Anna Walner, Kristina Matisic
What to Look For
Comfort
The most important thing to look for is comfort; without it your yoga experience will not be an enjoyable one. Your body will need to move and stretch into some difficult and unusual positions, so you want to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible during your yoga practice. Any piece of clothing digging into your body will minimize your experience. So watch out for embroidered stitching or logos that may irritate your skin; and check the seams for flat lock stitching as opposed to the lumpier serge stitching.
Ease Of Movement
You want to have full range of motion for yoga. You don’t want clothes that are too tight or too loose causing them to bunch up. A fitted yoga top is key so it doesn’t slip over your head when you’re bending over.
Fabric
Look for yoga clothing with lycra or spandex so that it is stretchy but will also stay where it’s supposed to; the higher the percentage the better. Fabrics that wick away sweat are also a plus, especially in Bickram’s where you’re practicing yoga in a heated studio. Most popular brands have their own registered name for this wicking technology (examples, CoolMax, Dri-Fit). . However, you may want to stay away from fabrics that are too slippery as it may be difficult to hold some poses. Finally, check that pants have a crotch gusset for better breathability.
Durability
During yoga practice you’ll be doing a lot of stretching, sitting and even rolling on the floor so you’ll want your clothing to hold up well. It’s hard to know before you buy, but you should get a sense from the feel of the fabric as to its quality and if it will hold its shape. You should avoid tops with plastic extenders on the straps, not only could they be uncomfortable when you’re lying on your back, but if they break the garments are useless.
Coverage
Trying on the clothes is a good idea. Of course camisoles and tanks may show a little extra skin, you want to make sure they fit well enough and aren’t showing off anything that may be better kept a secret. So, give them a try and strike a pose to see if they stay in place. And if you happen to be well endowed, look for a camisole top with a built-in bra for support.
What's Out There
As stylish as yoga clothes have become, when you’re actually using them for yoga you don’t want to have to think about them. The clothes should be like an extension of your skin and should be able to function that way while you’re practicing.
Available in bright colours and the traditional blacks and grays there’s really no limit to what’s out there. Full pants, cropped or three-quarter; tops come in tanks, camisoles, sport bras, layered T’s – it’s all a matter of personal taste and perhaps the time of year too, depending on the climate. The name of the game is comfort.
In addition to the yoga clothing that you wear for practice, there is a growing trend towards yoga inspired street clothing suitable for wearing to and from the studio or whenever. Things like velour and cashmere tracksuits, fitted hoodies and sweats are all the rage.
Most athletic clothing manufacturers have developed yoga lines to keep up with this very popular trend. You can find stylish yoga wear created by many well known labels such as: lululemon, Danskin, Heavenly Bodies, Old Navy, Nike, Fila, and Juicy Couture to name just a few.
Our Tests
For assistance with our test we asked a yoga instructor that practically lives in her yoga clothes regardless if she’s teaching or not. She knows what she likes and so do we. So, we all wore our test outfits for several weeks – everywhere, including yoga class, of course.
Old Navy
Spandex Content: Pants, 12% Top, 5%
Cost: Pant $30, Top $15
lululemon
Spandex Content: 14%
Cost: Pant $93 Top $48
Karma
Spandex Content: 12%
Cost: Pant $85, Top $60
Heavenly Bodies
Spandex Content: 20%
Cost: Pant $78, Top $70
Our yoga instructor was most impressed with the Karma clothing. It matched her style the best and she liked the colours available. That being said, after only two months she did have to do a minor fix it job on the elastic inside her camisole. That didn’t score well with us – the elastic should definitely have a longer life. The Old Navy clothes just didn’t seem to fit right, the pants were at that awkward length leaving Kristina feeling like she was wearing floods. And because of a higher cotton content the colour faded. Kristina, after finding the Heavenly Bodies fabric too thick making her uncomfortably hot and the Karma to thin thus emphasizing any imperfections, decided that she liked lululemon the best for its perfect weight. Anna picked the lululemon wear too, but it wasn’t an obvious decision because we both found that the fabric pilled. So although there was no clear front runner, we decided that lululemon offered the best variety in styles and colours – so it gets The Shopping Bags “Aaaauuuummmmm”! Just wash with care.
After You Buy
Care
Because of the nature of the fabrics used for yoga clothing i.e., the spandex, how you wash it will largely determine how well it lasts. You should use a cold water wash, turn the garments inside out to avoid pilling and always hang to dry. Don’t wash your yoga clothing with other rough fabrics like towels because they can break down the fibers when they come into contact in the wash.
Thanks To Our Experts…
Janet Walden is a yoga instructor so she wears this stuff day in and day out, not to mention her experience seeing some of her students wear the wrong thing to yoga class. And Janice Larson works with textiles and she shared her expert advice on the types of fabric used for yoga clothing so we knew what to look for and how to care for it.
Even though the classic technique of yoga dates back more than 5000 years it has recently become a huge trend in physical fitness and general well being. Its purpose is manifested in personal freedom, health, long life and a heightened self-understanding. Yoga is both physical and mental, comprised of exercise, specific types of breathing and meditation.
Function calls for clothing that is form fitting yet comfortable allowing you enough flexibility for the many postures associated with yoga. However, yoga inspired clothing has also become a new fashion trend. It isn’t just being worn in the yoga studio; it looks great and is so comfy that people are wearing it everywhere. We decided to wear it ourselves primarily for our yoga practice to compare fit, function, quality and, of course, price. Style was a complete bonus albeit an important one.