A London company is looking to capitalise on the lockdown boom in yoga after launching a crowdfunding campaign for a yoga mat made from non-slip and ultra-durable cork.
Surya Namaskar Cork Yoga Mat is looking to raise £15,000 through Kickstarter in order to allow for mass production later this year.
Yoga has seen a spike in interest during lockdown as national Covid-19 lockdowns stopped people from going to gyms and studios.
One report, from ClassPass*, ranked yoga as the top digital at-home workout of the year, with a 25% jump in practice during 2020.
An initial prototype of the Surya Namaskar Cork Yoga Mat has achieved rave reviews, and a soft launch in November 2020 sold all 500 units.
It’s hoped the crowdfunding campaign will raise enough money to begin mass production by October 2021, with the product reaching the open market by December.
A key feature of the Surya Namaskar Cork Yoga Mat, which measures 185cm by 68cm and weighs only 2.8kg, is its superior grip.
This is attributed to the anti-slip nature of cork and its “hydrophobic” quality, meaning it repels water and prevents soaking on a microscopic level.
Cork is also renowned as an extremely durable and elastic material that results in a comfortable and long-lasting mat, and due to some of the forces behind grip facilitation, is easy to clean and mold and water resistant.
The mat is therefore especially suitable for yogis who practice hot yoga and find rubber or PVC mats overly slippy due to sweat.
The cork yoga mat has picked up a number of positive reviews from customers on popular reviews website, 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/
