Night Bear Yoga Mat (4.5mm)
I bought this yoga mat from Scoria back in April of 2020, when my world had completely shut down. My union had been offering free weekly yoga sessions in Vancouver, but switched to an online format when we went into lockdown. I was not really into yoga before, but since I had a lot of time on my hands and it suddenly became very convenient, I decided to give it a go. My old mat had been chewed up by my late rabbit, Saskatoon, and it stunk like chemicals, so I decided to invest in a new one. I wanted one that was non-toxic and preferably made of renewable materials. I soon saw an ad for Scoria on Instagram, which seemed to fit the bill. I chose a design by a local artist and enjoyed the free shipping.
Cost: $129 + tax
My cost: $115.13 (with covid coupon)
The Goods:
- 100% natural cork & natural rubber
- Plastic-free packaging
- Non-toxic, made without chemicals (including inks)
- Naturally anti-microbial
- Water-based eco adhesive for binding
- Cotton carrying strap
Manufactured in: China
Company Base: Toronto, Ontario
Established in: 2017
Overall Impression
I absolutely love this mat. I am not a massive yogi, but over the years I have done hundreds of hours (tracked on my Garmin!) on this mat and it’s still in great condition. There is a bit of discolouration where my sweaty hands tend to go, but I look forward to using it for many years to come. I like it so much, I actually bought my boyfriend his own so that he could do yoga with me. Now he only uses it for stretching after a run. Oh well. The cotton carrying strap doubles as a yoga strap, which has gotten a ton of use.
When I purchased my mat, I had an option of different thicknesses, but that doesn’t appear possible any more with this mat. I purchased the thick version and am happy with that decision. The $129 price hasn’t gone up in 3 years, which is very nice considering the rate of inflation. I would definitely recommend buying a mat from Scoria if you don’t mind the weight of a cork and rubber mat.
wanderingfawn 