Yoga is a physically demanding activity that requires the right clothes to feel comfortable. The first question that comes to mind for anyone starting yoga may be: “What to wear to a yoga class?” Choosing the right yoga outfit can feel daunting without help. Here are the most essential tips for choosing your yoga outfit.
Yoga Attire: What to Wear and Why
A quick browse online or in a yoga store might overwhelm you with the proper apparel items required for your first yoga class. It’s essential to remember that there are no hard-and-fast rules about what to wear to yoga class.
However, there are two critical factors to consider when picking your outfit – mobility and comfort. The design of yoga clothes considers these factors in their ranges, including shorts, yoga pants, sweat pants, sports bras, t-shirts, and tank tops.
Combining these is up to you, as long as you can move freely. For your comfort, you should prefer sweat-wicking or breathable materials. Therefore, make sure your clothes are functional and comfortable.
Consider the type of yoga you will practice when choosing your outfit. A vigorous vinyasa yoga flow or hot yoga class will mean more sweat, requiring clothes made with sweat-wicking fabrics. Contemplate the weather and time of day during outdoor classes when choosing yoga clothing. Generally, avoid clothes that are too loose for yoga classes; otherwise, you will spend more time worrying about them riding up during pastures, especially inversions.
What about shoes? Most yogis prefer to practice yoga barefoot. However, if you feel more comfortable with something on your feet, wear non-slip socks or soft sneakers for a better grip on the mat. If you prefer going barefoot, wear yoga sandals that are easy to slip off before yoga and on after class.
Dressing for Success: Yoga Class Outfit Ideas
Still wondering what to wear to yoga class? Here are a few yoga class outfit ideas that make you feel like you are dressing for success:
Outfit for a Powerflow Class
- Light leggings with gentle compression in a moisture-wicking fabric that can provide support and allow flexibility
- Sports bra with a longer line for comfort and support during the intense yoga session
- A slip-over or zippered hoodie to keep you warm on your way to yoga and when leaving the class and footwear of your choice
- Finish the look with a headband to keep your hair in place and sweat out of your eyes.
Slow-Flowing Yoga Class
- Lightweight joggers with tapering
- Sweat-wicking tank top
- Hoodie to match the outfit for layering
- Hair tie or headband to keep hair out of your face
- Easy to slip off footwear
Hot Yoga Class
- If you are practicing in a heated studio, wear biker shorts that are breathable and cool.
- Choose a matching sports bra that’s comfortable and made from moisture-wicking material.
- Slides for the feet
- Hair bands with a silicone grip to ensure you have no flyaways
- A stainless steel bottle for water to keep you hydrated
Yoga Wardrobe Essentials: What Do I Need?
What to wear to yoga class? If you’re starting yoga, you’ll want to know what to wear to yoga class. Finding flexible, cool, and comfortable clothing to wear to the studio is easy. Here are some yoga essentials you’ll need in your wardrobe.
Choosing the Right Sports Bra
Sports bras are essential during any workout for the support they provide. Choose a sports bra according to the type of workout and breast size. Ensure it stays in place throughout poses, even inverted ones, to ensure you don’t reveal more than you opted for. For large-chested ladies, choosing a high-impact sports bra is always best.
Some of our favorites include:
- Onzie High Neck Yoga
- CRZ Yoga Sports Bra
- MIRITY Racerback Sports Bra (perfect for larger-chested ladies)
- Yoga Essential bra by Adidas
Choosing the Right Tops
If you prefer to wear a top over your sports bra, then you can choose any of the following:
- Tank tops
- Long- or short-sleeved T-shirts
- Vests
You can choose a loose or more fitted style, but make sure it’s not too uncomfortably tight or so loose that it will keep riding up when doing inverted poses. Choose a breathable fabric for coolness.
Choosing the Right Bottoms
Yoga typically involves a lot of twisting, bending, and stretching, so avoid restrictive materials. Choose long or short yoga pants designs in flexible, high-quality materials like stretch cotton or recycled polyester that won’t hamper your movement during poses.
When doing yoga, it is best to choose yoga pants or shorts made with thicker fabrics to avoid any see-through effect.
Yoga bottoms to choose from:
- Yoga shorts
- Leggings
- Capri leggings
- Flare yoga pants
- Harem Joggers
Choosing the Right Socks & Shoes
For most yogis, connecting with the floor is essential, meaning they prefer to leave their shoes off during yoga. However, you can wear socks or shoes if you feel uncomfortable going barefoot or avoid it for hygiene reasons. Make sure you choose a soft pair of sneakers that won’t hamper your movement during sessions. If choosing socks, remember that they can be slippery on a yoga mat. Wear socks with a grip.
Finally, even bare feet can slip on some surfaces, so choose a non-slip mat with a good grip.
Hair
There are no hard-and-fast rules on how to wear your hair during yoga. However, you want to keep it out of your face as you flow from one posture to another or while performing inversions. Buns and ponytails are the best way to keep hair in place.
Some practical accessories we love for hair include:
- Skinny silicone hair bands for a better grip
- Wide twist headband
- Scrunchies
Style Tips: How to Dress Comfortably for Yoga
Yoga’s essential purpose is to align the mind, body, and soul as you relieve stress and regain balance in your life. However, to achieve all this, you must dress comfortably. If you want to know what to wear to yoga class to feel stylish, here are some tips:
Choose the Right Material
Even the most restful movements in yoga can get you sweaty. Therefore, you must choose suitable materials based on the type of yoga class you follow. The REI CO.OP gives this advice for the right materials:
- Comfort remains essential when choosing yoga clothing. Therefore, avoid clothes with hard seams and tags, saggy or tight waistbands, or materials that chafe.
- Breathability is essential in all types of yoga, especially if you sweat a lot. Depending on your yoga style, you may sweat a little or a lot. Prefer breathable and moisture-wicking fabrics to help keep you cool and comfortable. Some clothes have mesh and cutouts to assist with venting. Avoid cotton for hot and flowy yoga because it can hold moisture, making you feel hot and damp while exercising and chilled as soon as you leave the class.
- Flexibility is needed in your chosen clothing because you will be stretching, bending, and lunging during practice. Spandex and lycra, in combination with other fabrics, are ideal.
Don’t Wear Ill-Fitting Clothes
Clothes must not be baggy or too tight; otherwise, you will either have to keep readjusting them during your asana practice or will feel uncomfortable. Therefore, the rule is to ensure they are comfortably loose.
Consider the Time of Day and Weather
If you practice yoga in the early morning or early evening, consider that you might need to cover up with a lightweight hoodie if these hours are cooler where you stay. Likewise, you must wear different fabrics on a scorching summer day with ample breathability and sweat-absorbing properties.
Choose Stylish Colors and Patterns that Won’t Distract
You don’t need to look drab, but remember that people practice yoga for its relaxing benefits. Therefore, choose your colors wisely, preferring to keep to the earthy or lighter tones that won’t distract others. Some people like to choose clothing with inspiring prints and embroidery designs.
Accessorize Minimally
Most accessories will prove burdensome during yoga practice. Accessorize only to the point where you can feel comfortable and avoid distractions.
Look Positive and Confident
Finally, you must meet your yoga objectives: find inner peace, lose weight, or become more flexible. Once you have chosen the clothes you want to wear, dress confidently and take on your practice positively, making it easier to achieve your goals.
Yoga Fashion: Choosing the Perfect Outfit
Yoga fashion is very subjective because you must wear what feels right. Your main objective is to feel comfortable during practice without worrying about your clothes. When deciding what to wear to yoga class, it’s okay to keep yoga fashion in mind, but don’t forget the yoga style so that you aren’t too sweaty during hot yoga or have to battle with a wide t-shirt during an upside-down shoulder pose.
When choosing yoga clothing, consider the following:
- Be yourself and forget about the competition or beauty standards. Yoga is about having fun while growing, so wear whatever makes you feel comfortable during practice.
- Choose yoga clothing that hugs your body while allowing easy movement. Whether you wear a sports bra or top, make sure it’s stretchable, comfortably body-hugging, and provides proper coverage at every stage of your asanas. The same applies to your choice of pants.
- Natural fibers like cotton, hemp, linen, and bamboo are stylish and eco-conscious. Combine these in earthy tones to ensure a stylish and zen appearance. If you prefer something more elaborate, look for prints and embroidery.
- Don’t wear overly loose pants or shorts because they tend to get in the way of poses and slide up. Look for yoga-appropriate styles.
- Drawstring pants tend to be uncomfortable for some poses. Elasticized waistbands work best.
- Beat the microclimate in your yoga class by layering your yoga clothes to stay as warm or cool as you desire. For example, wear a lightweight hoodie over your tank top and have a wrap that can double as a blanket for your nidra (relaxation).
- Think ahead if you need to go to work or for coffee after yoga. Your yoga pants can take you everywhere once you throw over a longer top, jacket, and a few accessories.
What Should I Wear to My First Yoga Class?
If you are about to take your first yoga class, you probably want to know what to wear. Your first yoga class calls for comfortable, active wear. Therefore, look for stretchy, form-fitting pants that allow you to move through your poses comfortably. Likewise, make sure you have the correct support when choosing a top.
Neither your pants nor top should move around more than necessary during class, and you also don’t want to have any wardrobe malfunctions from too-tight attire during your first yoga class.
Remember, you don’t need to wear expensive designer clothes to your first yoga class. Keep things simple and wear clothes that you already have. Once you have experienced the requirements of the yoga class, it will be easier to decide what to add to your wardrobe.
Read more tips from VeryWell Fit on choosing the right pants, top, and footwear if you are wondering what to wear to yoga class, including a Bikram yoga class.
Decoding Yoga Dress Code: What’s Appropriate?
Now that you know what to wear to a yoga class let’s decode the yoga dress code.
Here’s what’s appropriate:
- It’s inappropriate to wear underwear or swimwear (only allowed for beach yoga) as an outfit for yoga. Always dress appropriately for the studio you are attending.
- Make sure your clothes provide the right coverage and support so that you can focus on your class instead of worrying about what’s showing.
- It’s okay to wear a sports bra with good support to a flowy or hot yoga class. Add a pair of lightweight, breathable shorts, but don’t forget to take a top to put over when you start cooling down.
- Wear clothes with a comfortable fit – not too tight nor too loose – so that you can concentrate on your class rather than on your T-shirt falling over your face.
- You don’t need footwear during a yoga class unless you feel uncomfortable baring your feet or must bring shoes.
- Finally, wear clean clothing to practice since you don’t want to bombard your senses with bad odors. The cleaner you feel, the more energized and focused you will feel, and you won’t distract yourself or others.
Yoga Fashion Dos and Don’ts: Dressing Etiquette
Now that you know what to look for in yoga wear and what to consider when choosing your outfit, let’s look at the dos and don’ts of yoga dressing etiquette.
Dos:
- Wear a good sports bra that provides support without restricting your range of motion.
- If you prefer to wear a tank top or T-shirt, you can avoid wearing a sports bra if you get one with a built-in bra.
- A form-fitting top is better than one that is too loose.
- Choose tops and pants in moisture-wicking fabrics, especially for vinyasa flow or hot yoga.
- Whether you prefer shorts, leggings, or yoga pants, they should be snug, comfortable, and flexible.
- Choose a layered look that allows you to dress up or down according to the studio environment and yoga practice.
- If you require footwear for your yoga class, ensure they provide the proper grip and support.
Don’ts
- Don’t wear clothing made of heavy fabrics that are not elastic, for example, jeans.
- Don’t wear loose blouses and pants that can get in your way or show more than you want. Looser pants can also become a tripping hazard.
- Don’t wear tight clothes because they restrict your movement and make you uncomfortable.
- Don’t wear clothing with zippers, buttons, or drawstrings because they can cause discomfort as you lay in poses. Some men’s shorts have hidden pockets with zippers, but look for those with a clever design that won’t hamper your yoga practice.
- Don’t flash during practice. Most men’s sports shorts are suitable for yoga, but they prefer a brand with lining to keep their modesty intact.
What type of clothing is best for yoga?
Opt for stretchy, breathable fabrics that move with your body. Tight-fitting clothing is often recommended so it doesn’t get in the way of your poses.
Is it necessary to buy expensive yoga brands?
Not at all. While there are high-end yoga brands, what’s most important is comfort and functionality. You can find suitable options at various price points.
Should I choose shorts or leggings for yoga?
It depends on your comfort level and the type of yoga you’re practicing. Leggings are versatile for most styles, while shorts might be preferable in hot yoga classes.
Are there specific types of tops recommended for yoga?
Fitted or tank tops that stay in place as you move are ideal. Avoid very loose tops that might slide down during forward bends or inversions.
What about footwear for yoga?
Yoga is typically practiced barefoot to help with balance and posture. However, yoga socks with grips can be an alternative if you’re uncomfortable being barefoot.
Can I wear accessories during yoga classes?
It’s best to minimize accessories. Simple stud earrings or a thin bracelet should be fine, but avoid bulky jewelry that might interfere with your practice.
How should I handle sweat during yoga?
Wearing moisture-wicking fabrics can help. Also, bringing a small towel to class is a good idea to dab away sweat.
Is there a difference in attire for different types of yoga?
Yes, you might prefer more breathable, moisture-wicking clothing for vigorous styles like Vinyasa or Bikram. For gentle or restorative yoga, cozy, comfortable attire works well.