How should yoga pants fit-sorry for the topic

Lifestyle & Fashion Yoga Pants & Apparel
#1

Dear All,

I am just starting a yoga class and plan to buy some pants. Silly as it may sound I have no idea how yoga pants should fit and don’t want to spend money, which is tight, on something that’s wrong. I ride horses and riding pants are tight but the fabric’s thick so they aren’t too revealing. I’m ok with wearing some tightish pants if that’s the norm. In pictures I see everything from fairly loose to tight. “Wear what’s comfortable” isn’t much help because every group has a “norm” and I would feel much more comfortable if I felt like I was dressed appropriately.

Are yoga pants tight like tights or should they be looser-like with a bit of extra fabric on your legs?

Again I apologize for such a silly seeming question but I really want to know and can’t seem to fnd a good answer!

Thanks very much in advance.

Andrea

#2

Some people like loose or baggy pants for yoga…I hate them, the fabric always gets caught up and needs readjusting…also the teacher cannot see your knees.
I prefer tight stretchy with a high waist…so that they move and stretch with me, my knees are clearly visible, the high waist is essential…with low waisted pants forward bends can be too revealing.

Go to a sports shop select a variety of pants…try them on and do a few yoga asanas/moves in them…see what works for you…remember to do a forward bend so that you can see your butt in the mirror and check if the fabric has been stretched to the point of “see through”…not a good look.

If you are going to classes at a “high end” or “fashionable” place…the yoga wear being worn will be expensive and fancy probably form fitting…if you go to classes in a gym the yoga wear will be regular fitness wear…but it is not a fashion show and not about fitting in…wear what you can comfortably do yoga asana in and does not reveal anything inappropriate to your teacher or class mates.

#3

After trying a couple of normal gym pants and special Yoga pants, I am most happy with standard gym clothes. Some Yoga brands produce clothes that look more comfortable than they are, especially the wider items. Try poses like Warrior II, then see if you can step back to Mountain pose without having to readjust your pants. In addition, my Yoga clothes shrinked and discoloured after some washes, and they are often more expensive than those classic functional gym workout clothes.

By the way, I prefer to wear covering underwear rather than string tangas just to make sure :wink:

#4

I like linen baggy shorts with a tie and a compression under liner in public and no liner at home.

#5

Hi Andrea,
I also like to wear pants with material that is moisture-wicking (so crotch sweat doesn’t show…sorry if TMI). Also just a personal preference, but I like form-fitting and stretchy rather than baggy.

#6

Dear All,

Thank you so much for the info! And no, yogadealer, that’s not tmi it’s useful information! I appreciate your responses and am looking forward to my first class.

Best regards,
Andrea

#7

I completely agree with the moisture wicking/non cotton pants! I wear tight like yoga pants with a flare leg so the thigh to the knee is form fitting and then it flares out at the ankle. Kind of a pain when you’re on your back with your legs up or during inversions because they fall down exposing your lower leg but I like how the fit balances out my pear shaped body as I wear the same pants for running and walking the dogs.

#8

[QUOTE=andreasgarrett;71233]Dear All,

I am just starting a yoga class and plan to buy some pants. Silly as it may sound I have no idea how yoga pants should fit and don’t want to spend money, which is tight, on something that’s wrong. I ride horses and riding pants are tight but the fabric’s thick so they aren’t too revealing. I’m ok with wearing some tightish pants if that’s the norm. In pictures I see everything from fairly loose to tight. “Wear what’s comfortable” isn’t much help because every group has a “norm” and I would feel much more comfortable if I felt like I was dressed appropriately.

Are yoga pants tight like tights or should they be looser-like with a bit of extra fabric on your legs?

Again I apologize for such a silly seeming question but I really want to know and can’t seem to fnd a good answer!

Thanks very much in advance.

Andrea[/QUOTE]

http://www.barcelonareporter.com/img_uploads/Tight_Pants_Ban_thumb.jpg

#9

Cotton is the best material. A little spandex, up to 5% holds the style. You don’t have to spend a fortune on the pants. They need to be comfortable and not choke the chakras.

#10

Andrea,

Wear some things that you currently own. Take a few classes. See what’s expected, what’s working, what isn’t. Then go from there. You may find you have enough stuff for the moment and don’t need to spend at all.

By the way, in looking around at “norms” I’m curious why in creation one would want to be part of a such an underachieving (mediocre) segment of the populace?

#11

Words that seem to jump out of your post.

[B]I would feel more comfortable if I felt dressed appropriately[/B]

I’m reading comfort for you would be blending in til you get the feel for the terrain.

I suggest you drop by the class you intend to take, just around dismissal, take a look at what the rest of the zebras are wearing, pick one out with similar stripes to you, and introduce yourself to this post shivasaned bliss and ask her where she got her pants.

Yoga tights were created not just to flatter your a$$ets, and yes you are going to look fabulous, but yoga tights were really created to fit to form, to settle in nicely on all figures, curvy to slim hips, often high waisted to not slip down in some of the rather complicated poses yoga explores, and you can always roll this waist band down. Yoga tights are also going to fit to form to let you and the instructor see from a distance the angle and alignment issues in your postures, for self or suggested adjustments.

You don’t have to trip down to Birmingham, or up to Nashville to check your ethics at the door and drop a Benjamin on getting fitted into some Lululemon pants. As a woman you will have a lot of variety in just about any box store even some of the grocery stores for an economical alternative that will get you by til you feel you can wear whatever feels ‘right’ in your future.
Maybe that future will even include some ethically sourced clothing, just saying, not judging.

Welcome and enjoy the journey.

#12

[QUOTE=DoYogaLisa;71325]Cotton is the best material. A little spandex, up to 5% holds the style. You don’t have to spend a fortune on the pants. They need to be comfortable and not choke the chakras.[/QUOTE]

Spandex is important if you’re wearing something tight, especially around the thighs and some people have round thighs and bending and kneeling really stretches the pants there. I would prefer Nylon with wicking over Cotton as the Cotton tends to pill when you rub it repeatedly on a yoga mat and makes it look terrible. Something loose is good if you’re going to wear it to work. Something like th3.ca/catalog/photos/p/ps1134tn.jpg

#13

I am assuming we are being real so this might be TMI for some people.

Cotton pants/panties are not so good for women if you sweat down there a lot, it hold moisture and can cause yeast infections. Though if you do, change them after you get done sweating. I have a few pairs of camping undwear I wear, they wick, dry fast, and are antibacterial. I bought them to test out for a backpacking trip and love them, they are expensive and are mostly sold at camping/hiking/outdoor stores.

I have a pooch in lower abdomen so the lower waisted styles that seem to abound fall down under it and expose a lot. That being said I have seen a lot of thongs and butts in yoga because even super skinny people have this problem. If you dont care about that then dont care about it. I however buy “the girls” brand at TJ max. TJ max has a lot of nice yoga clothes if you go to a big enough store. Its much cheaper. I like The Girls because they have some that come far up the waist that you can fold over, or in my case, not fold over. It holds my stomach in place so its not in the way in foraward folds without constricting my breath or me having to readjust my body a lot. I have a big chest and I like to wear tighter wicking tops with a sports bra and a tank top over that to keep my girls in control. If you dont have a big chest then there are all types of tops you can wear that are adorable and work for any light to medium cardio workout. But I would buy workout clothes that wick, especially if you are prone to get rashes/chafing/yeast infections etc or sweat a lot (I dont normally but yoga makes me pour buckets, even a light class in the AC).

That being said, my yoga clothes are also my running clothes but I use a running sports bra, so it really does not matter as long as you feel comfortable. If you have a good class by the end you wouldnt care what you were wearing. Plus your body is yours and only you know what feels comfortable and moves comfortably with your body, which is more important than anything else. Dont go buy a whole new wardrobe until you go to a few classes and realize what you need. Especially since a lot of peoples bodies change when they start doing yoga so your size/proportions might change.

#14

(Yoga helps in Back Pain…)i think you over did the pose. I dont know if you are a beginner or not, but even as an expert you need to know your body and be careful. If you do the pose way to long or bend your body more than it is used to, it will hurt you.

#15

Synthetic like softel is worse than cotton, actually i got a pair of polyamid when i complaint of the current quality of my boxers, i expected them to be like softel which makes you smell a lot but after 1 days of usage there was less smell than cotton spandex. So not all synthetic materials can be considered as good but this polyamid was nice and some socks have it too and they feel cooler than cotton.
Merino wool however is better.

[QUOTE=upcycledbliss;73792]I am assuming we are being real so this might be TMI for some people.

Cotton pants/panties are not so good for women if you sweat down there a lot, it hold moisture and can cause yeast infections. Though if you do, change them after you get done sweating. I have a few pairs of camping undwear I wear, they wick, dry fast, and are antibacterial. I bought them to test out for a backpacking trip and love them, they are expensive and are mostly sold at camping/hiking/outdoor stores.

I have a pooch in lower abdomen so the lower waisted styles that seem to abound fall down under it and expose a lot. That being said I have seen a lot of thongs and butts in yoga because even super skinny people have this problem. If you dont care about that then dont care about it. I however buy “the girls” brand at TJ max. TJ max has a lot of nice yoga clothes if you go to a big enough store. Its much cheaper. I like The Girls because they have some that come far up the waist that you can fold over, or in my case, not fold over. It holds my stomach in place so its not in the way in foraward folds without constricting my breath or me having to readjust my body a lot. I have a big chest and I like to wear tighter wicking tops with a sports bra and a tank top over that to keep my girls in control. If you dont have a big chest then there are all types of tops you can wear that are adorable and work for any light to medium cardio workout. But I would buy workout clothes that wick, especially if you are prone to get rashes/chafing/yeast infections etc or sweat a lot (I dont normally but yoga makes me pour buckets, even a light class in the AC).

That being said, my yoga clothes are also my running clothes but I use a running sports bra, so it really does not matter as long as you feel comfortable. If you have a good class by the end you wouldnt care what you were wearing. Plus your body is yours and only you know what feels comfortable and moves comfortably with your body, which is more important than anything else. Dont go buy a whole new wardrobe until you go to a few classes and realize what you need. Especially since a lot of peoples bodies change when they start doing yoga so your size/proportions might change.[/QUOTE]

#16

I wear compression pants, that help my body recover faster and hurts less after strenuous power yoga classes. Done at a gym, so they get washed as I shower. No smell, no infections, no pain.

#17

I like 3/4 cut off sweats pants or running shorts with liner I also like a drawstring . I like tighter tops so they don’t fall over my head when I fold ,or I just tuck my shirt in if I wear a loose top ,