Where Lululemon Aligns Fall Short — The Curvy Girl Yoga Pant Dilemma
The pilling, the rolling down, the yanking up — are there any good yoga pants for us?
I don’t know about you, but when I spend money on a pair of yoga pants, I expect them to fit like a second skin. I shouldn’t have to pull them up every few minutes, and I shouldn’t have to worry about pilling after just a few wears.
Unfortunately, that’s a tall order for middle and plus size yoga clothing.
Instead of crafting yoga clothes for our curvy proportions, they often cut, paste, and enlarge the smaller sizes to fit us. Sounds good on paper, but it sacrifices quality and functionality in the real world.
This is my experience with Lululemon Align yoga bottoms as a curvy woman who just wants to do yoga without having to adjust her pants a hundred times.
The Problem With Lululemon Aligns
As a curvy woman, I have had a lot of trouble finding yoga pants that feel comfortable and stay put while I’m doing yoga. With all the buzz about Lululemon Aligns, I was excited to try them.
Since they are supposedly yoga leggings, they should be ideal for yoga, right?
Well…not exactly.
When they weren’t rolling down at the waist, they slowly crept down my hips until they got saggy in the crotch and butt. It was unflattering and uncomfortable, but it also limited my mobility during yoga.
I liked the feel and the fit of the Lululemon Aligns as long as I wasn’t doing anything remotely physical, so I tried the next size down to make sure they weren’t just too big, but they mostly had the same issues.
The Align shorts sized down have the best fit and staying power of the Aligns for me, but I’m not always in the mood to wear shorts during yoga.
Overall, the Align bottoms don’t work for my yoga sessions because they‘re just not cut for my body shape and size.
They fall short in areas that I would expect them to excel in for a premium self-proclaimed yoga pant.
What I Expect From Yoga Pants, And Breakdown of Where Aligns Fall Short
Comfort — I want soft, breathable yoga pants that move with me and feel like a second skin. Lululemon Aligns deliver with the initial comfort and overall quality, but the comfort didn’t hold up during yoga.
Flattering — I want to look and feel great in yoga pants that I spend big money on. Aligns look and feel great until they start to sag after a few minutes of walking or yoga. The thinner material means the lighter colors accentuate cellulite, which not everyone is comfortable showing.
No rolling down when bending over — For yoga, waistbands rolling down is just not functional. The Aligns roll down almost every time I bend over, which is a lot during yoga. That means I’m constantly having to adjust the waistband.
No inching down with movement — I should be able to go for a 15 minute walk or do a 30 minute yoga session without having to pull my pants up. Aligns take every slight movement as an invitation to inch down on my hips, creating a very unflattering sag.
Quality — They should hold up well in the wash and shouldn’t pill between the thighs or in the back. The fabric used for the Lululemon Align pants doesn’t hold up well to thigh rub, and it pills after a few wears. That’s really disappointing for an $80 pair of pants.
My Search for the Ideal Yoga Pant
After trying several sizes and styles of the Lululemon Align pants, I failed to find something that met all of my criteria. I decided to branch out to find my go-to yoga pant, but I wasn’t ready to give up on Lululemon just yet.
Next, I tried the Lululemon Wunder Train Tights, which are a higher compression legging than the Aligns. They’re flattering and they stay in place admirably, so they beat the Aligns for me in terms of functionality. I didn’t have to pull them up every few minutes or adjust the waistband during yoga, but they weren’t as soft and breathable as I wanted. I’ll wear them, but they’re not the dream solution I’d hoped for.
I found that super high rise, medium compression, and an adjustable waistband are important features for me as a curvier person, but these options aren’t always available in yoga bottoms.
Lately, I’ve been wearing a Target brand high waisted cotton/spandex blend legging for yoga. They’re not perfect, but they are much better at staying in place, they’re breathable, they don’t pill, and they are a lot less expensive than Lululemon.
Final Thoughts
The Lululemon Align yoga pant may not be ideal for curvier girls who want to practice yoga in them. They’re fine for lounging, but between the rolling down and the pilling, they’re difficult to justify as yoga pants.
There are a lot of yoga clothing brands I haven’t tried, and once I recover from the Lululemon splurge, I plan to resume the hunt for the perfect yoga legging.
Next on my list are Athleta and Girlfriend Collective. Watch for my upcoming reviews of their yoga pants!
What are your favorite yoga pants?
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