Eco-Friendly Gaiam Jute Yoga Mat - Non-Slip, Extra Thick & Durable for Hot Yoga, Meditation & Home Workouts - Perfect for Beginners & Professionals

Santa's gonna put this Gaiam Jute Yoga Mat under the tree.Long story short: This is an incredible yoga mat; just enough thickness to separate you from the ground, with a tactile surface of wee flat dots on one side, a grippy grassy "jute" surface on the other, both adding a little something to your practice. I've worn out two in less than 10 years, necessitating buying a third - not because of poor quality, but because I've practiced hundreds and hundreds of times! Like when you run a lot and realize your shoes feel as though they've gotten a flat tire and need replacement...My Grandma taught me the importance of yoga when I was four years old. I've dabbled here and there over the years even though I was never particularly bendy. A horrendous accident while working as a firefighter/paramedic in 2009 left me broken with TBI & PTSD, orthopedic injuries head-to-toe, severe bilateral Tinnitus, Vertigo & double vision, etc. All of this curtailed my yoga practice and limited it to sitting in a chair or only standing poses.After neurosurgery in 2019 to decompress the greater and lesser occipital nerves eliminated my Vertigo and the double-vision was gone, I decided to hit the mat again. I heard Diamond Dallas Page on 98 Rock talking about moving through scar tissue and attended his DDP Yoga local workshop that same weekend. I was back, Baby! I did his program for months, alternating with the Kathy Smith Yoga Sculpt DVD (that replaced my New Yoga VHS tape from 1994) and felt empowered.2020 locked us all down and my physical therapies came to a screeching halt along with the rest of the world. I found the Bryan Kest Power Yoga DVD I purchased in 2010 with the hope that I could return to firefighting, that had sat collecting dust due to my injuries, patiently waiting for me. It became my therapy for several years and I had to replace the Gaiam Jute Yoga Mat during this time. The word of the year for me in 2020 was EQUANIMITY. Once you find it, you realize the power you have to always get back to it with a single breath.Last year, I searched for something different and found Seane Corn The Yoga of Awakening: Mind-Body Flow. Ohm....... BriteVibe has a video interview with her online that's worth watching again and again.My mind gets distracted like everyone else's and I struggle with the unbidden thoughts of PTSD and impulsivity from TBI, but I am able to work through all the noise, static, chaos and Tinnitus that's set up shop in me coconut and is here to stay. Yoga is the great equalizer and it all starts with the breath. I've had numerous setbacks over the years, some significant, but I have not panicked even when my brain screams at me to do so. I remain calm and take a breath and everything follows after that - it's incredible.You don't have to be "good" at yoga, that's why it's always called practice. if you're breathing and remaining calm, you're doing it and will reap beneficial results. All you have to do is TRY. My PTSD was triggered a few months ago while walking my dog and a car veered toward us. I stopped the progression of thoughts and awful images that flooded my brain just by taking a breath and remaining equanimous. My mind can stop a freight train!So, back to this Gaiam Jute Yoga Mat: it's just good stuff. Depending on my mood and level of distraction, I may flip it to the flat dot nubby side or the jute side if I find I need to feel the texture as I move through the poses. I clean it after every practice and let it air dry before rolling it up and storing it. Lately, I can feel the mat stretching between my hands and feet during Down Dog, so I know it's time to replace it again. I highly recommend this mat and hope you find great stories that bring you joy and peace during your practice. Namaste.