Liforme vs. Manduka Yoga Mat Review | Is the Manduka PRO, GRP or Liforme your BEST YOGA MAT?
/The Liforme vs the Manduka yoga mat? Is the Manduka PRO, Manduka GRP or Liforme YOUR BEST YOGA MAT? This review compares the pros and cons of the Liforme mat and compares it against the Manduka PRO and GRP series of mats.
Especially if you're a fan of hot yoga - you'll want to keep watching! Bonus: I also compare it against the lululemon mat. Get your 10% discount off any Manduka Europe product with my code below.
No time to watch this 11-minute video? Use the timestamps below to get to the part you’re looking for, or read the transcript below!
PRODUCT LINKS:
○ Liforme yoga mat: https://geni.us/tCklJ
○ Liforme mini yoga mat pad: https://geni.us/aFIK
○ Manduka PRO yoga mat: https://bit.ly/2R6ghEx
○ Manduka PROlite yoga mat: https://bit.ly/336iDJa
○ Manduka GRP Lite mat: https://bit.ly/2JUykNy
○ Manduka GRP Adapt mat: https://bit.ly/39N8g24
MANDUKA EU DISCOUNT CODE:
Use my promo code "ENLIGHTENEDSPOON" for a 10% discount when checking out at https://eu.manduka.com
PS. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something I'll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
WATCH NEXT:
○ Manduka PRO vs. PROlite vs. eKO Superlite Yoga Mats: https://youtu.be/BagD_ayAhbY
○ Manduka GRP Adapt vs. GRP Lite Review: https://youtu.be/rozaY6vxVso
○ Manduka eQua Yoga Mat Towel Review: https://youtu.be/KZ4xlLZQBnY
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
02:00 My Yoga Background
02:44 Liforme Pro: Grippy + Dense
03:01 Liforme Pro: No Towel Needed
03:13 Liforme Pro: Alignment Lines
03:25 Liforme Pro: Carry Bag
03:51 Liforme Pro: Compact
03:57 Liforme Pro: Biodegradable
04:14 Liforme Con: Needs Airing Between Sessions
04:25 Liforme Con: Not Long-Lasting
05:11 Liforme Con: Only Rolls Up One Way
06:09 Liforme Con: Heavy
06:20 Liforme vs. Manduka
07:19 Liforme vs. Manduka PRO
08:40 Liforme vs. Manduka GRP
10:56 Liforme vs. lululemon
11:17 Manduka EU Discount
11:23 What’s Next?
TRANSCRIPT:
Hi, and welcome back to my channel. In this video, I’m gonna compare the Liforme yoga mat against the Manduka yoga mats - that’s both the Manduka PRO and GRP mats to help you decide which yoga mat might be best for you.
If we haven’t met yet, Hi! I’m Jaime Tan at Enlightened Spoon. On this channel you’ll get yoga and meditation practices and tools just like today’s, and other times you’ll get nutrition, fitness and lifestyle tips... So hit that Like button and consider subscribing if you want more like this.
Don’t worry - this channel is NOT turning into a yoga mat review channel - I just really believe that when you have a solid yoga mat, your practice can become so much more focused and distraction-free. And isn’t that what this channel is about? Feeding your mind, body, soul so you can stress less, yet accomplish more.
Full Disclosure:
Now in full disclosure, I got the Liforme mat at a discount and the Manduka GRP Lite and Adapt mats for free - but it wasn’t for the purposes of this video. I’m actually working with Manduka on a completely different project. I bought the Manduka PRO and PROlite mats with my own money and have had them for probably well over a decade now. So nobody’s paying me to say this, these are my honest opinions. I’ll put all the product links in the description below, including any discount codes I have. I make a small commission on any qualifying purchase you make at no extra cost to you. So do use my product links as it simply allows me to continue making these hopefully helpful videos for you.
PRODUCT LINKS:
○ Liforme yoga mat: https://geni.us/tCklJ
○ Liforme mini yoga mat pad: https://geni.us/aFIK
○ Manduka PRO yoga mat: https://bit.ly/2R6ghEx
○ Manduka PROlite yoga mat: https://bit.ly/336iDJa
○ Manduka GRP Lite mat: https://bit.ly/2JUykNy
○ Manduka GRP Adapt mat: https://bit.ly/39N8g24
MANDUKA EU DISCOUNT CODE:
Use my promo code "ENLIGHTENEDSPOON" for a 10% discount when checking out at https://eu.manduka.com
PS. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something I'll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Manduka PRO + GRP Reviews
I won’t be going into the details of the Manduka PRO and GRP mats coz if you want an in-depth review of the Manduka PRO and PROlite mats, watch this previous video I made. And if you want the in-depth review of the Manduka GRP Adapt and GRP Lite mats, watch this previous video I made.
After making those two videos, I got loads of questions on how these Manduka mats compare against the Liforme and even the Lululemon mats, so today, I’ll do a little comparison.
My Yoga Background
Before we get into that, it might help to also let you know that I’ve been practising yoga for more than 20 years now, and teaching since 2008, so I’ve tried and tested lots of different mats across different yoga studios around the world - I currently teach in a hot yoga studio - with classes ranging from more dynamic vinyasa core power to yin and yoga nidra - more quiet, reflective and restorative styles. All of which require different things from your yoga mat.
Let’s briefly touch on some of the Liforme Pros and Cons, before we get into the comparisons with the Mandukas. If you’re here purely for the comparison and don’t wanna hear about the Liforme pros and cons - use the timestamps in the description below to jump ahead to the comparison.
Liforme Pros:
1. Grippy + Dense
I love the grip of the Liforme. It’s solid, grippy and has a great feel to it. The Liforme mat is firm and dense, so you feel really supported in any standing and balancing poses, without any wobbling.
2. No Need Towel
The Liforme absorbs moisture - very similar to the GRP mats, so you don’t need a yoga mat towel, and you still won’t slip and slide even when you get sweaty in a hot yoga room.
3. Alignment Lines
I like the alignment lines it’s got - some might find this distracting, but if you’re just starting out - it might be helpful to know where to place your hands and feet in various poses from down-dog to Warrior.
4. Comes With a Mat Bag
It comes with its own carry bag! I mean - you could argue that it also comes at a premium price… at the time of making this video, the Liforme is €135, compared with the most expensive Manduka PRO mat at €110, that’s a €25 price difference so I guess that saves you from spending more money on a carry bag or mat strap when you get the Liforme.
5. Compact When Rolled Up
It’s nice and compact when rolled up, which makes it handy for traveling and putting it in a suitcase.
6. Biodegradable
It’s biodegradable and apparently breaks down within 1 - 5 years in landfill. Some would call this a pro - but I kinda feel like that’s a con coz you not only keep filling up the landfills, you have to keep buying a yoga mat every 1 - 5 years.
Liforme Cons:
Some of the other cons are:
1. Needs Airing Between Sessions
Because of its highly absorbent nature, you need to air it out between sessions, especially if you want to enhance this mat’s life span.
2. Not Long-Lasting
Because the materials used are eco-friendly and biodegradable in 1 - 5 years, it’s not long-lasting. Even though I’ve only had the regular yoga mat for only a month, I’ve actually had the smaller mat pad for well over a year. This little mat pad probably needs its own review and if you want me to review the mat pad, let me know in the comments below. It’s marketed as something you can use for extra support under the knees, but I actually use it as a handstand mat - for the days when I do handstand practice at the gym and don’t want to lug a huge yoga mat around with me. It’s basically a mini-me version of the regular yoga mat.
So I’ve had this little guy for well over a year now, and you can see along the edges how some of the top surface is already starting to bubble up.
3. Can Only Be Rolled Up One Way
OK. This might be a weird con that’s specific only to me… but if you’ve seen my other yoga mat reviews, you’ll know that hygiene and me are a thing.
I like folding my mat in half before I roll it up - simply so that the underside of the mat - where the floor’s been, doesn’t touch the top part of the mat, where I practice on. Folding it in half before rolling it ensures that the underside where the floor’s been only touches the underside.
This doesn’t really work with the Liforme, as you need to roll it up with the top side on the outside, according to the instructions. I tried folding the Liforme in half before rolling it, and I’ve already made a little bubbling happen in the middle here. So I won’t be doing that again.
So unfortunately, where the icky floor’s been is gonna be touching the top side of the mat. And if you’re doing this at the end of a sweaty practice when the mat’s wet - touching where the floor’s been. That’s gross.
Like I said, maybe it’s just me and I’m just overthinking this, but it’s a con for me.
4. Heavy
It is kinda heavy, about 2.5 kilograms, that’s still lighter than the Manduka PRO mat, but heavier than the PROlite, and all the other GRP mats.
Now that we’ve got the Liforme pros and cons out of the way, make sure you also watch my in-depth reviews on the Manduka PRO and Manduka GRP series pros and cons, so you know all the ins and outs of these mats.
Now we can really get into comparing the Liforme versus the Manduka. And hey if you’re getting value out of this video so far - hit that like button and subscribe to my channel for more yoga and meditation videos to help you stress less yet accomplish more. And do let me know in the comments below what you’re thinking of the Liforme so far?
Liforme or Manduka?
So when you ask “Liforme or Manduka?” you actually need to be more specific.
At the time of making this video, Liforme only makes one type of yoga mat. Even if the colours and patterns might be different, the materials used are the same: it’s the same natural rubber base, with eco polyurethane top surface. Manduka on the other hand makes a variety of mats from different materials, for different purposes.
So when you ask “Liforme or Manduka?” You need to also specify if it’s the Manduka PRO, GRP or eKO series of mats. You can really geek out on this stuff like I have.
Liforme vs. Manduka PRO
Since the Manduka PRO mats are the OG ‘original gangster’ Manduka mats, that’s usually the mat people refer to when making a comparison. However, that’s kinda like comparing apples to oranges, coz they’re quite different mats. Go watch my previous review of the PRO and PROlite mats, but very briefly - the PRO mats don’t absorb moisture so if you sweat a lot or practice hot yoga, you’ll slip and slide if you don’t also have a yoga mat towel to absorb all that sweat. It might be more fiddly with a towel, but it’s also more hygienic.
Where the Liforme and Manduka PRO mats are similar are in their density - they both feel really stable, without any wobbling on a squishy surface when it comes to standing and balancing poses.
The Liforme is thinner than both the PRO and PROlite mats, so it’s not as comfy when it comes to Yin or more restorative styles of yoga, or even when you place your knees on the floor - I guess that’s why they made the mini-me yoga pad version too. You could also flip the edges of your mat over for more support when you need it.
Liforme vs. Manduka GRP
When comparing the Liforme with the Manduka, it’s actually a more fair comparison with the GRP series - since these were made for hot yoga and absorb moisture too. This is more like comparing apples to apples.
The GRP Adapt is slightly thicker with more bounce to it, so you’ll find a bit more comfort and cushioning in Yin or restorative yoga styles when compared to the Liforme - but… it’s noisy. It squeaks. I talk a lot about it in my GRP series review. The Adapt isn’t my favourite mat - I talk about why in that review - so the Liforme is gonna be my choice over the Adapt.
However, when it comes the GRP Lite - this is where the competition heats up. While the GRP Lite is grippy even when it’s not wet - the Liforme is just slightly grippier. It’s also slightly longer - it’s the same length as the PRO mat, so if you’re taller, that could be a consideration.
I really like both the GRP Lite and the Liforme and it’s a hard decision. If you were to put a gun to my head - I might like the Liforme just a little more… the grip, the feel - it feels solid and premium… but considering the mini-me mat pad is already bubbling at the surface edges after only one year, and the yoga mat surface is creased already from me folding it in half just once - I’m not so sure about spending such a huge amount of money on a mat that is only gonna last like what 1 - 5 years?
At the time of making this video the GRP Lite is €90 compared to the Liforme’s cheapest version at €135 - granted it comes with a bag at that price… it’s one of those decisions of what’s more important to you: grip? Durability? More landfill? More biodegradable?
Personally, I like buying one good thing that’s going to last me a long time. I also like my yoga mat to be low-maintenance and easy to clean… there’s just something about the Liforme and GRP mats absorbing sweat and germs that makes me feel a bit uneasy. So I still like the good old PRO or PROlite mats with a mat towel over them for a hot and sweaty practice. The maintenance is just really low.
Liforme vs. lululemon?
Oh - I’ve also practiced on the lululemon mat and it feels really similar to the Liforme but - they scuff really easily and don’t stand the test of time and that’s important to me. So while I haven’t had in-depth experience with those mats - my first impressions of the lulu mats were enough for me to say “no thank you”.
Ready to make that purchase? Check out all the product links including discount codes below. I make a small commission with any qualifying purchase at no extra cost to you.
Check out my other reviews of the Manduka PRO and Manduka GRP series mats here!
Let me know in the comments below what you think and smash like, subscribe and see you in the next one!
PRODUCT LINKS:
○ Liforme yoga mat: https://geni.us/tCklJ
○ Liforme mini yoga mat pad: https://geni.us/aFIK
○ Manduka PRO yoga mat: https://bit.ly/2R6ghEx
○ Manduka PROlite yoga mat: https://bit.ly/336iDJa
○ Manduka GRP Lite mat: https://bit.ly/2JUykNy
○ Manduka GRP Adapt mat: https://bit.ly/39N8g24
MANDUKA EU DISCOUNT CODE:
Use my promo code "ENLIGHTENEDSPOON" for a 10% discount when checking out at https://eu.manduka.com
PS. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something I'll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
