All Yoga Mats Are Equal. Some Yoga Mats Are More Equal Than Others.

Because performing yoga on the hardwood floor in the living room was uncomfortable at best, I bought a yoga mat at Wal-Mart the other day for $9. It seemed fine. It was from what I'd considered a reputable company, Danskin.

Today, I got up to do some yoga on my new mat.

That didn't work so well.

My hands and feet slide really badly on said mat. It makes Down Dog even harder for me, and DD is, inexplicably, one of the hardest poses for me to perform. I'm never quite right in DD--my feet are too wide apart, my hands are never wide apart enough, my butt's too high . . . you get the picture.

And Mr. Slick Mat makes it worse.

So, first: does anyone have a suggestion to make this mat more user-friendly? Should I use baby powder?

Next: lacking a suggestion, should I buy another yoga mat? How much should I spend?