Beyond Yoga vs Lululemon: Spacedye vs Nulu for Yoga and Everyday Wear

Buy the Lululemon Align if you want the lightest possible feel and will keep it for the mat; buy Beyond Yoga's Spacedye if you want similar softness in a legging that survives everyday wear, or need a size above 20.

Both are high-rise, low-compression leggings sold on softness, and both are premium-priced. The difference is the fibre: Lululemon's Nulu is a nylon knit, Beyond Yoga's Spacedye a polyester one, and that one choice explains most of how they feel, wear and age.

Both pants went through our best yoga pants guide, where each got at least six classes and three wash cycles, and we quote those findings here with links. Fabric content, sizes and care come from Beyond Yoga's and Lululemon's own pages, read on September 28, 2026, including Beyond Yoga's Caught in the Midi page and its size chart; we haven't run a new side-by-side test for this page.

Spacedye and Nulu side by side

Fabric: nylon against polyester

Nylon and Lycra is the classic "naked feeling" blend: smooth, cool to the touch and very stretchy. Lululemon describes Nulu as buttery-soft and weightless, sweat-wicking and breathable, with added Lycra for stretch and shape retention. The 19% Lycra is a high share, which is part of why the Align moves with you so freely.

Spacedye is a polyester and elastane knit. The name comes from space-dyed yarn, dyed in varying tones along its length, which gives the fabric its heathered look and the "unique texture" Beyond Yoga mentions. Beyond Yoga lists it as moisture-wicking with UV protection and four-way stretch.

Our yoga pants guide puts the general trade-off simply: brushed nylon and spandex is the softest and lightest, and polyester blends last longer and are often more opaque. Spacedye is the rare polyester that gets close to nylon softness, which is why it is the Align's closest premium rival. The activewear fabric chart has the wider comparison.

How they feel, from our testing

On the Align, our yoga pants guide found that "Nulu is thin, brushed and cool, and it stretches with no sense of resistance. That matters most in yin, where you hold poses for minutes: nothing digs in, nothing binds behind the knee, and the flat waistband sits well above the navel without rolling."

On the Spacedye, the same guide found it "soft and slightly heavier than Nulu, with light compression you notice in standing poses and forget in seated ones", and that "the five-inch waistband sits at the natural waist and did not move in wheel, headstand or a long twisting sequence." Our thick-thighs leggings guide went further on the waistband: the Spacedye "had the most roll-proof waistband we tested."

If the lightest possible feel is what you are buying, the Align wins. If you want a little more hold and a waistband that stays exactly where you put it, the Spacedye does.

Pilling and durability: the real difference

This is the reason to choose one over the other.

Nulu pills. Our yoga pants guide: "Nulu pills on rough surfaces, under a backpack strap, or anywhere else with friction. Kept for the mat, it lasts; worn as everyday leggings, it won't." In our Gymshark vs Lululemon comparison, "the Lululemon Align showed minor inner-thigh pilling after about six weeks of heavy use."

Spacedye resists it much better. From the same yoga pants guide: "Our pair still looks new after a full summer, including a few sessions on rough grass in the park that would have marked an Align." The thick-thighs guide found Spacedye "very soft but more hard-wearing than similarly soft fabrics such as Lululemon's Nulu."

Lululemon itself positions the Align for yoga and low-impact training, not for everything. If one pair has to cover yoga, dog walks and errands, our testing points to the Spacedye; our yoga pants vs leggings guide picks it as the hybrid for that reason.

Opacity and sweat

Both did well in our forward-fold checks, with different caveats.

For the Align: "Black, navy and the darker earth tones passed the forward-fold check. The lightest colors are borderline in direct sun, so stay with mid and dark tones if that worries you."

For the Spacedye: "Opacity is excellent even in the heathered mid-tones, but the heather shows sweat patches in hot yoga." If most of your practice is heated, that makes the Align, or a darker solid colour, the better choice. Our hot yoga clothing guide covers what else works in a heated room.

Size ranges and fit

Lululemon sizes women's clothing 0 to 20, and the Align runs true to size in our guides.

Beyond Yoga's size chart runs XXS (US 0) to XXL (US 20 to 22), and then 1X to 4X, with 4X covering a 52 to 56-inch waist and a 61 to 65-inch hip. Not every colour comes in every size: on Beyond Yoga's own site, the Caught in the Midi was offered to 4X in black and to XXL or 2X in some other colours when we checked. Our yoga pants guide found it fits generously, "so consider sizing down if you are between sizes", and our plus-size activewear guide makes Beyond Yoga its premium pick above 1X.

On length, Beyond Yoga's chart puts its full-length leggings at 30 inches, midi at 28, capri at 25; Beyond Yoga says the midi hits above the ankle on its 5 ft 7 model. Lululemon offers the Align in more inseams, including 25 and 28 inches, which suits shorter and taller buyers better. Our petite and tall yoga pants guides go into length in detail.

Care

Beyond Yoga says machine wash cold on a gentle cycle and tumble dry low. Lululemon says machine wash cold and tumble dry low, with no bleach, ironing or dry cleaning. For both, washing inside out, skipping fabric softener and air drying will slow pilling and keep the stretch longer; how to wash leggings explains why.

Buying them, and what Amazon has

Neither brand sells on Amazon directly. In our check of who sells 30 brands on Amazon, most Beyond Yoga listings came from Shopbop, Zappos and 6pm, which are Amazon-owned retailers selling under their own names, and every Lululemon listing came from a reseller. A repeat search on September 28, 2026 found the same pattern for the Caught in the Midi: Shopbop, Zappos, 6pm and a smaller retailer. Their returns follow the retailer's policy, not the brand's, so the buttons on this page open a search and you can pick the seller.

If you would rather buy from a brand's own Amazon storefront, the CRZ YOGA Butterluxe is the Align alternative from our Lululemon dupes guide: CRZ YOGA lists it at 81% polyamide and 19% Lycra, the same blend as Nulu, and it is sold by CRZ YOGA itself. It is an Align alternative, not a Spacedye one: in our testing its waistband loosened after a year of weekly wear.

Which to buy

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Beyond Yoga as soft as Lululemon Align?

Very nearly. In our testing the Spacedye felt soft and slightly heavier than Nulu, with a little more compression; the Align remains the lightest and softest legging we have worn.

Does Beyond Yoga pill like Lululemon?

Much less, in our testing. Our Spacedye pair still looked new after a summer that included practice on rough grass, while Nulu pills with friction and our Align showed inner-thigh pilling after about six weeks of heavy use.

Does Beyond Yoga run big or small?

Generous, in our testing, so consider sizing down if you are between sizes. Lululemon's Align runs true to size.

What is Spacedye fabric made of?

Beyond Yoga lists Spacedye as 87% polyester and 13% elastane. Lululemon's Nulu is 81% nylon and 19% Lycra elastane.

Our pick

If you buy one soft premium legging to wear everywhere, buy the Beyond Yoga Spacedye Caught in the Midi, in the size down if you are between two. If you want the lightest feel on the mat and will treat it gently, the Lululemon Align is still the one to beat. And if you want the Align feel from a brand that sells on Amazon itself, the CRZ YOGA Butterluxe is where to start.

Availability changes; check Amazon for current details. As an Amazon Associate, FlexWearLab earns from qualifying purchases.