Most janamaz are bought on the pattern. The pattern is the part that matters least. Here is what actually determines whether a mat is still good in five years.
Pile density
Press your thumb into the pile and let go. On a dense mat it springs back and you cannot easily see the backing. On a thin one your thumb reaches the base and the mark stays.
Density decides comfort on a hard floor and it decides wear. The high points of the pattern — where the forehead and hands land — take almost all the abrasion, and a thin pile goes shiny there within a year.
Woven or printed
A woven pattern goes all the way through the pile. A printed one sits on the surface. Printed mats are lighter and cheaper and perfectly reasonable for travel, but the print wears off exactly where you use it most.
For a mat that stays at home, buy woven.
Backing
Turn it over. A woven cotton or jute backing will lie flat and breathe. A rubberised or latex backing grips a smooth floor well but hardens and cracks with age, and it cannot be aired properly.
Edges
Look at the binding. A bound edge, stitched down, will hold. A cut-and-serged edge frays, and once it starts it runs. This is the single most common failure point on an otherwise good mat.
Size
110 by 70 centimetres suits most adults — long enough that the forehead lands on mat rather than floor, narrow enough to fold small. Taller people want 120.
Travel mats
Different requirements entirely. You want thin, light, and a pouch. A travel mat without a pouch stays in the drawer. Do not expect padding; it is there so you have clean ground, not comfort.
Care
Shake it out and air it rather than washing it. Washing a dense pile mat compacts it and it never quite recovers. Spot clean with cool water and dry flat, out of the sun — direct sunlight fades the dyes faster than use does.
Materials
Cotton pile on a cotton warp is the straightforward choice: breathable, washable at a push, and no animal-derived fibres.
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