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129 of 132 found the following review helpful:
 Tremendous Yoga Mat - Really is thick and no funky smell Aug 26, 2009
By J. Rogers
"Gadget Guy"
UPDATE (11/10/10): Still thrilled to report I couldn't be happier. The mat has held up better than the manduka mat I owned, and has proven easier to clean and a lot lighter to carry. After 14 months still no sign of wear and it just seems to get better with use.
The company was actually nice enough to send me their rosin for doing hot or more intense practices where I really sweat........it does help with slipping issues. I found putting a little on my mat pre-workout seems to help substantially. In the past I had bought yogi toes and towels, which while they worked, were pretty expensive. So for now I am hooked on rosin.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I recently decided it was time to upgrade my yoga mat to something a bit more high quality and came across this one. So far I have been very impressed. The quality of the mat is really remarkable for the price point and i really love what a great job they have done with this. You can tell this was developed by people who actually do practice yoga.
PROS
1) The knee pain i used to get on my old (thin) mat is gone. I have used this on a variety of different surfaces (including the hard floors at the local studio) and no issues.
2) The rubbery smell that I also had to deal with on my old mat is now gone. I followed Aurorae's recommendations and put a little lemon on.
3) Been using for a few months now and no durability/wear issues.
4) No staining of clothes. My last mat left a slight residue that would be seen on lightly colored clothing.
5) Price - $80 for a Manduka mat??? No way. This is better quality for a fraction of the price.
CONS
None but will update if I find anything.
I would recommend this one to any yoga enthusiast. Great product and well worth the money at this price point.
55 of 57 found the following review helpful:
Amazing mat! Sep 06, 2010
By S. O'Brien
"morgayne2"
I have had my Aurorae mat for nearly eight months and still consider it one of the best mats out there. As a yoga teacher, I've tried many different mats ranging in price from $50 to $100 and the Aurorae mat beats them all. It's as long and wide as the 'premium' mats that are twice the price, but it's super lightweight so it's easy to carry around. The thickness is perfect: everyone who has tried my Aurorae mat comments on how nice it feels. It's thick without being too firm or two soft.
I've also been impressed with the durability of my Aurorae mat- I practice daily at home, and in the studio at least 3-4 times a week. I also use my mat outside on grass, concrete and flagstones. Obviously it's been put through a lot, but it's still in excellent condition. I have washed it once a month according to the manufacturer's directions and aside from a slight discoloration where my hands and feet are positioned in down dog, it still looks brand new.
Since the Aurorae mat is phthalate-free, it didn't stink of plastic when it arrived. I only had to unroll it and let it sit out for a couple of hours and I was able to use it that night. It also didn't smell like rubber as some of the other premium mats do. It's not only scent-free, it doesn't seem to hold odors (which is important if you sweat a lot!) There's nothing worse than being in child's pose and holding your breath because your nose is so close to a plastic-y/sweaty-smelly/rubber-stinking mat.
The only drawback I've found for my mat is that it isn't very 'sticky' when I sweat, but I have yet to find a truly sticky mat anywhere. In my experience, if you practice hot yoga or sweat a lot, no mat is going to be sticky enough without a towel over the top (I use a microfiber towel specifically made for yoga). I have the roisin bag also sold by Aurorae and that helps a lot, but when the studio is 100F+, I need a towel to help soak up the sweat and allow my hands some traction in down dog.
On the other hand, if I practice in an unheated area the mat works fine. It's not 'sticky' so much as the top of the mat allows my hands to sink in a bit and gain some traction. That's nicer than the last 'sticky' mat I tried which was so sticky that I couldn't keep hair and lint from gathering all over the top. Gross!
Overall, I've been so pleased with my Aurorae mat that I'm considering buying another one just so I can keep one at the studio and one at home. I also recommend this mat to all my students and every one who has bought an Aurorae mat has been just as pleased as I am. I don't think you can find a better mat, especially for the price!
66 of 74 found the following review helpful:
 Am I missing something? May 19, 2010
By Doc Schreiber
I purchased this mat after reading all the great reviews (thinking... 162 people can't be wrong). Out of all mats amazon offers, probably the highest number of 5 star reviews out of the total submitted.
Yes, the mat looks and feels great, very little odor out of the box and almost none after washing (and whatever odor there is, it is never unpleasant). As instructed, I washed it in the machine, let it hang dry. It took a while to get dry completely, cause it seems to absorb the water almost like a sponge (remember, no tumble dry).
I like the thickness and length, but... Even though my palms and feet don't sweat much my hands just can't stop slipping, especially in Adho Mukha Svanasana. This happens in the very first few minutes, so sweating is not even an issue. I trust other reviewers who claim that using other products by Aurorae to minimize slipping probably works, but doesn't seem like a good solution to me simply because:
a) I have another mat (different brand) that is the same size and thickness, and no slipping at all (out of the box), and
b) I don't need an extra piece of equipment to carry around (rosin bag).
I also tried several mats at the studio, some thinner some same in thickness (1/4"), and came across only one that had some slipping (might have been soiled).
I will try washing the mat one more time as some suggest, and revise this review if I notice significant improvement.
Here's some food for thought. I read reviews for some other brands and someone bought two mats but different colors. One had slipping issues, the other did not. In other words, even if a mat is made by the same manufacturer, is it possible that some would slip, and some won't depending on the color or series?
I really wanted to like this mat - very soft and cushy, well built, nice design and colors (I got light green), but slipping is a huge flaw for me. I hate to return it, not so much because it's a hassle, but because I really like the thickness and the looks. Will use it for routines in which slipping won't be an issue. I'm still hoping that after a while I might break it in sufficiently, so that the slipping will stop.
38 of 41 found the following review helpful:
Serious mat - it's mine & I'm not sharing it Aug 27, 2009
By A. Barnard
My last yoga mat became family property. My daughter used it for her gymnastics practice, my son used it for his karate warm-ups and if I was lucky enough to find it, I got to use it for myself. Well, they can have my old mat & I'm hiding my new Aurorae mat. It's great for my mat Pilates, no more feeling like I'm rolling up on cement with my old flimsy mat. It's much more comfortable on the back and knees. The longer length is helpful too especially on days when I attend yoga in the park on a cement slab by the lake. What a great buy for the price!
19 of 20 found the following review helpful:
Cushy, extra long, and no gross rubber smell Dec 08, 2010
By Kate Wilson
I love this yoga mat! I'm super-sensitive to strong smells, and so I wanted to find one that didn't have that headache-inducing rubber smell to it. I got this one because of the reviews indicating that it was smell-less, and the reviews were certainly true. It's much longer than other yoga mats, which was a pleasant surprise. I can do some of my poses with my toddler accompanying me on the same mat! Speaking of my toddler, it's so cushy that she sometimes likes to take a nap on it. She has abused it in every way possible -- spilling food on it (an old toothbrush works wonders for getting in the crevices), grinding chair legs into it (it didn't tear!), and playing on it with her toys. At first I cringed every time she did something to it, but this mat is basically indestructible. Highly recommend.
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