I thought I was pretty impressive when several years ago I bought a Manduka yoga mat. They're known as the "Cadillac of yoga mats," and I paid over $100 for mine. It's thick, and springy, and I would probably have to drive over it with my car several times to even hope to damage it. That said, it weighs a ton, is extra long because I'm tall and ordered it extra long, and because of those things, it can be a bit of a PITA. So, I also have a lighter weight mat that I use on the fly. But: They both slip when I do yoga.
Apparently, that's why a super intense entrepreneur named Cedric Yau created -- wait for it: The BallerYoga mat. It's made of leather, it looks like a football that got turned into a yoga mat, and it will run you $1,000. According to Yau, he had an epiphany on a "5-Star yoga retreat in Bali," which led him to believe that an alternative was needed to all those yoga mats made out of synthetics and rubber. How gauche! Obviously, what the world needs is a leather yoga mat. And here it is. If you're cheap, the least expensive one will cost you $495.
Is this a leather yoga mat or a football? You decide. (Image credit: BallerYoga)
So why did Yau make a leather yoga mat?
"There is more to the leather construction of an NFL football than tradition. The pebbled surface combined with a proprietary tanning process allow footballs to be thrown at 600 RPM and caught."
In other words: It won't slip. Plus! More guys are doing yoga now, including professional football players. And maybe some men who are fans of professional football players are doing yoga, as well.
While I commend Yau's ingenuity -- there's something really, well, ballsy about a guy who wakes up one morning and decides: What the world needs now is a 100% all-natural cowhide, pebble grain NFL leather yoga mat made at the same tannery as Wilson NFL footballs! -- I predict there could be some problems in the embracing of this product. It seems like a terrifically niche market: men who like football ... and do yoga ... and are willing to spend $495 to $1,000 on a yoga mat. Also, I shudder to think of the reactions one might get if one showed up with a leather yoga mat to yoga class, let alone one that looked like a giant, squashed football. Yoga is the antithesis of competition. Some yoga people don't like meat-eater people. A football-themed yoga mat could look a bit out of place. But maybe this is the perfect yoga mat for Spencer Strasmore on "Ballers."
Or maybe I just need to try a leather yoga mat myself. Now I just have to find the $1,000 to spend on it. Then I could be a YogaBaller, too.
