NBR Yoga Mat 180x60x1.5cm

The padded mat for everything on the floor

This mat is 1.5 cm thick. That makes it more of an exercise mat or gym mat than a classic yoga mat – and that's exactly the point. On 180 × 60 cm you get a soft base for yoga, pilates, gymnastics, stretching and bodyweight work: planks, push-ups, crunches, anything with knee, elbow or spine contact. Your foam roller session gets a lot more comfortable on that padding too.

Here's the trade-off, straight up: at 15 mm the ground gives noticeably under your foot. In standing postures and balance asanas you don't want that – there the usual 3 to 6 mm are the better call, because you stand low and firm. The ratio flips the moment you spend ten minutes kneeling or lying on your elbows. Then this padding is the reason you hold the position that long in the first place.

Grip on both sides – and no cold from below

The surface is finely ribbed lengthways and non-slip on the top and the bottom. You keep your footing barefoot or in trainers – and the mat itself doesn't wander across the floor. That's worth a lot in class, where ten people go into downward dog at the same time.

On top of that comes the thermal insulation of the NBR material. On a cold hall or basement floor you feel the difference right away – especially in exercises where you stay down for a while. The mat is grey to anthracite, with darker edges. It rolls up compactly.

Hang it, dry it, keep it for years

Two sturdy cut-outs with orange metal rings sit on one of the short sides. They're not decoration, they're the reason this mat lasts: after wiping it down you hang it up instead of rolling it away damp. It dries through and is ready to go again the next day.

One thing that surprises a lot of people: cleaning it too often makes the grip worse on the non-slip surface. Less really is more here.