For those who take Hot Yoga classes other than Bikram. Shirt/no shirt ?
If you are in a Bikram class you have already made the choice to be hot and you have made the choice to sweat. Therefore, those issues shouldn’t be reasons for taking your shirt off.
Your fellow students are their to learn yoga, not to be distracted by people in various states of undress.
At the Bikram studio we have visited, you cannot wear a shirt, nor anything that doesn’t allow your knees to be seen. We own our studio, it’s new, to us and the community. Hot Yoga is popular. I don’t like a dripping shirt hanging on me but keep my shirt on. A male student asked me what I thought, not so much about showing the body but more along the lines of comfort. I was posting to see what others have experienced in a hot yoga setting/studio. Thanks.
This is a great question and I struggled with it throughout my teacher training. I asked a lot of students and teachers and received a wild range of responses and opinions.
There are obvious arguments for and against I even got quotes from Plato’s Republic advocating working out without any clothes and of course the open unrestricted view of stance target muscles and tissue is a boon for self and teacher corrections and assists.
As a river guide I learned long ago that a light damp cotton shirt is usually more cooling than exposed flesh. So the cooling argument falls before science.
As a teacher of yoga other than Bikram I want to offend as little as possible and I’m very sensitive to other’s modesties so I wear coverings that will offend the least and choose labels that promote yoga or yoga lifestyles.
I wear a shirt in all classes now whether teaching or not.
I don’t pay much attention to what other people are wearing/not wearing. I think every individual is entitled to their own comfort level and surrounding as long as no one in the class is offended by it.
there’s no way i could wear a shirt in a hot yoga class. most of the guys in the classes i’ve been to don’t wear one either (if anything, just a tank top). i don’t see why anyone should be offended by this.
[QUOTE=vata07;62155]there’s no way i could wear a shirt in a hot yoga class. most of the guys in the classes i’ve been to don’t wear one either (if anything, just a tank top). i don’t see why anyone should be offended by this.[/QUOTE]
Everyone who practices yoga is more or less there to be one with themselves… I don’t see a reason for anyone being offended by guys who don’t wear shirts either.
Thank you for all the responses. I wasn’t posting as a debate of shirt/no shirt, just wanted to hear what the experiences are in other studio’s around the country. Thanks again.
I am not a teacher and I don’t do bikram but even in my vinyasa classes sometime guys don’t wear shirts. I pay no attention to it and feel everyone should be able to do what makes them comfortable. I only pay attention to my self and my teacher in classes. Besides we have all been to the beach or public pools where guys don’t wear shirts. I don’t see what’s so strange or offensive in it.
It depends on the practioner’s intent for not wearing a shirt. Is it an ego statement, as I have a fabulous body and I want to display it? Is it hot in the studio? Am I more comfortable and free without it?
There may be a bit of “look at me”. I wear tight shirts tucked in because I don’t like it when my shirt falls around my face when I am inverted. It distracts me. I suppose it may seem to someone that I wear tight shirts because it accentuates my marvelous pecs and biceps.
On the rare occasions that I have subjected myself to such things I wore a shirt.
A teacher sometimes ends a class I take by saying words like “let go of any judgement on your own practice or anyone else’s”. I used to wear a shirt, because I was embarrassed without one, but I’m also miserable in the hot room if I wear one. But now, letting go of my own judgement and fear of judgement, I’d much rather go shirtless from the start than come in wearing one and disrupt the class by taking it off midway through because of discomfort.
It’s all relative really. Cycle through the options. Bikram says no shirts and nothing covering the knees so that is the norm. What if the directive was for all males to wear speedos, well that would be norm, it would be the uniform norm and not out of place as it is in beach volleyball, swimming or diving. Yet when I discussed the concept in my class the girls went from quiet to clammor.
Simply discuss wearing one to the beach; a practical cut through the water like a dolphin swimming outfit, the speedo in general company is the elephant into the room.
What if the thread was should women work out without a shirt, bra or top covering?
From the reactions to Yogini Kathryn Budig’s nude yoga shoot, there are some very strong opinions on the subject.
I wear a shirt at the beach because without one I’m too damn sexy.
I never wear a shirt doing yoga. I dont understand how it is possible to do it with it sliding and moving its a huge distraction unless you wear a spandex one like the girls but whats the point.
If a guy is ripped with muscles - please no shirts!
If he’s flabby, too skinny or otherwise out of shape - wear a damn shirt!
[QUOTE=gtk;62290]A teacher sometimes ends a class I take by saying words like “let go of any judgement on your own practice or anyone else’s”. I used to wear a shirt, because I was embarrassed without one, but I’m also miserable in the hot room if I wear one. But now, letting go of my own judgement and fear of judgement, I’d much rather go shirtless from the start than come in wearing one and disrupt the class by taking it off midway through because of discomfort.[/QUOTE]
good for you. it doesn’t matter what you look like its all yoga is all about letting go and feeling comfortable in your own skin
Hi, I’m a beginner to Bikram Yoga and have only taken 11 classes so far, and, even though I still feel like I am really going to die during class, I’ve started to see my aches and pains start to diminish over the last few weeks. I have been wearing a shirt, mostly because of my poor body image, but was wondering not about how it looks, but whether one will feel cooler, or is it “healthier” to not wear a shirt? I know it’s weird, but I also feel sorry for woman in the class that they have to wear shirts and feel I should suffer as they are (even though they don’t seem to be having as hard a time as I!). I’m just worried that I’m making my body hotter by wearing a shirt, but not sure if that’s true or not? Thanks for your advice in advance!
[QUOTE=beforewisdom;62119]If you are in a Bikram class you have already made the choice to be hot and you have made the choice to sweat. Therefore, those issues shouldn’t be reasons for taking your shirt off.
Your fellow students are their to learn yoga, not to be distracted by people in various states of undress.[/QUOTE]
wish there were classes that women could go with no shirts too. yoga is much more relaxing in the buff. spandex or loose b-day suit is better in my opinion.