Retrospec Solana 1 inch Yoga Mat

Helpful for Home Exercise. I am a severely out of shape middle aged woman; not terribly overweight but no muscle or flexibility or stamina at all. I would like to be a little bit more in shape, so I’ve started an exercise app. It’s designed for exercises done lying on a bed (did I mention how bad a shape I’m in?) but I think a slightly firmer surface works a little bit better. However I can get severe pain kneeling or lying even on carpet so I wanted the thickest mat I could find.This mat is lovely. I wouldn’t sleep on it, though I could have used it under sleeping bags on hotel room floors in my younger group-room SF con days, but I can kneel and sit on it comfortably enough. I’m 5’7″ and it’s plenty long even with a pillow on the end. That pillow is needed not only for comfort but also because I store the mat rolled up and the end is always fairly strongly curled if no weight is on it. The sage color is restful. There’s no notable smell. The textured underside grips the bedroom carpet quite well, so the mat doesn’t shift around under me. However, my “exercises” are so far mostly a few minutes lying on my back doing crunches and leg and arm lifts, no complicated yoga poses, so I can’t say how well it would do for more vigorous people. The top surface is smooth and I presume won’t be hard to clean when necessary, but provides plenty of friction to allow stable planting of feet or forearms. My current cats don’t bother it, though I’d caution those with younger feistier felines to beware of leaving it in scratching reach.The included elastic strap is adequate, though I’d hesitate to use it for a lot of hauling around as it feels somewhat flimsy and probably is going to stretch out before too long. But for just rolling the mat up to prop in a bedroom corner, it’s perfectly fine.

I love this mat. I had never bought a yoga mat before but I knew I wanted something really plush. This mat is AWESOME. It is super plush and feels great to stand on. It supports my back well and makes exercising pain free. It has ribbing along the bottom which keeps it from sliding on my hardwood floor.I would have liked if it came with a strap or something to secure it when I wind it up to put it away, but the thickness actually does help and it doesn’t immediately unwind and stays in position until I pull it back out.

Very soft and comfortable. This is thick enough to be quite comfortable. It does not slide around and it’s a very nice mat. The only problem I have with it is it smells like a rotten carcass when you open it at first, but if you let it air out outdoors for a day it is fine.

As good as advertised. I was doing my yoga-like exercise on a regular yoga mat (thin) , on my carpet, and some cardio too (on the mat doubled up). Not very practical. Mat moving, knees, writs, etc aching…and I found this Solana mat!Thickness: It is a bit less than one inch now, but I have been using it all summer and maybe it compressed (?). But it feels as good as on day one. Cushy while stable enough to do cardio without falling off. It absorbs shock and sound. Size: It is very long, I wish it could be a little wider, but I knew the width when I bought it. Real estate: To put it away is tricky, especially if you have hand issues: I roll it up fairly loosely and stand it up on its side and I shove it in a tight space of my walk-in closet. It takes a lot of space but rolling it up tight like the advert shows is too much of a struggle (think putting an octopus in a cooler?) + I tried to use the strap they provide and I did not like the marks it left on the mat. But you could not have it tightly rolled without a strap. The smell? I was afraid it would smell: nope. And for that price, I think it is one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time. It’s holding up and delivering exactly what I needed + it’s pretty attractive, what else can I ask for?

Good cushion for knees. Bought it for my husband who has arthritis in knees . He loves it. Gives good cushion and support to the knees.. hard to roll after we are done with yoga as it is bulky. But that’s not a big deal

Great quality and cushioning. Needed good firm cushioning to do floor exercises (not yoga) on a hard tile floor. Thickness and density of mat are perfect so I can get up and down with bad knees and comfortably do exercises. Length also good. Easy to roll out and back up, done each session due to limited space. Love it!!

Nice Yoga mat. This is 1 inch thick, very comfortable and good quality. Our flooring is on hard cement slab and even with carpeting is tough on knees. This provides nice, firm (but not hard) cushioning that is great for all my New Years exercises. I highly recommend and I love the color! 🙂

Great Thickness Floor Mat. This mat is thicker than most yoga mats, but it’s great for me because of my back surgeries. It’s much more comfortable than the thinner mats. I’m enjoying it. It’s also great as a floor sleeping mat for a quick, easy and comfortable overnight bed or cushion under a sleeping bag when camping.