I finally made my 2013 maiden voyage to the gym yesterday. Yoga was on tap. I hit up the infamous SYNO (sweat your nuts off) class I love so much. Not. The usual suspects were in place, the headstanding, leg windmilling lady was going full bore, no less than half a dozen already sweat dripping, split-shorts-clad guys were peppered about. The floor was overpopulated long before class began and if you so much as left your mat for a 2 minute bathroom break, someone would pounce, roll it off to the side and stake claim to your spot. Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom came to mind. I looked on in amazement, glued my mat in defense mode.
As more people squeezed in, the instructor kept asking everyone to make room. Before long headstand lady was pressed hard up on the windows, her toes leaving smudgy prints on the glass as she windmilled. Things got really dicey when someone shoved aside a bamboo plant and tried unsuccesfully to heft a huge decorative urn in the corner.
(source)
Then I noticed it. Some people had larger mats than I. All yoga mats are not created equal? I know there are different colors and thicknesses and wow those Lululemon ones sure are purdy. But when a class is going to be packed to the rafters wouldn’t some extra width and length be divine?
I asked a yoga instructor friend for the lowdown on mats. She affirmed my suspicion so I wasn’t hallucinating in the steamy studio after all. There are various mat sizes. “Oh get a Manduka” she said. So I prowled online and found them in the hundred dollar range. Yikes. To think I gagged on $68 for the pretty Lulu one.
But I’d have extra real estate on which to channel my zen…suddenly my $16 sale model from Tarjay seems inadequate.
Would you go for the larger, $$$ mat?
I would totally go for the larger mat!!! I had no idea mats weren’t created in equal SIZE. I have two mats so I knew there were different materials and thickness, but this is news to me! Why deny more space?! lol
I wouldn’t even buy the $40 one at Athleta! 😉 It is pretty though.
We just had a lululemon store open near me about 4 months ago, and out of not wanting to be tempted then disappointed I still haven’t set foot in it— some things just aren’t worth my money 😉
I am so cheap that i just use a towel to cover parts the mat work reach. Although i received a free yoga mat from a race…maybe i could sew them together to make a mega-mat??
I will eventually spring for a larger, more expensive mat. A nice mat can really make your practice more enjoyable. For now though I’ll do it on my $10 walmart special. 🙂
Wow that sounds crazy! I haven’t ventured to any classes in the new year since I am afraid how crowded it will be. Ugh! I would go for a bigger mat if only to not be so close to sweaty people:)
If I regularly went to yoga, I might consider going for it, but I really only use my matt for stretching at home, so there’s no reason to spend more than $10 at walmart!
OR OR OR you could email the company and see about doing a review….
Screw the Manduka, just bring your KING size bed mattress! Manduka that! Oh, btw, im probably behind the times, but I love your new site!!!
we have a couple different mats at home and i definitely prefer the larger thicker ones to the thinner smaller. But I’m not sure that I’d spring TOO much for a mat.
Nope, cheapo here. My narrow mat is fine (and it probably came from Target too). Besides, seems kind of rude to bring a big mat to a class you know will be crowded.
I worked at a gym through high school and college, and we used to hand out numbers so that we could keep control of the numbers. It worked really well. I recently quit going to a psuedo-cross fit class because they wouldn’t limit the number, and it just got flat out dangerous. I hate being stressed out the entire time I’m trying to work out.
I paid only $10 for mine at a dollars and cents store. Yes, I’m that cheap. But I don’t have to jostle for position except for with the dogs who think that yoga time is the time to play tug-of-war across my yoga mat.
I hate to be judgemental but isn’t yoga mat envy the root of all evil?
Crowded classes mess with my yin, my yang and my chi. I’d probably ask the instructor to limit the class size, or threaten to show up with a wrestling mat.
I go to a hot yoga that gets too full too and I know it is not zen but I want to yell and tell the damn instructor that it is not safe or sanitary to squeeze in more people. (The studio has no size limit. I think size matters!)
I think unless you are king size, you should use a standard mat and take up only the space you need. I am WAY too cheap to pay a ton for a yoga mat. I have a Nike one that I bought for $30 in the 90s. Still perfectly good. I guess I should do more yoga! (At least now you have a fancy yoga towel 🙂 I have 2 of those – bought on sale OF COURSE!)
Hmmm…I have a normal size mat, I suppose, but I’d try to find a larger one if I could just to make my personal space a bit larger! This coming from someone who has only done yoga with a DVD! ;-P But one of my resolutions is to try a yoga class this year! =)
Go for the larger one! If for nothing else, to give yourself some extra space. I’m such an American… “bigger, more, space, get away from me, mine, get out of my bubble, back off, please get your stinky fungus feet away from my face, did you shower before you came to class?, what in God’s name did you eat for dinner last night?”. Larger one for sure.
Not me. I thought the $50 ones were too pricey. But then, I’d probably avoid a class that crowded too, so maybe my advice is not the one you want. 😉