Is This the Manliest Yoga Mat Ever?

It smells like NFL-grade Horween leather — because it is.

By The Editors
September 20, 2016 9:00 am

The next time you do Downward Dog, why not do it on a piece of pro pigskin?

It’s super tacky. It smells good. It wicks sweat.

Those are the value propositions presented by the Baller Yoga leather mat, made from the same Horween “Tanned in Tack” leather that’s been used to make the NFL’s footballs for decades.

The pebble-grain leather used in the mats — which is obviously not actually pigskin — is made in the U.S., and Baller says it smells great right off the bat and improves with age and usage. “Nothing beats the grip and control of leather,” according to the company. “Every baller knows this. And now ballers are tackling yoga.”

Downside: at  $500 to $1,000 a pop, we’re talking about some pretty pricey sun-salutationing. And while leather’s material properties may be a good fit for yoga, are the laces, dimples and aggressively macho name really necessary? The mat seems to suggest something along the lines of “The man on this mat may be doing yoga, but he’s doing it on a football — so don’t you go thinking he’s a wimp or anything!”

Here’s an idea: Do what you want. Wear what you dig. And if that involves hot yoga on a $12 pink mat, well, so be it.

The only thing that can define a man is himself.

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