After you’ve practiced yoga for a while it dawns on you that not all yoga mats are created equal. Most beginning yogis scoff at dropping a hundred-plus bucks on a yoga mat, but if you stick with the practice you’ll eventually begin to collect mats like they’re tupperware and you may end up with a closet dedicated just to all your yoga gear. Now that’s a biographical statement…
Anyhow, I’ve had a ton of yoga mats sent my way over the years to try out, and yes, I have a closet full of yoga gear. I’m willing to give any mat a shot, but for the most part my go-to mats have been the Manduka Black Mat Pro and Lululemon’s “The Mat.” Those are great mats–I love them, I wash them like little babies, I spray yummy scented mat cleaner on them after I sweat all over them, I take them with me on vacation–basically they’re like family.
Well, I’ve recently added a new mat to the family–the Vernice Vita Cadillac Mat–and it’s far and away one of the coolest and most technologically advanced mats I’ve ever used. Now that’s saying something since yoga mats are basically large pieces of sticky rubber, but like I said, not all mats are created equal. In fact, the Vernice Vita is a three-layer memory foam mat that provides an amazing layer of support and cushion unlike anything I’ve ever practiced on.
The bottom layer is a skid proof EVA material that stabilizes the mat and prevents slipping/sliding on studio floors. The innovative middle layer is 1/2″ memory foam, and the top layer is a textured, water resistant neoprene that stabilizes hands and feet under the sweatiest of circumstances.
My main test for determining the amazing-ness of a yoga mat is whether I feel comfortable upside down in a sweaty wheel pose. That’s not a position I’m interested in having my hands slip out from underneath me, which happens with a lot of other yoga mats, but the Vernice Vita handled the test with flying colors. Zero slip issues. Zero. It’s probably the combination of the great textured top layer and the hands settling into the memory foam–it just feels stable and comfortable.
I’ve practiced on the Vernice Vita mat every day for the last month and give it my whole-hearted recommendation. You won’t know how absolutely amazing this mat is until you practice on it–it’s hard to describe since it’s not your ordinary yoga mat–it’s way better! The only apparent cons are the fact that it is pretty thick and doesn’t roll up super-tight, so it’s not the most mobile of mats. It looks like you can get a special strap for it, which should make it easier to tote around, but I don’t have the strap and I haven’t tried to take it anywhere. It feels like it’s about the same weight as other premium yoga mats. With that said, for my daily home practice, this mat has been a breath of fresh air that I look forward to enjoying as much as absolutely possible.
UPDATE:
It’s your lucky day! Our friends at Vernice Vita have offered Daily Cup of Yoga readers a $10 discount on all of their yoga mats with offer code: DAILYCUPOFYOGA. Just enter this code on the right side of the Store page. Namaste!
