We initially found Metta Mats throughout final winter’s Moovment Fest. Metta Mats have been a fellow sponsor of the occasion, and their commitment to neighborhood was nearly as striking as their yoga mat styles. We wanted to understand more about the Metta Mats brand.
Metta Mats was founded by David Whitehurst and Jonathan Walker (but his close friends contact him Jonny) – two highschool close friends from Roanoke, Virginia.
After graduating from Virginia Tech, David and Jonny launched Metta Mats in 2015.
Jonny shares how it all started: “We both noticed there were no art-adorned mats with great surfaces for yoga. David’s passion for product development and my passion for yoga came together to create a yoga mat that was as beautiful as it was functional.”
Read on to understand more about this brand, and the yoga mats they are placing out into the globe!
We Review Metta Mats
With more than 5 years of production, Metta Mats claim to have perfected their craft. According to their web-site, “Metta Mats are the result of years of experimenting. We spent years perfecting a unique surface made of safe materials to protect the artwork we put on our mats and provide grip and support for all types of yoga.”
With a claim like this, we had to practice on these mats for ourselves!
What Makes Metta Mat’s Yoga Mats Unique?
Handmade in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the initially focus-grabbing aspect of what tends to make Metta Mats stand out from the crowd. In addition to becoming created by hand in the US, these mats are ethically and sustainably created – two points that we appear for in any item that we critique.
According to their web-site, Metta Mats believes in “sweat-shop free production. We purchase our production materials from companies with a good record of ethically sourced materials and we make each mat – as well as our other products – with our own hands in Philadelphia in a light-hearted and safe work environment.”
They use a exceptional 3-layer technique for every single mat that starts with a cushy 3mm base of one hundred% all-natural tree rubber (which is renewable and recyclable). The middle layer is the HD no-fade artwork style, protected by the major layer which Metta Mats calls their “metta surface” that multitasks to seal the artwork and give you a strong grip for your practice.
Grip Is Key for Any Yoga Mat – So How Did Metta Mats Stack Up?
Grip is a important query for any yoga mat you think about investing in. The grip surface of any mat created by Metta Mats is surely a uniquely distinctive really feel from any other yoga mat we’ve reviewed.
Mat surface stats: it is waterproof, grippy and sturdy, but soft to the touch. Think sticky mat-level grip but with a more textured really feel. These mats do not demand a break-in period like numerous other people do, and are grippy ideal out of the packaging. We also noticed that the mats turn out to be a bit softer and grippier with continued use. So that is a win-win.
Think sticky mat-level grip but with a more textured really feel.
The mats are made to keep grip wet or dry, so no matter whether you are cold or sweaty, the grip remains constant.
In truth, our testers identified that as soon as your hands are a bit sweaty, the mat grips even superior. (However, our testers sweat a lot throughout hot yoga and advise maintaining a towel on hand if you are a hot yoga practitioner that tends to sweat excessively also.)
Artist focus
Since Metta Mats is identified for their artist focus, we had to see one particular for ourselves, so we tested out the Calibri style (which suggests hummingbird in Spanish) by Martina Hoffman from Metta Mat’s Artist Series collection.
We’ve tested out other yoga mat brands that collaborate with artists, but have historically observed this on microfiber or towel-infused mats. And given that microfiber mats work most effective for hot yoga especially, we have been content to see a more versatile mat material becoming utilized for artist prints.
Art uplifts and inspires us. To be in a position to practice on such lovely artwork is a genuine treat, and pulls that inspiration onto the mat and into our practice. The sophisticated hummingbird artwork became our drishti and meditative gaze, and we cherished our time practicing on the Calibri mat.
Pros of the Artist Series Mats
No PVCs, toxic supplies, or harsh chemical compounds are utilized in the production of these yoga mats. Metta Mats is committed to recycling each and every utilized element probable, and we worth their dedication to sustainability.
We have been impressed to come across how beautifully detailed and higher high quality the print appears on the mat (a lot more detailed and larger high quality than art transfers on microfiber mats by comparison). Up close, every single wisp and colour swirl is completely transmuted onto the mat for a final item that really appears like a work of art.
Metta Mats utilizes dye sublimation printing. Each mat’s surface is applied by hand and the final step is curing them in sunlight which in turn creates the grippy really feel we described earlier. We believed this approach was exciting adequate to share!
The vivid information of the artwork is unparalleled. Any art lovers out there will enjoy these mats, which make them a fantastic present concept.
However, the most significant pro is arguably the giveback system that Metta Mats has developed for the artists they function. 25% of each and every artist series mat sold goes back to the independent artists whose artwork is featured on the mat. You can even shop by artist. Metta Mats believes in supporting art and totally free expression, and we assistance that! 🙂
Cons of the Artist Series Mats
Since we compared the Artist Series by Metta Mats to microfiber artist-made mats that we’ve reviewed in the previous, a con for Metta Mats is that it can not be machine washed like microfiber mats can. Metta Mats ought to be hand washed with vinegar or other all-natural household merchandise (stay away from necessary oils) and air-dried.
And just as not each and every yoga discipline is for everybody, each and every artist is not for everybody either. Some practitioners may possibly choose specific styles more than other people (if that is you, you are in luck mainly because Metta Mats has a huge variety of artists and styles to select from in this series – 121 to be precise!).
In that identical vein, other people may possibly choose to skip the art completely in pursuit of one thing more functionality-focused. For these practitioners, we’d advise checking out Metta Mat’s Alignment Mat series. With a beautiful slew of colour combinations and even a classic black for the ultimate minimalists, there’s an alignment mat to meet everyone’s requirements.
Pssst! The Alignment Mat was also featured in our 2021 Holiday Gift Guide
Image: Metta Mats Alignment Mat
Final Details to Know About Metta Mat’s Yoga Mat
Who is a Metta Mat excellent for? We’ll break it down by category: Artist Series and Alignment Series. The Artist Series mats are excellent for art lovers and seasoned practitioners who want a sturdy, lengthy-lasting mat that is a joy to appear at and practice on. These mats are priced at $120.
The Alignment Series mats are best for newbie practitioners, these who want to focus on their alignment, and also yoga instructors seeking for a high quality teaching mat that is excellent for demonstrating poses on. These mats are priced at $108.
(Fun truth: Metta Mats primarily based the gold and turquoise Alignment Mat on YogiApproved founder Ashton August’s preferred colors!)
Boring but vital:
- Mat dimensions: 72” lengthy 26.25” wide 3.5 mm thick
- Weight: 5lbs
- Waterproof and UV proof
Metta Mats: Our Final Takeaway
We enjoy the exceptional artistic prints from the Metta Mats Artist Series line, along with their ongoing assistance of the artists with their giveback system. We also appreciate the wide range of style selections to select from. The Alignment Series mats are an successful, valuable, and accessible guide to obtaining appropriate alignment in any pose.
Yet a yoga mat is only as excellent as its efficiency, and Metta Mats passed with flying colors in that division also. Most importantly, we respect Metta Mats’ commitment to ethical, regional production and sustainability.
For these motives, this mat is one hundred% YogiApproved™. If you want to understand more about this brand, you can check out Metta Mats here.
Metta Mats is at present supplying 20% off sitewide utilizing code: HOLIDAYS2021.
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Full-disclosure: brands may possibly compensate us for the production of evaluations like this one particular. However, if a item does not live up to our requirements, we will not critique or market it. This is our sincere opinion of the item.
