On to the green mats...

The new eco mats that are coming out are pretty much made out of rubber - Mary sent me some great information about them. Thanks Mary!

Rubber, being tapped from trees (as is maple syrup) is a natural material that turns to dust in the landfill. I just got my new one, a Harmony mat, from matsmatsmats.com http://www.matsmatsmats.com/yoga/yoga-mat-fusion.html

Their Fusion mat is 5/16" thick and 8 pounds. I bought the Pro mat which is only 3/16" thick and about 5 pounds. I may regret it in the long run...don't know yet. They both come in 68" or 74" lengths.

We both remember the "carpet pad" mats and how they ate up your feet. This commercial rubber mat does NOT--at least not to my experience so far. It feels much much cushier than the carpet padding too.

The cons of rubber are listed on the website:

This mat should not be left outside in the sun, since natural rubber is very sensitive to direct sunlight - the material can dry out, harden and lose its grip.

Natural rubber always has a "rubber" odor that will diminish over time [never completely in my experience-you have to get used to it]

People with latex allergies should avoid natural rubber.

I can attest to the first caveat -- the summer of "108 days of yoga" when I came to class virtually every day, I left my mat in my car much of the time. And yes, it started to slide all over the floor at practice. I deep-sixed it out of frustration! With my new one I must remember NOT to do that. But I loved the deep red color (Sedona red) of my new one and bought it as much for that as the "green" aspect. We'll see...