Comprehensive Liforme Yoga Mat Review - Is It Worth It?

You see, that all depends...

It depends on your standards of what you personally want in a yoga mat. 

I’ve been doing all types of yoga for over 15 years and instructing yoga for more than half of that time. I’ve personally tired dozens of different yoga mats and this one comes in at the top for many reasons.

But again, that depends on what you want.

I’ll dive into some of the obvious benefits of this mat, as well as some of the hidden ones as well. If you are on the fence about this mat then I hope this liforme yoga mat review will help you make the decision either way.

Let’s take a quick look at the product...

It has fantastic reviews…

In fact, I’m pretty sure this is the highest rated yoga mat on Amazon. If not, it’s at least in the top 3 by a thin margin.

So why do people, myself included, love this yoga mat? Well there are a number of reasons which we’ll discuss below.

Keep in mind that part of why this mat is so popular has to do with people’s experience with OTHER mats before finding this one.

After you use enough crappy yoga mats then you come up with a short list of things you DON’T want in a yoga mat. Such as…

• Slipping when you sweat
• Slipping when your hands & feet are dry
• Too little room to move around
• Dealing with a rank chemical smell from the mat
• Too much cushion on the mat that affects your balance
• Too little cushion on the mat when you sitting

Fortunately, the Liforme yoga mat addresses all these issues and more...

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The Obvious Benefits

Alignment Markings The Mat

The first thing that probably caught your eye was the lines on the mat.

Liforme yoga mats all have alignment lines on their mats. Some people may not care at first, but after a couple of uses you start to really find them helpful. 

You’ve probably heard alignment cues such as, “Here in Warrior 2, be sure to keep a straight line from your front heel to the middle of that back arch of your foot.” 

Well now you’ll know EXACTLY what they mean and how to line up. 

But it’s not just the fact you know where you are. You now have a measure of where you are going as well...

Helps To Track Progress Too

The AlignForMe system from Liforme has few lines at the front and back of the mat.

This allows you to tell how deep you are in poses like:

• Lunge
• Warrior 2
• Splits
• Pyramid
• Warrior 1
• And many more

You can see in real time if your foot is closer to that first line or the second line just a bit farther away. 

This means you can track your progression in postures to know how deep you are.

It’s pretty cool to have these simple lines on the yoga mat. Personally, I can’t do the splits - yet. However, I know how far I have come because of the alignment lines. 

The Size Of The Liforme Yoga Mat

The size of this mat is 72.8" long x 26.8" wide at 4.5mm thick.

Now that may not be very impressive or a big deal to you, but the standard size for most other yoga mats is only 68” x 24”. 

Now regardless if you’re 6 foot tall or not doesn’t matter. The benefit of having a slightly bigger mat is that you’ll have to move around less. 

How many times have you ever had to reposition yourself on your mat when you’re doing certain poses? This happens to me a lot in shavasana on smaller yoga mats.

Furthermore, it’s not massive. If you play in the NBA and need a large yoga mat then this will be small for you. The point I’m trying to make is that if you’re between 5 foot and 6 foot then this mat’s size is perfect. 

A Downside That Doesn’t Really Matter

So here I am talking about how wonderful the size of this mat is when there is an inherent downside to this. 

Most yoga towels (especially after you wash them) may not cover this mat completely. If you have mild OCD tendencies then it could be quite distracting to have your towel significantly shorter than your mat.

But this may not matter as much as you think…

Most folks use a yoga towel because it helps them to stay griped on the mat better when they start sweating. This is very common in hot yoga classes.

I’ll get into this later, but fortunately you won’t slip on this mat. It’s actually the best mat for hot yoga I have ever found, and I’ve been teaching hot yoga classes for over 6 years. 

So while your towel may look odd with this somewhat bigger mat, ultimately it may not matter because you don’t really need a towel. 

How It Feels

Here’s what happened when I first tried a Liforme mat before an advanced hot yoga class one day…

My fellow teacher friend Crystal has a Liforme and said, “give it a try!”

The second I stepped on the mat I was impressed. The FEEL of my feet on the mat was solid and soothingly stable.

But the real test came later when I was in Downward Facing Dog. I you’ve ever had troubles with your hands slipping in Down Dog then you know what I mean.

Anyways, I was dumping sweat, my hands were anything but dry, and they stayed solid in place and didn’t slip once. 

You just feel safe on this mat. That’s the best way I can describe it. Like you’re lovingly held in place, but are also free to move as you please. 

It Stays Put No Matter the Floor

Some other mats have a different sliding problem…

It has to do with how much the mat slides on the floor. 

I hear a lot of people say, “My yoga mat is good at home on the carpet, but once I take it to a tile or hardwood surface then it starts sliding too much.”

Again, Liforme comes to the rescue. This mat is amazingly stable on any flooring type.

One caveat… I’d stay away from using this mat on dirt or on the beach. The tiny bits of grime can scratch up the surface of your mat which could make it loose some of its tactile and non-slip properties. 

The Hidden Benefits

The Material

Is made of rubber which can be troublesome.

Granted, rubber made from rubber trees is natural and sustainable, but the real problem is that rubber mats often smell like a tire factory.

Thicker Jade and Manduka mats often smell bad for weeks or even months on end. This mat however will lose it’s smell in about a week of use. 

Now that may be a deal breaker for some people, but unless you go with a cotton or TPE yoga mat then you’ll just have to deal with some type of smell for a short amount of time. 

A Quick Word About Yoga Mat Materials

You want to stay away from mats made with PVC.

This mat does not have PVC which is partly why it’s so expensive. PVC is cheap to make and manufacture, but is harmful to the planet and in some cases the human body as well.

Mats you can find at discount stores use this material all the time. If you can’t shell out the hundred-some-odd dollars for a Liforeme mat then at least consider spending $40 or more for a non toxic yoga mat. 

The Best Mat For Hot Yoga

I’ve tried so many different mats in my quest to find a good mat for hot yoga. 

I want to be very clear about something… When you read reviews on Google or Amazon about how a mat, “has good traction and doesn’t slip.” Just don't believe them. 

Here’s my short experience with other yoga mats:

• Cotton yoga mats your hands will slip when they are dry.
• Cheap-o PVC mats get very slippery when wet
• Manduka and Jade mats are okay, but ultimately if you sweat a lot then you’ll need to buy a towel to prevent the slipage
• TPE yoga mats are good for the first 2 months, but then they lose their grip pretty fast.

Liforme are the best yoga mats to use in hot yoga - period. You could be doing yoga underneath a waterfall, inside the amazon, inside of a massive sauna and you won't slip. That’s how good they are.

You Don't Need a Towel

I like to travel light…

I don’t want to keep up with a dozen different yoga towels just to do yoga either. I want to grab my mat and some water and go to class.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been getting ready to teach a large yoga class and a student will inevitably ask me, “Hey do you have an extra towel? I didn’t bring mine and now I’m going to be slipping throughout the whole class.”

If you have a personal preference of using a towel on top of your yoga mat then that’s fine. I know that yoga is a very personal experience and you should do what feels best to keep you as present as possible in your practice. 

That being said, an extra benefit of this mat is that you don’t need a yoga towel. Maybe just a hand towel for a brow wipe here and there. 

How Long It Lasts

Here is the only minor downside to this yoga mat…

If you do intense yoga classes 4-5 times a week then this mat will eventually lose some of its amazing gripping qualities. 

You’ll notice that the places where you put your feet and your hands are the first to go.

However, this does take about 1-2 years to get to this point.

If you only go to yoga 2 times a week, then this mat will last you 4-5 years.

For the die-hard vinyasa goers out there this mat is wonderful. It just kinda sucks to have to buy a new one every 18 months. However, if you’re THAT serious about yoga then you may not mind. 

So Is It Worth The Investment?

This is a, “I’m going to treat myself,” type of yoga mat.

If you have been doing yoga for a while with a junky PVC yoga mat and want something much better then yes, you should buy this mat.

I know I’m biased, but it’s frankly hard NOT to be when this mat checks all the boxes. I love Liforme, they’re just the best. 

I would tell you if a mat sucked…

In my opinion hemp and jute mats kinda suck. Cotton mats are okay, but bad for hot yoga and don’t provide enough padding. Jade and Manduka mats are really good, but this one is just a tiny bit better.

This mat is 100% worth it if you do yoga more than 2 times a week. 

If you only do yoga once or twice a week then check out a TPE yoga mat and save yourself some money.