Dressing for yoga

I’ve been practicing yoga regularly for just over three years now and when I first started I didn’t know what yoga wear was deemed appropriate for a yoga class in a yoga studio as opposed to a leisure centre, where basically anything goes!

Many of the yogis who attend yoga classes at some of the yoga centres I’ve been to over the years wear either athletic looking gym wear which always looks a little rigid and uncomfortable, or what I can only describe as lounge wear which looks soooooo comfortable that it makes me think of crawling under the yoga blanket and going to sleep.

There has to be a mix between the two surely?

There is a lot of yoga wear in the market from really reputable stores who have been associated with yoga and Pilates for many years and although they’re great and do mix up the fashion a bit it does seem to be a little repetitive.

There has however, been an evolution in the fabrics used for yoga wear. Once upon a time it was all cotton and ribbed vests and although they’re still around there is a lot more variety in the market. Eco-friendly fabrics are really big news in the yoga world right now. As well as organic cotton, bamboo and hemp, some companies are using a plethora of organic materials that wouldn’t look out of place in a fruit bowl.

These are all great and offer you choice but the thing that inspired me to design my own yoga wear was that no matter where I bought my yoga clothing from or in whatever material it would never look or feel right because it was never the right size for me.

I’m petite and 5 feet 2 inches tall and believe me most standard extra small yoga vests would still look like a short mini dress on me! In addition to the yoga wear not fitting so well the other thing I felt was missing was the fun factor. Yes yoga is spiritual, yoga is a form of exercise and can be serious but it is also a form of expression. Yoga allows you to express yourself and be who you are.

Some people say that it doesn’t matter what you wear to yoga it’s the practice that’s important and I agree that the practice is the most important thing, but what we wear says a lot about us and how we feel. We wear clothes for specific purposes, I mean, you wouldn’t wear your gym clothes on a night out any more than you would wear that lovely Victoria Beckham tuxedo dress you have to go and get your groceries … or then gain maybe you would …