Rubber Yoga Mat "BOX STUDY" a Jhane Barnes custom design

Jhane's Take on the Rubber Yoga Mat

(which I mostly use as an exercise mat)

The printing on this mat is amazing. It’s one of my favorite printed items here.

The surface is a microfiber suede, and the color came out perfectly — rich, accurate, and deeply satisfying to look at. When I’m doing push-ups or floor work, I often find myself mesmerized by the pattern, which is not a bad thing at all.

As a printed object, it’s excellent.

As a yoga mat, it’s a little more complicated.

The bottom is natural rubber and non-slip, but the suede surface makes it slightly harder to stay put in poses like downward dog. It’s also on the thinner side — about 0.12” thick — so I don’t use it on its own.

What I do instead is layer it on top of my very thick, oversized Manduka square mat. That big mat lives on the floor permanently for aerobics, and I like having a clean, beautiful mat to put down for floor work. In that setup, this mat is perfect.

It’s also a bit heavy to carry to a yoga class, so for me this is very much an at-home mat, not a grab-and-go studio mat.

The size is good — 24” × 70” — and it works beautifully for stretching, strength work, and anything done close to the floor. I’d describe it as best for exercise and floor work rather than traditional yoga flow.

Which brings me to the name.

Calling this a yoga mat isn’t wrong — but it’s not the most accurate description of how it really shines. It’s an exercise mat with a suede surface and exceptional printing, and once you approach it that way, it makes complete sense.

It’s one of those cases where the object is right — it’s just asking to be described more truthfully.