We do yoga in our living room. We've had the same old blue mat for many years and it's icky. Old, tired - ready for retirement. But now that we have to dispose of it we realize that it feels like a big hunk of junky pvc that we are sending out into the world - and we set out to find a green mat to replace it.
Success! The Eco Yoga Mat.
It is a sticky mat that is PVC-free. It is made from jute fiber and natural rubber with no synthetics. And, when this one needs to be retired...it's biodegradable.
Did you actually purchase this one? Because I had been looking for a greener mat, and purchased the Gaiam yoga mat ("Made of eco-friendly, biodegradable natural jute fibers and a polymer environmental resin") and it, er, stinks. Stanks! Very, very stinky. It smelled like...sour milk. Or something. Right out of the package. I tried leaving it outside to air. No. I stored it in the garage, and it stank up the garage. I had to actually throw it away. Bad mat.
I would definitely purchase the one from Barefoot if it was stench-free.
view carlene's profile
LOVE the concept, but i tried it at my yoga studio and it was a little stiff and slippery during down dog - maybe because of the jute fibers? not sure what the brand was, but i would love to find one that with more cushion and grip.
view emilyn's profile
carlene and emilyn,
I haven't received it yet...and now am sincerely hoping that it isn't smelly or slippery!
I'll be sure to give an update/review once I've had a chance to use it a few times....
view janel's profile
I've struggled with the stickiness level on eco-mats, so I'm eager to hear how this goes!
view vera in dc's profile
In regards to your Gaiam mat Carlene: I had the same problem with my sage green one I purchased. However, if you can bear the smell for a while, after enough practicing, it will stop smelling! (Or may start smelling like something else)
view pinkuschi's profile
While probably not green, my yoga instructor friends use nothing but HuggerMugger products: quality, great stick, and you can wash them while taking a shower. I love my deluxe mat and, because it *is* a quality product, it's been lasting a long time - surely a green concept?
view Maryja's profile
Oh dear. I am new to yoga and just grabbed whatever mat they had at Target, the Gaiam. I too have noticed a stink, but it's more like a super plastic/rubbery smell to me. I just thought that's how yoga mats smell, but I guess not. It's not unbearable...except maybe during extended child's pose where my forehead (and nose!) are pressed right against the mat!
view J's profile
Oh, no, J, mine had more than that plastic rubbery smell (mats *do* often smell like that). Mine had stank. Like...well, I don't want to throw it right out there, but...like someone had been sick. On the mat. A lot.
view carlene's profile
If it is biodegradable, doesn't it rot?
view Sfacets's profile