A London-based company has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a cork yoga mat that it says provides much greater water-resistance and grip than a traditional rubber or PVC mat.
The Surya Namaskar Cork Yoga Mat is the company’s first product and a crowdfunding page is now live on Kickstarter with an initial target of £15,000.
Yoga grew rapidly in popularity last year as national Covid-19 lockdowns prevented people from attending gyms and studios.
A report by ClassPass* found that yoga was the top digital at-home workout of the year, with a 25% increase in practice during 2020.
An initial prototype of the Surya Namaskar Cork Yoga Mat won rave reviews, with a soft launch in November 2020 selling all 500 units.
The crowdfunding push is intended to raise enough money to begin mass production by October 2021, with the product available on the open market by December.
The key benefit of the Surya Namaskar Cork Yoga Mat, which measures 185cm by 68cm and weighs just 2.8kg, is its superior grip.
This is down to the anti-slip nature of cork and the fact it is “hydrophobic”, ensuring it repels water and on a microscopic level prevents soaking.
Cork is also an incredibly durable and elastic material that creates a comfortable and long-lasting yoga mat, and thanks to some of the same forces behind grip facilitation, the material is easy to clean and resists mold or water damage.
These qualities make the mat particularly suitable for yogis who practice hot yoga and often find themselves slipping on the sweat.
The cork yoga mat has secured a number of positive reviews from early customers on Trustpilot.
One reviewer said: “This is a fantastic mat! I usually slip in my downward facing dogs when I use most mats, but this beautiful cork mat is as good as the ‘leading’ mats that I’ve used (that are very expensive!) when it comes to grip.
“Would highly recommend it to those who care about the environment, supporting local businesses as well as top quality performance.”
The link to the Surya Namaskar Cork Yoga Mat Kickstarter campaign can be found here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1969660309/surya-namaskar-cork-yoga-mat/description
More information about the product can be found here: https://snyogi.com/
