Gaiam New Yoga Beginner's Kit, Purple

I've been using this for my daily yoga and workouts, and it's *amazing*. (Definitely recommend anyone who buys this give it a light wash first, either with a damp washcloth or Gaiam's mat cleaner, or you'll just stick to it and that'll just interrupt your workout and your zen.) It's a very comfortable mat, and the color is great - goes well with my room.

Whether you are new to yoga or not, this kit would be helpful to EVERYONE! For the price, you can't beat it. The mat, block, strap, and DVD are all excellent quality and I'm just really impressed with the entire purchase. Not to mention the shipping was SO FAST. Happy Customer!

Since I already own this, I also know that, this is the gift for anyone looking to begin practicing yoga.  Instead of trying to explain, you can just purchase this as a gift and have them "go at it".  They will be so pleased ad love you for your thoughtfulness.

Loved everything except the video, which is circa 1990. The everyday yoga segment was so fast and just not like any of the yoga classes that I've taken over the past couple months. Wish it would have been more up to date and was an actual class that was videotaped, similar to other workout videos that I've purchased.

This kit was what I needed to get started with yoga. It was so much easier than looking around for each item individually. The only drawback is that the mat was thinner than I would have liked. My next one will be thicker. It was still a great purchase.

I've used the mat in both regular and hot yoga classes and it performs well.  I have yet to need/use the block, strap or DVD so I can't speak to the quality of those.  2 reasons for 4 stars: #1 - the mat is a bit thin and some poses are more painful on my knees than I would like.  I'm wondering if, as a beginner, I should've gone for a thicker mat and #2 - the mat tends to move around on the floor so I sometimes end up misaligned with the rest of the class which is distracting and annoying.  Perhaps this is partly me not being very fluid in the transitions between poses yet but also could be that the mat doesn't grip on the floor very well either. Overall, for the quality of the mat and everything that comes in the set, it's a very good value for someone who's starting out.

I've been practicing yoga for over 10 years. I bought this kit to replace my original mat and for the strap and block (it will be nice to have my own instead of borrowing). The block and strap are perfect! I had to wash and air dry, outside, the mat for 7 days to minimize the rubber odor. I also found the mat to be thinner than average mats, or at least, my previous mat. I know mat thickness is a personal preference but I would not recommend this mat for those of us who prefer a softer practice with a thicker barrier against the hard floor.

These yoga mats are good for a beginning yoga class...only for a short time use. We purchased the mats for the use at our YMCA yoga classes. The mats were not the quality we had expected but perhaps we did not do enough research before buying them. The blocks & straps are okay since not everyone finds the need to use them in their practice.

The colors and design are beautiful. The mat has a slippery protective coating, so when my hands sweat they slip. This happened on the last Gaiam mat I bought, so I looked it up online and someone suggested washing it with soap and water and voila, it worked. They should put this on the instructions in or on the box. The block is also a little smaller than the standard block you see in a yoga studio. This was a little disappointing because it is slightly slimmer, which makes it a little less stable when standing it on the side for balance poses.

The set is a great idea, and really helpful with the block and strap, though it may be more helpful with two blocks. I may be different than the average person, but part of the reason I wanted to try GAIAM was my experience with other yoga mats. The description stated it was non-slip, but my hands were slipping the entire time I was using it, even for a pose as simple as downward dog. I would think this set would make yoga for a beginner harder. The thinness of the mat is also not great, but I am understanding the different sizes more so that is on me for not being initially aware. Overall, not really pleased with this purchase or product.