Gaiam Essentials Fitness Mat & Sling (10mm)

I needed the thickest yoga mat I could find because I have terrible balance and I was sure to take a tumble sooner not later. I shopped diligently. I checked out Costco - great price but the thickness wasn't there. I scoured Amazon comparing price and thickness. Turns out the thicker mats were priced significantly higher than Gaiam. Now who knows what deal will make my results obsolete. Well I unpacked the mat and checked it out with a few poses. Yup, right then and there within one minute I took a tumble. Luckily I landed on the mat. It did it's job and only my dignity was hurt. No bruises except to my ego. But with my horrid balance it could easily have turned out differently. I think I should buy at least two more. Cuz I ain't going to land perfectly every time. And no more standing balance poses for me. With the critical safety feature well demonstrated and cost effective come other issues. The mat is a relatively standard size for a quality yoga mat. I have certainly tried to save money and ended up with smaller and thinner mats. But back then my balance was significantly better and the trade off seemed reasonable. It seems to have a permanent curve in the mat. Makes it easy to roll but there is definitely an up and down surface spreading the mat. The harness to hold the mat is very secure, holds well but not the most convenient on the planet. The surface is nice and grippy very important to me. The mat has just enough give that you can sink your toes in a little bit. Excellent! Boy do I need that. Assuming I can stay balanced the whole time this is a comfortable (!) mat and if I just bounce off then you should not experience pain from extended standing poses.

Thick and comfy on the knees. Rolls up easy and the strap leaves enough room to fold in a gym towel

nice and thick

Fantastic cushiony yoga mat. For larger people or those with tender joints, the extra thickness really makes a difference in being able to move through poses with less pain and discomfort. It rolls easily, though not as tightly as thinner mats, and comes with a velcro strap to keep it rolled, which is nice, but I think a simple drawstring bag would have been easier to actually keep it contained. Because of the thickness, it's not always easy to get the velcro strap secured around it. I actually have two of these, one for me and one for my dog, who, in spite of multiple luxurious dog beds, sometimes prefers the floor. But he's old and has stiff joints, and it's not always easy for him to get up and down from our hardwood floors, so I bought him his own yoga mat, and he loves it. The downside is he has some mild bladder control issues, and the mat has developed an odor from occasional leaks, and none of my usual pet odor solutions have worked. Still, as I said, he loves it, so it's not going anywhere. It's just a slightly stinky yoga mat now.

The mat is great. It’s very long (if you are over 5’9 you may want to get something longer) soft and provides good cushioning. I do core exercises, pilates and yoga with mine My only complaint is that I would love for it to be wider but great buy!

Have had my yoga mat for several months now and use it constantly. It is thick enough to comfortably cushion and has held up well. Still looks like new. I like that you can roll it, attach the velcro strap and easily transport it. Easy to take to a class. Liked it so much I got another for my husband to use. He's 6 ft tall and it works for him too.

I've owned 4 yoga mats by 3 companies over the years. This is by far the most comfortable, especially on wood floors where I need extra cushion for floor exercises that put direct pressure on my knees - especially a single knee. This is the only yoga mat I have where the pressure points are never uncomfortable. It is soft but firmly resilient and grippy enough for my feet and hands. It's also very light and rolls up very easily. The color is lovely. I'm very sensitive to smells but noticed none with this (the navy version). Super happy with this mat - am buying another one so I don't have to carry it back and forth between workout areas.

I bought this yoga mat a few years ago and I used to use it everyday, unlike now, I barely use it now because I don't find hte time to do yoga like I used too. I'm always working and going out. But now that I pulled it out of the closet it brings me back memories. So now thats it out I will be doing my yoga workouts after work. I really need yoga in my life rite now because it helps with your mental health. for 7 years now my mental health ha been bad. Im not hte smae way I used to be ful of energy and excitement. This mat is perfectg to tkae to yoga classes or just keep at home. i bought a big yoga mat because I wanted to do a front flip and its perfect for that. I can do one now.