A yoga mat is every yogi’s cherished companion. Without one, we experience discomfort, imbalance, and a significant lack of grounding that can greatly affect practice. A mat is an essential piece that feels like so much more than just ‘equipment’; it’s a friend, comforting and stable, supporting us through our asanas and flows with grace.

Despite there being so many wonderful mats to choose from, we felt there was space out there for something different, and today we want to let you in behind the scenes of how we created our own. 

For some time now, we’ve been wanting to develop a mat with the features we seek in other mats, all in one single piece. We wanted to design a mat that captured the perfect balance between modern innovation and ancient wisdom for a truly transformed practice.

With dedication, time, and passion, we feel we have achieved our goal, and we are so excited for our customers to try it.

Maya Shanti Yoga is proud to introduce our new MÄTi Pro Yoga Mat, a harmonious blend of practicality and spirituality, built with purpose and intention for every type of yoga practice. Let us take this time to tell you all about our new mat and the choices we made along the way.

Unwavering stability

Without its structure and traction, a mat is nothing more than a flimsy floor covering. We needed to consider materials that provide the right stability for every yogi, no matter their experience level, poses, or practice length. 

We chose ethically-sourced natural rubber for its high density to create a mat that wouldn’t compress too much beneath weight, which can lead to sinking or wobbling during use. Unlike foam, which is the typical material used in many yoga mats, rubber holds its shape and benefits from incredible durability to provide the long-lasting support that we know to be essential.

Premium grip

A mat’s capacity to grip cannot be overlooked. We designed this mat with traction, so that users will never find it slipping on the floor or against their body. You deserve to feel at peace during asanas, not worrying about whether your bridge will turn into a sore corpse pose with just a slip of your feet. 

We achieved this traction through natural rubber with a polyurethane upper. Both PU and rubber are very ‘tacky’ materials, gripping the floor and your skin equally well. PU is also micro-porous, meaning it can absorb the slightest amount of moisture, making it ideal for sweaty practices. In fact, PU actually gets grippier as humidity increases. Hot yoga lovers rejoice!

Eco-conscious and sustainable

Making environmentally responsible choices is incredibly important to us. During the development of this mat, we ensured that every decision was eco-conscious, including selecting ethically sourced natural rubber. We designed this mat to be biodegradable and recyclable, too, so if you decide it’s time to move on from it, you can either safely recycle it or dispose of it knowing it won’t sit in landfill.

Comfortable cushioning 

The natural flexibility of natural rubber, combined with its density, offers just the right level of cushioning and shock absorption during yoga practice. As mentioned, its density means the mat won’t sink or compress too deeply, but it also offers the perfect cushioned feel. This, combined with its 4.5mm thickness, ensures no sore hands, feet, or joints during practice without sacrificing stability. It also acts as a protective layer between you and the floor, should you stumble mid-pose.

Enhanced sizing

We decided that this mat should be slightly larger than average for additional practicality and comfort. A larger mat means fewer concerns of hands overlapping the edges and more freedom for you to move through your asanas.

Grounding weight

It was important to us that our MÄTi Pro mat felt grounded during use, a weight that felt secure and connected to the earth. A good weight also ensures the mat doesn’t curl up at the corners, which can be distracting during practice and even pose a tripping hazard. By settling on a strong, heavier-than-average 3KG weight, our resulting mat stays flat and firmly anchored.

Helpful guidelines

From yoga beginners to yoga instructors, the opinion on mat guidelines is overwhelmingly positive. While the minority may claim that guidelines debossed into a mat means some of its visual appeal is lost, we disagree. We believe that guidelines have a beautiful symmetry to them, as well as providing a helpful layout so that you can check your alignment with speed and ease during practice.

Natural shades

The colour of these mats was not a choice taken lightly during the design process. We settled on two lovely, grounding shades: forest green and coal black. We selected these colours due to their connection to nature and earth, key to the spiritual harmony of yoga, and for their gender-neutral quality, as we believe that yoga is for anyone who wishes to practice.

The MÄTi Pro Yoga Mat is available now

Are you ready to discover true comfort, stability, and freedom during practice? Our own, in-house designed MÄTi Pro mat is waiting for you. Whether you use the mat in your home, your class, or outdoors, it will bring you nothing but security and strength. We engineered this yoga mat for performance while honouring the importance of sustainability, a value we know our customers share.

We’d love you to try it for yourself - and if you’ve already done so, we’d be so grateful to hear from you with any feedback. You can contact us at hello@mayashantiyoga.com, leave a review on our reviews platform, or get in touch via Instagram and Facebook.

Thanks for reading, and we hope you love it as much as we do.

Carlie and Adi

Maya Shanti Yoga founders