As the reviews assured me, this yoga mat prevented my hands/feet from slipping, offering me much confidence in my poses, particularly downward dog. The thickness and weight are perfect as well. And I would give a sixth star for the manufacturer providing a note about no longer plastic-wrapping the mat and thus apologizing for the mat being exposed to warehouse dust (gone with a quick wipe). Also important was information on maintenance so that it lasts a very long time.I finally got this Jade mat after reading lots of reviews and looking at different mats. I love the color, love that it’s sustainable and made in the USA, but be warned it doesn’t have much grip. I was sliding in downward dog and other poses. I decided to buy a towel rather than return it, and that solved the issue.I was searching for a rubber mat because I no longer like the feel of the PVC mats. Rubber is a great material because you don’t slip when doing yoga but I will say there is a texture on the mat that can be borderline abrasive to my skin. I have read that rubber is not necessarily the best material for Vinyasa yoga, which is what I prefer but I really wanted a mat that didn’t slip. I do like this mat and enjoy practicing yoga on it but it can be slightly uncomfortable at times.I took up practicing yoga three months ago. I excitedly purchased a new Under Armour mat for $70 at a local sporting goods store, thinking that it must be good if it's $70. (Sucker!) Within minutes of starting class I was inching toward "face planting dog" from down dog. Now, granted, I am a sweaty beast when I work out to begin with, but I couldn't figure out why this was happening. So next class I brought a towel. (Fail) Next I switched mats and used one of the famous Manduka mats that the studio provided. I was STILL slipping! I then asked my yoga teacher what he recommended and he said, "Mats are a relatively new concept to yoga. Yoga has been practiced for centuries without mats. If you're slipping, it's improper alignment and you're not reaching up with your hips and core"... This information actually made sense to me. But I have always been terribly inflexible. My workouts were always cardio and a little weights. The way that yoga builds strength in the muscles is a completely new concept to my body. Until I build up the proper core and other muscles, I needed a friggin mat that wasn't going to allow me to go anywhere else than where I placed my hands/feet. I won't make this any longer than it has to be, but after slipping 42,000 times, (ok mayyybe half that.) I did in fact, injure my shoulder. After this, I was on the hunt for the perfect non-slipping mat. After reading reviews on as many mats as I could possibly find info on, I purchased the Jade for it's alleged performance under the influence of sweaty hands. I cannot even properly convey how happy I am with this purchase, but I will attempt. I won't write a poem about it, because this is a product review, but I would like to because THAT is how happy I am with this mat. ("Ode to Jade" should probably have been my review title) I am in LOVE. I DON'T SLIP. EVER. I can now concentrate on actually getting into the proper poses and focus on my breath because I'm not focused on slipping! I am still able to move easily into poses without it being so sticky that I get stuck. I have made awesome improvements, and while I owe gratitude to my body, this mat has facilitated the advancement.Now, a couple things I've noticed:1.It smells. The smell does dissipate a bit after washing though. According to Jade, the smell will dissipate within two weeks to a couple of months. I've only had it for 1.5 months and smell is mostly tolerable.2. It takes forever to dry. You are supposed to wash with plain water. I went for the lesser recommended front loading gentle cycle. (I like to live on the edge) I used just a tiny bit of dreft and still had to rinse two extra times and spin two additional times because as noted on their website faqs, this mat is basically a sponge and will soak up any moisture. (side thought: so if I'm sweating on it, all the more reason to wash it! eww!). I will not be doing that again on a frequent basis though, unless I bleed or puke on it. I will definitely "wipe down with water" or find perhaps a mat spray because this process took hours. I then hung it to dry... and aged ten years. It took 18 hours to completely dry. This might be a deal breaker for some, but for me it's just slightly annoying but something I work into the schedule because it doesn't affect it's performance, which is the reason I purchased it.3. Because of its texture and stickyness, it will not fit easily into a narrow yoga bag. I had to buy a yoga sling/strap carrier, which makes for easier exit at the end of class.4. Because of its stickyness it will pick up everything on the surface that you lay it on. Whatever touches will hang on to it. So this makes tip #2 a more frequent occurrence. But again, finding a mat spray or simply wiping it down as suggested would probably make this less of an ordeal.Innnnn conclusion, I am supremely satisfied with this mat. It fixed my problem thereby promoting growth in my practice. When this one wears down, as it will due to its biodegradeableness (is that a word?) then I will promptly buy another.Mat performs really well. It was recommended by trainer Shona Vertue and she was right: it’s the best! Beware that this mat shows everything though. I’ve had it a week and it shows every dead skin cell that has ever flaked off in use, as well as any lint etc on the floorThis is just my second mat, but its my first magic carpet! I love it!! And so far, no slipping from sweat!!I requested a replacement for the first mat, which arrived slightly torn and dirty (in original packaging). The second was in better shape. I often get compliments on the bright yellow color. It's cute! But it gets VERY slippery if you sweat a lot. Not great for hot classes, or verify you DO NOT EVER forget a towel.Although I do like this mat, I am not a yoga expert. There is a very strong chemical smell that comes from the mat. Hopefully, this smell will dissipate with time?Ich würde so gerne etwas anderes über diese Matte schreiben, aber leider fällt mein Urteil nicht gut aus: Scheinbar eine fantastische Matte; griffig, nicht zu schwer, super verarbeitet. Kein Rutschen im „down dog“....ABER: Wenn Ihr damit regelmäßig Yoga macht, atmet Ihr Nitrosamine ein, die beim Vulkanisieren von Kautschuk entstehen. Hat dazu geführt, dass diese Matte 2017 bei Ökotest mit „mangelhaft“ bewertet wurde. Und man wird durch den strengen Gummi-Geruch auch ständig an diese Gifte erinnert. Schade, schade. Eigentlich eine Traum -Yogamatte, aber längst nicht so ökologisch unbedenklich, wie sie angepriesen wird. Ich jedenfalls habe sie schweren Herzens zurück geschickt.Ich habe mir diese Matte in schwarz gekauft. Sie riecht anfangs stark, aber das steht so ja auch in der Produktbeschreibung. Bei mir war der Geruch nach vier Wochen verflogen, bis dahin habe ich sie in einem dauerhaft gelüfteten Raum gelagert (zum Glück war Sommer).Die Matte hält was sie verspricht: sie rutscht nicht auf unserem Parkettboden und ich rutsche nicht auf der Matte, auch dann nicht, wenn ich schwitze. Sie gibt auch bei keiner einzigen Übung nach wie so viele andere Matten. Alles in allem also absolut empfehlenswert.Leider sieht man auf der Matte den Dreck sehr gut. Damit meine ich nicht den Staub vom Fußboden, das hält sich sogar echt in Grenzen. Aber auf der Übungsseite sind mittlerweile viele helle Stellen zu sehen, die vermutlich aus einer Mischung aus Haut- und Stoffpartikeln bestehen. Müsste/könnte ich mich nochmal entscheiden, würde ich zwar die gleiche Matte nochmal kaufen, aber vermutlich in Grün, in der Hoffnung, dass man den Dreck dort nicht so sieht.Ansonsten vermisse ich angesichts des hohen Preises eine Tragetasche/Trageriemen oder zumindest einen Gurt, der die Matte im gerollten Zustand zusammenhält.Jade was highly recommended to me by my yoga teacher. This mat arrived dust covered and did not lay flat when unrolled. It was on special offer, perhaps the end of the line, so I am prepared to work with it. I do not think that things at a reduced price should be a reduced quality. It is not Jade's fault, instead the problem of the supplier. Otherwise I would highly recommend.I love it. In fact, several members of my regular class are jealous and looking forward to their next birthday or anniversary treat! Even my yoga instructor is considering buying one. The smell is quite strong but I'm not letting that hold me back; it isn't a bad smell - just a bit strong. In fact, I've had it about 3 weeks or so now and it is fading nicely.It grips so well straight away. I always take a pretty wide stance in warriors and am used to my back foot slipping slightly and have to re-adjust my stance. That is not a problem at all with this mat. It has also improved my chaturanga as when I am tired, I can go too low and slip along a bit before moving into up-dog. No way can I do that with this mat as my top doesn't want to slide and 'the girls' might come out!It was expensive - and I hovered over the 'buy' button for ages. I do not regret it at all and would totally recommend it. Best yoga purchase I have ever made.One question to the company- why does it come in such a huge box? That's not very eco-friendly!A very expensive mat, that has surprisingly good feedback. Be warned if you sweat during your workout this Mat does not have the traction you would expect from the description or the price. Cost me £10.55 in postage to return, following a workout session doing an impression of Bambi on ice. Was apparently very blessed to receive a full refund, because "I wouldn't be able to return a car tyre!". Errrrr okay!