How to Know What to Wear for Yoga

Yoga is intended to be a meditative, relaxing form of exercise. But dressing for yoga can be intimidating for beginning students. Generally, it is important to wear clothing that is both comfortable and made from breathable fabric (like cotton, bamboo or jersey). It will also help to know what type of yoga class you are attending in order to determine the best outfit.

1 Decide on a class

Check the schedule to find out what type of yoga class you’re attending. Schedules are generally available on yoga studios’ websites or posted at the location. While there are many different styles of yoga, you’ll most likely encounter one of the following.

Take a beginner class in Hatha Yoga or Vinyasa Yoga. Many beginner-level classes will either be Hatha or Vinyasa. Both are focused on coordinating movement with breath. Vinyasa is a little faster-paced and will involve more intense stretching, leg lifting, and inversions. The more advanced these classes, the more they will challenge even a regular yogi.

Try an Ashtanga or Power Yoga class if you want to try a little bit more of an advanced class. These classes involve constant movement between poses, making them slightly more challenging.

Take Iyengar yoga to focus on poses for longer periods of time. Many poses will be held for a long time, giving you a chance to find your balance and appreciate the benefit of the stretch. This form of yoga often calls for props such as blocks, blankets, or straps (which are usually on hand at the studio; you won’t need to bring your own).

Take a richly detoxifying Bikram Yoga or Hot Yoga class. The rooms are heated to approximately 100 degrees (37ºC) in order to induce sweating, which is thought to be cleansing. The heat also encourages relaxing of muscles, which leads to much deeper stretches.

2Choose your top

A good shirt to wear to yoga is one that is form-fitting without being tight or binding. Whatever shirt you chose, try practicing a range of motion in it before you leave the house. This will ensure you can move freely and that you’re not exposing more of your body than you are comfortable with during a certain pose.

Wear a tank top to yoga. Some of the most basic yoga poses involve lots of arm movement. If you don’t have any sleeves, you won’t have to worry about constantly pushing them out of your way and can focus instead on your poses.

Chose one that doesn’t have a plunging neckline and fits your body well—a loose shirt or a low neckline will leave you exposed when you bend or twist into a new position.

Wear a sports bra to a Bikram class. During Bikram or Hot yoga, you will get extremely warm. Women may want to opt for a sports bra in order to stay cool. Sports bras are typically categorized by impact level; a low-impact bra is fine. For men, going shirtless to Bikram is an option.

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