During hot yoga sessions, you will sweat a lot, so you need something that can hold up in extremely wet conditions. The colored side of the mat works great for this purpose: it has a great grip sweat absorption, while the antimicrobial additive in the fabric prevents the growth of bacteria, mold, and fungi.
This is a versatile two-sided mat. The brightly colored side works great for hot yoga where you sweat a lot. Meanwhile, the black side is more sticky and works great for standing poses.
This mat is on the heavier side as its weight is 5.5 lbs. It might be an issue if you go to your yoga classes by foot or bicycle since it might be too heavy to carry on.
This mat is made for heavy-duty use. The thick layer of PVC can withstand direct sunlight, moisture, and a lot of physical tear, so it is likely to serve you for many years. And to clean it you can simply use a wet cloth.
Manduka offers a lifetime guarantee for this mat as a testimony to how confident they are in the quality of their product. If something does happen to the mat, they promise to replace it.
This mat will be suited for people who are already committed to doing yoga. If you're just starting out, it might be a good idea to check out cheaper options (they start as low as $10) before investing such a considerable amount.
This mat is easy to clean due to the closed-cell construction because all sweat, oil, and dust are not absorbed inside the mat. All dirt will stay on top of the surface, so you need to use only a couple sprits of water or cleaning product and a cloth to wipe everything off. Therefore, this mat is more hygienic as opposed to open-cell construction mat.
Usually, rubber mats aren't as sticky as PVC or foam, but this one has a porous texture that provides a really good grip, even when it's wet from sweat. It's also pretty thin (and, therefore, light) at 3/16 of an inch, yet provides good cushioning for your knees and elbows.
This mat is great for standing poses because it is thin and sticky, which makes it easy to hold balance, unlike with thick mats that may protect knees and elbows but have too much cushioning to stand comfortably.
Being a fairly thin mat made out of a natural material, the Harmony probably won't serve you more than about a year. It's susceptible to external factors such as direct sunlight and moisture and will eventually start to degrade. If you're looking for a mat that will serve you for many years to come, it would be a good idea to look for thick PVC or plastic options.
Unlike the large part of producers who opt for using PVC, Jade choose to make their mats out of natural rubber because it's a biodegradable material and it doesn't cause any damage to the ozone layer as its being produced.
Since this mat has an open-cell, porous structure, it absorbs sweat and oil and keeps it inside. It will require a little extra maintenance to remain clean. It would be a good idea to clean it with warm water and perhaps use a little oil after each workout.
This mat has open-cell construction that absorbs sweat, moist and oil. That makes it stretchier and sticky when wet. It is great if your hands and feet get sweaty easily whereas this mat will not let you slip doing yoga poses.