to this one you may experience some difficulty. If you aren't fussy or haven't had your own mat before, you will likely love this one as it is a really nice, high quality mat. I am just a creature of habit and now realized how much I liked my old mat. And since there was nothing wrong with my old mat, I keep thinking about switching back to it. It is just hard to justify stashing an expensive new mat in the closet.My last yoga mat was an (expensive!!) Jade Harmony mat that I thought would last me forever, but after a couple years began to disintegrate and covered my knees and hands with sand-sided grains of rubber. I got this one as a less expensive alternative. I really like it. It is very squishy, very comfortable, and sticky. I would say it is more comfortable and more sticky than the expensive Jade mat I had, and hopefully will last as long! But also it was half the cost. I like the color and the lack of a distracting pattern. I would recommend to anyone looking for a relatively squishy mat with a good amount of stickiness.This was my first real yoga mat that wasn't some cheap $10-$20 foam one from the store. It feels really great and am I so happy with the purchase. The mat is very "sticky" and your hands and feet will stay in position and won't slide.There is a very slight rubber odor when you first receive it, but it's very faint and hardly noticeable.I've only had the mat for a short time, so I can't review the durability of the mat yet.2 Year Update:I've had this mat for over 2 years, and it's still working great. I use the mat a few times a week, either for yoga, abs, or plyo workouts. Still in great condition.I got this mat after using my mom's and falling in love with it during a visit back home! This mat has a better grip than several others I've tried, and I love that it is made from biodegradable material. I still slid around a bit at first on it, but I think after cleaning it a few times it has gotten better. This mat has more cushion than basic models, which can make balancing poses hard, but it is much gentler on my knees and ankles. A great home practice mat overall.I’ve owned this mat for three full months now and it’s gotten used on average once a week. I loved it all the way up until now. The texture is awesome! I love the colors and the design, the size and thickness, but this morning when I pulled it out I noticed a lot of cracking on the side that was rolled the tightest. This was a big bummer, in the end it still works, but I feel like I haven’t used it enough to have it be breaking down like that. It’s dissapointing.I love this mat. It doesn't have that yucky smell of the PVC mats. It did have a smell when I first opened it, but I followed the directions to clean and air it, and it's totally fine now. I also got the hugger mugger lavender mat spray, and now my mat smells great! I love the thickness of the mat. It's not too thick, but just enough so that my knees and back don't hurt anymore. I bruise easily, so this was very important to me. It does get a little slippery when my feet get sweaty, but I haven't used a mat that doesn't get slippery at all when I sweat.I'm very happy with the mat. For me it's just the right combination of firmness and grip. In no way a fault of the mat, but I'm six foot tall and may do better with a longer mat.Allows me to do my yoga moves with more confidence, now the I’m not slipping on the mat. Great item??