Let’s say you’ve tried wearing your regular exercise clothing to yoga class and they just aren’t working. Why, you might wonder, am I so uncomfortable? Why am I constantly adjusting my clothing? The reason is, that most exercise clothing is designed to be worn in an upright position. In yoga, that is seldom your orientation. Without having to go out and spend a bunch of money on new gear, here are 4 Tips for Fit Checking Your Yoga Clothes you may already own to see if they will work for yoga.
#1: Shirt length:
Make sure your top or shirt is long enough so that when you reach your hands over your head the bottom of your shirt does not expose the top of your pant waistband and also that the bottom opening is snug on your hips. This will keep your shirt from falling over your face in inverted positions.
#2: Necklines:
Make sure the front neckline is on the higher side, both in your tee and in your exercise bra. When you go into a lunge position with your hands on the ground directly under your shoulders, you will see that your arms push your cleavage together and up and the girls can become “dangerously” exposed. I also find a tighter tee overall is better, because then in downward facing dog the neckline doesn’t bag out and cover your face so all you see is your own belly.
#3: Pants:
Don’t wear old stretch pants that are worn thin. After extensive laundering, fabric breaks down and becomes thinner. Put your hand inside your pants and hold them up to the light. If you can see your hand through them then likely they are too sheer.
#4 Back crotch:
Do a little test at home. When you bend over, does the back of your pants pull down and expose too much? If so, you may want to pick a pair of pants with a longer back crotch and/or looser thighs.
Final Test:
If you want to be “for sure- for sure”, here are some key positions to try out your selections:
- Down Dog: Check the neckline of the shirt and the back rise of the pants.
- Knee Down Lunge: Check the neckline again, does it become too low?
- Shoulder Stand: Does your shirt fall down and over your face?