Liforme vs Manduka, Which should you choose ?
Dear my friends, I hope you find this review helpful but if you have any other questions please do so in the comments section below.
In the last few months I have been spending increasing amounts of time practising yoga (as you may have noticed here at VYM it’s pretty much a staple of our lives). And so my dear mat is bearing the consequences. But bearing it well it is. A few scuff marks here and there; when a ‘floating’ foot back has become more of a dragging foot who knows where, and a ‘mindfully rooted’ hand has quickly become a gripping for dear life kind of hand. But you know, other than that it’s stood the test of its owner well. Which leaves me wondering what’s the big deal with all these all singing all dancing versions? Mine was an affordable £17 from Yogamatters and does all that I need, at least I thought it did until I began reading more into what else was out there. Below is a yoga mat review of what I found.
Manduka Yoga mat
The Manduka yoga mat, packaged as ‘chosen first by yoga teachers worldwide,’ sells its self to the eco warrior in us all. It’s not only committed to ensuring every material used is eco friendly and sustainably sourced, but also promotes a community ethos, inviting people to join their community where they promote non-profit yoga charities, such as yoga gangsters, and share their experiences of giving back to communities via programs like Heal the Bay. They also allow people to share their yoga experiences and become ambassadors of the Manduka mat. This all results in a feeling that not only are you investing in an earth friendly product but also being invited to join a group of like minded souls who all just want to share, give and do yoga. To use, well it definitely has that good quality feel, and as I move to Chaturanga there are certainly no whiffs of plastic, (something I hadn’t noticed with my current mat until now). It holds me well too, not too much slippage with the hands in downward dog but I think I will still need to keep my chalk to hand. A main minus point for me in terms of this yoga mat review is it’s durability; although it claims to be life time lasting mat it just feels exactly as strong as my £15 yogamatters mat, which granted still has a lot of life in it, but I’m just not sure how the Manduka offers more…
Liforme Yoga mat
Next for the yoga mat review, Liforme. Now this really claims its worth, titling it’s self as ‘the revolutionary mat.’ I have to say I was impressed with it’s story, 5 years development time and the brainchild of yogi who was on a quest to create the perfect mat. But is it worth the hefty price tag. Well, it definitely ticks a lot of boxes. Firstly it, (like the Manduka yoga mat) claims to be eco friendly, but unlike the Manduka, this isn’t it’s primary selling point. In fact it almost suggests that being eco friendly was just an easy, might as well, given it does everything else kind of after thought. The main selling point which really makes it stand out from the crowd is its design; you have the alignment lines to help you really perfect that warrior pose, and then of course the general size of it, being wider and longer than your average mat. But for me what really caught my eye was the ‘grip for me’ material. I’m one of those that slip and slide all over the place in downward dog and so consequently my chalk has become essential, but to have a mat that does it all for you, well that would be handy. After having had a go on this mat, it’s grippyness is pretty amazing I have to say and it’s no wonder given I’ve been told it works the same way as tennis racket handle material by getting even more resistant when in contact with sweat. Who knew a mat could get so technical. It’s a lovely design and the alignment lines are definitely a bonus, plus it really does feel like a mat that would last a life time. But I guess it could feel like too much of a barrier between yourself and the floor if you like the oh natural feeling; plus the price tag is (…swallow…) heavy.
All in all both it’s definitely a close yoga mat review…they are clearly good products; The Liforme seems a yoga mat for those of us who love to know we have the best technology money can buy. Whereas The Manduka yoga mat seems more of an earth mothers choice, full of eco love with a hefty sprinkling of quality and performance thrown in too. For me, I feel if your going to fork out you might as well get something that guarantees to give you an experience worth paying and so its got to be the Liforme; but for now I’m going to stick to the mat i’ve got, secretly hoping someone with deep pockets and love for me will read this blog
Namaste
Nathalie, VYM x
Manduka Yoga mat is the best yoga mat to chose for yoga practice.
1 Like
I've tried both mats and Liforme to me has a better non slip affect, after using it several of times of course. It just works as a better quality mat in my opinion.
You need to ask people who have tried both mats, checking online reviews can get so overwhelming!! Trust me, I've been there haha!
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Thanks very much for your sharing
Haha. Tks very much for your sharing. I'll JessikaYoga right now. haha