BallerYoga is bringing a bit of the gridiron to the yoga studio – though it’ll cost you.

The Santa Monica company last month kicked off its line of high-price leather yoga mats, which it claims are the first to be made with full-grain leather. The firm, which launched in April, is in talks with five retailers to carry the mats, including San Francisco e-commerce site Touch of Modern. They are also available online.

BallerYoga’s founder, Cedric Yau, said he wanted to create a mat with better grip and took inspiration from a football, which is designed for all types of weather.

“One of the biggest problems with mats is they get slippery either dry or wet,” said Yau. “I was looking at different materials – rubbers, hemp, bamboo – and said, Hey, a football yoga mat would be fun.”

The mats, which come in either natural sand color or red, feature stitching that resembles a football when rolled up. Prices range from $795 to $1,250.

The mats are manufactured in downtown, but the leather is sourced from a tannery in Chicago that’s also used by Wilson Sporting Goods for its National Football League balls. A piece of the raw leather costs up to $250, said Yau, which accounts for the product’s hefty price tag. However, the company is working to introduce a lower-price line in the future.

Yau, who owns analytics firm Linebacker Data, formerly Yow Time, said he is self-funding the company. He hopes to expand the business through custom branding for high-end spas and resorts.

– Subrina Hudson