There are so many great options for fitness and movement clothing on the market—but which are best to wear to your yoga class?
In this article, we run through some tips to help you choose yoga outfits that feel good, look good, and support your moving meditation.
6 Tips On How To Choose Your Yoga Outfit
Ultimately, what you wear to yoga depends on what you want to wear, combined with what best supports your moving meditation and yoga practice.
The traditional yoga clothing worn in Asia is very different from what we wear in the West—both in modern times and historically.
Culture and yoga philosophy both play a part in the different approaches to yoga clothing in the East and the West.
In the East, it is culturally common for people to cover their bodies with loose-fitting clothing that conceals the skin. In the East, bare skin is coveted as sacred and private.
In contrast in the West, it is more culturally common to wear form-fitting clothing that may or may not cover bare skin. Little importance is given to the privacy of the body, and to whom it is visibly accessible to.
In the East, yoga still holds a very strong connection to its authentic roots and purpose as a spiritual practice used to attain enlightenment. Whereas during the adoption of yoga in the West, it was often sold as an exercise for fitness in its early days—which still continues in gyms and fitness centres across the West today.
Yoga is now an internationally loved spiritual practice, which has led to yoga clothing becoming a multi-billion dollar industry.¹ In 2022, the yoga clothing market was estimated to be worth almost 26 billion dollars.
However, there are some key differences to note between traditional yoga clothing more often worn in the East, compared to the yoga clothing more commonly adopted in the West.
In the East, you’ll notice that loose-fitting cotton clothing that covers the entire body—often full-length harem trousers and jumpers or tunics—are worn.
These options provide full coverage to the silhouette of the body, whilst still allowing for unrestricted movement to take place.
Whereas in the West, yoga apparel is somewhat of a fashion statement with a variety of options available, many of them more in keeping with general fitness and athleisure wear.
It is way more common in the West to find people practising yoga in form-fitting leggings or shorts, with sports bras. Gym clothing still allows for unrestricted movement, but pays little attention to the privacy of the body.
Here are some of the key considerations to make when choosing the right yoga clothes for you…
1. Breathable Clothing That Doesn’t Restrict Movement Or Breathing
The most important consideration is your comfort and ability to move and breathe without restriction.
You need to wear clothes that don’t require any effort or thought when you’re moving through your yoga poses, and that allow you to breathe deeply and fully with ease.
You might choose lightweight oversized cotton clothing or form-fitting but stretchy gym and athleisure wear—whatever it is, it must be comfortable, flexible and made of breathable fabric.
2. Make Sure You Aren’t Self-Conscious
It is so important to not only be physically comfortable in your yoga wear—but to be mentally and emotionally comfortable too.
If you’re worried about how you look or feel self-conscious about your clothing in any way, this is going to disturb your ability to relax and meditate.
You want to ensure that you are not giving any unnecessary attention or thoughts to your clothing, because if you are, they are hindering your moving meditation as opposed to supporting it.
Unfortunately, the trendiest yoga clothes are not always the most practical. Yes, your yoga attire might look cute, but if you don’t feel cute and aren’t mentally or emotionally comfortable—your outfit simply isn’t the right choice for your practice.
3. Test The Clothing Before Buying Multiples
It’s easy to get caught out. You see something you like and end up buying multiples before trying them in situ, only to realise you don’t really like them—and it was a waste of money… We’ve all been there.
If you see something you like, buy one, and use it within your yoga practice before buying multiples. This allows you to test how you really feel on the mat in your outfit.
For example, some people really like practising in lightweight harem trousers. Whereas, I personally find that although they do allow for unrestricted movement, they can also be quite distracting, and hard to get a grip for certain balancing poses like vrikshasana (tree pose).
I previously bought some yoga leggings, that looked really great in the picture. They were capri length and the bottom half of the leg had strappy bottoms which were fixed into bows—really aesthetic and great for yoga photo shoots.
But when it came to yoga practice, not only were they a pain to put on and take off—because they required unnecessary effort. But they were also distracting during my class because I had straps flying all over the shop.
I had bought 4 pairs in different colours before trying them and realising they weren’t what I needed or wanted…
4. Go Barefoot
Yoga is traditionally practised barefoot, so you don’t need to wear socks during yoga class, and there is no need to worry about footwear or trainers.
It is recommended to practice barefoot for a number of reasons…
You have considerably more grip against your yoga mat when you are barefoot in comparison to wearing socks, so it helps you to be more stable in postures and prevents you from slipping.
You also have a better range of movement barefoot than in trainers, which also helps to enhance your postures.
There are often sequences of movement required in yoga, which can be quite challenging with the restriction of shoes because they can slow you down and limit your movement.
Practising barefoot also helps you to build a connection to your yoga mat and the earth, by removing a layer of physical and energetic material between you.
Depending on where you’re practising, it can sometimes become cold during shavasana (corpse pose), in which case it can be recommended to put socks on during the relaxation phase to keep warm.
5. Dress For The Room Temperature
Your clothes need to provide comfort so that you’re able to relax and meditate—so it’s important to consider the environment that you’ll be practising in, the temperature of the space, and the style of yoga that you’re practising.
If you’re practising in a warmer climate, you might feel most comfortable in yoga shorts and a yoga bra, or perhaps lightweight thin cotton harem trousers and a vest top so that you feel well-ventilated.
Whereas if you’re practising in a colder climate you might need to layer up to keep warm—but in such a way that you can adjust during your yoga practice as you begin to build heat in the middle of your practice.
For example, when it’s a bit colder you might layer up with a jumper (or cardigan) and remove it mid-practice.
I prefer cardigans and kaftans because they can be quicker to remove and put on again, which means minimal disruption to my yoga session.
Different yoga styles also can require different yoga outfits. For example, yin yoga and restorative yoga are a lot slower paced than vinyasa yoga, so you might find yourself feeling colder in your yin yoga classes—and therefore require more layers.
Similarly, a blanket for shavasana can be really handy if you know you’ll feel a chill during the relaxation phase of your yoga class.
6. Pick The Correct Sports Or Yoga Bra
Although yoga isn’t a high-impact exercise or sport like jogging or netball, having the correct yoga bra and support can make a huge difference to your practice and yoga postures—especially when it comes to inversions such as sarvangasana (shoulderstand) and shirshasana (headstand).
If you want to learn more about women-centred yoga, then check out my article here.
Different Yoga Clothing Options For Your Yoga Classes
- Sports Bra / Yoga Bra
- Crop Top
- Vest Top
- T-Shirt
- Jumper
- Cardigan
- Shorts
- Leggings
- Lightweight harem trousers
- Skorts (skirt shorts)
- Yoga Socks (for shavasana only)
Conclusion
Ultimately, what you wear in your yoga class will be unique to your preferences, but above all comfort, easy movement and flexibility in your yoga outfit of choice are key.
If you want to learn more about the best yoga props to use during your yoga class, then check out my article here.
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