The Bottom Line
Pros
- attractive design helps monitor alignement in exercises
- latex Free
- lightweight, portable
- antimicrobial
Cons
- insufficient padding for rolling exercises
- design might show wear easily
Description
- 24"x72"x1/4"
- Available in green with a white tree-like design
- $35.00
Guide Review - The Real Alignment Pilates Mat
I am charmed by this mat. I like the color and I love the print design. I think the design was a little stroke of genius on Alycea Ungaro's part. The Real Pilates website suggests that the illustration has specific placeholders for your head, shoulders, navel, hips and feet which doesn't really work because everyone is a different size. But that doesn't matter to me.
What the design does is give reference points for sections of my body. I can tell immediately if my hands or feet are not aligned symmetrically or - and this I know many of you will relate to - my rolling exercises are taking me off slightly center. Now I line myself up with the "tree trunk" and I get immediate visual feedback. Well, I pull to the right and I knew that, but having the visual aid does help me correct it.
Another place I find the design helpful is in side-lying exercises like the leg kick series. It's much easier to line hips and shoulders up along the little balls in the print than to eyeball it or try to line yourself up with the back of the mat when you can't see it.
The print design on the mat has a modern, eastern flair to it. It's a cheerful Pilates mat if I ever saw one. I am concerned, however, that the design could wear off easily. The mat I got came with a flaw in the middle circle where the pattern had rubbed off. Also, do note that though this mat is 1/4 inch thick it is squishy to the point that there is not a lot of padding for spinal articulation exercises such as rolling like a ball or roll over. In my home studio I have a firm rug I put mats like this on, then it's fine, but it won't be good for rolling on hard floors.
The real alignment mat could also be a yoga mat. Certainly the alignment reference aspect of the design would be great for yoga too. It has a squish factor to it that it holds you in place a bit, but it is not a sticky mat. I wouldn't do yoga on it if I planned to sweat a lot or do risky poses, but for many kinds of gentle yoga this mat would be just fine.
At $35.00 this is not the cheapest of mats in it's class as far as roll up Pilates mats go, but the design part makes it special - attractive and functional.
Read: Before You Buy a Pilates Mat
Blog Review: Pilates Body in Motion by Alycea Ungaro
