Verdict: it’s amazing. 

I absolutely love yoga, but unfortunately, I haven’t practiced in a ridiculously long time. Partially because my favorite class of all, Y7’s hip hop yoga,  is nearly impossible to get into on Classpass, but mostly because the new credit system has me scavenging to get in as many barre or strength classes as my credits will allow. Still, neither are a solid excuse and I’m going to start pushing myself to take advantage of the NYC yogi community and try some new studios and techniques. What’s going to motivate me to do this? MY BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW MANDUKA GRP MAT, of course.

No towel necessary. 

So what’s all the buzz about surrounding the GRP Mat? Manduka swears that if you’re a hot yoga fan, this mat’s going to be your brand new BFF. It’s designed to be completely sweat-resistant and anti-slip, by absorbing sweat even in the hottest, sweatiest conditions (I’m talking to you, Bikram!) Not only does it filter out moisture, but it’s charcoal infused, which keep smelly scents out of the picture #boybye. The best part of all? Manduka says you can say goodbye to towels for good if you’re practicing on the GRP Mat. Intrigued? So was I! It was basically marketed to me as Lululemon’s The Mat, but better. Here’s why:

Bring on the heat.

Manduka yoga invited me to try the new GRP Mat last week and I can attest to it’s magical, innovative, sweat-proof nature. A few of us local NYC bloggers headed down to Project by Equinox for a heated vinyasa class lead by Manduka’s Director of Sales, Vincent Nola. As he cranked up the heat, the GRP mat stood strong. One of my biggest pet peeves during a yoga class, heated or not, is slipping down the mat. As you could imagine, it throws off both my concentration and form. A huge no-no. Trust me: you can be dripping in sweat to the point that your entire body is drenched, and the GRP mat will have your back so you can stand strong and feel grounded. Not only did my body stay grounded throughout the (particularly tough) flows, but so did the mat itself. The GRP mat seems to suction itself to the ground, which you’ll notice when you try to pull it up after your class.

I also noticed that my sweat seemed to completely vanish from the mat, which is another amazing feature. Not only did we do a heated vinyasa practice, but we also did some HIIT training, which really makes the case for how sweat-proof these mats are.  Vincent had us doing a move where we rolled onto our backs in a ball position, then used our momentum and strength to roll up to a standing position so we could do a tuck jump at the top. We were literally rolling our sweaty selves all over these mats, but sweat was no match for the GRP. Bottom line: no matter how sweaty you get, the only towel you’ll ever need is the one you’re using to wipe sweat out of your own eyes. The GRP takes care of itself. How’s that for self-sufficient? BUT, don’t forget to to show it some love and clean it 🙂

The last feature I want to hit on is how comfy the mat is. It’s super thick, slightly squishy, and has a leather-like feel. At first I was skeptical about how the leathery material could provide this supreme grip without a towel, but it absolutely did. The 6mm thickness is another amazing sell. Sometimes poses that involve being on my knees cause slight discomfort, but I didn’t run into that when I was practicing on the GRP mat. That’s a huge win for me! The mat weighs 5 pounds, and it’s 26″ x 71″, if you’re interested in hearing about the dimensions.

Again, my verdict: Manduka’s GRP mat is amazing. This mat is the real deal and is an absolute must-have for all yogis, especially those hot yoga lovers who like to crank up the heat. I’m so happy to have gotten the chance to try it out and I’m SO STOKED to finally own my own amazing mat! I can’t wait to break it in and I’m really looking forward to NOT HAVING TO RENT A MAT TOWEL AT Y7!!!

Do you have a GRP Mat? Interested in getting one? Let me know in the comments below

Do you have a GRP Mat? Interested in getting one? Let me know in the comments below.