What are you supposed to wear when doing yoga? Most people will wear a tank top, a fitted tee, or just a sports bra on their upper body. This isn’t the trickiest part of dressing for yoga because the majority of your movements are lower-body focused. As such, the focus turns to what you put on your legs – and this gets tricky.
You know you want to wear some type of leggings, but what are the best and worst things you can wear while doing yoga? We’ll walk you through some of the common ideas below and explain if they’re good or bad.
Best: Active Compression Leggings
You can call these gym leggings, yoga pants, or anything similar. As explained by Eden Ashram, leggings like these are designed to be tight around your lower body with moisture-wicking fabric that keeps you cool. They’re also supposed to be really stretchy, meaning you can move around and get into all sorts of positions without feeling constricted. All of this is exactly what you’re looking for in a pair of great leggings for yoga.
What’s more, it pays to go for the premium-quality compression leggings here. You’ll find some cheap ones online that may look good, but the quality is never there. You’ll be in a never-ending cycle of replacing cheap ones because they either become see-through after a few wears or the seams start fraying.
Worst: Flared Leggings
Flared leggings are all the rage among the fitness community because they look awesome and are pretty damn comfortable. While it’s okay to wear them during general workouts – like lifting weights at the gym – flares are pretty bad for yoga.
Why? They’re too baggy at the bottom, and that excess fabric can cause problems when you’re stretching. Remember, the whole point of yoga is to move between different poses in all kinds of positions. You’re crossing your legs, stretching them, bending down, standing up, and so on. You can easily step on the excess fabric of flared leggings and trip yourself up – or cause a serious injury. The risk-to-reward ratio is far too great, so avoid wearing these.
Best: High-Waisted Active Shorts
Shorts are both good and bad when it comes to yoga. If you feel comfortable exposing a lot of your leg, then feel free to wear high-waisted active shorts. In essence, this refers to things like cycling shorts or gym shorts that are tightly fitted and don’t rise up. They’re basically leggings, only cut off at your upper-thigh region.
A really good choice during the warmer months, especially if you’re doing hot yoga or working out from the comfort of your home. Of course, don’t force yourself to wear shorts if you’re not comfortable and feel self-conscious. Other options exist – and also, don’t wear baggy shorts or low-rise options. They’ll rise up or fall down during your poses, potentially exposing you to an absolute fashion disaster the likes of which you’ll struggle to recover from.
Worst: Joggers
Again, like flared leggings, joggers are popular for all sorts of other exercises. Many women wear them to the gym while doing upper-body training because they keep their lower body warm. The problem with wearing joggers to a yoga session is simple: they’re just not practical enough.
Yoga involves loads of lower-body movements – or full-body movements that include holding positions for a long time. You’re going to sweat a lot in joggers, and it will feel incredibly uncomfortable. You start feeling more warmth around your legs, and it gets into your head as a major distraction. Plus, because the joggers retain heat and don’t cool your body down, you end up sweating more and more. Not only will this add to your discomfort, but it could also make you smell more, which then makes you even more self-conscious.
Avoid joggers while doing yoga, but consider wearing some baggy ones over your outfit and take them offer when you start. It can be a great way to stay warm before the session, so you’re not too stiff. Also, after you cool down, you can pop them back on to go to the shop or a cafe without feeling like you’re too exposed. To be fair, they’re great to combo with shorts – just don’t wear them during the session.
Best: Cropped Leggings
What if you didn’t want to wear shorts but like the idea of wearing something a bit shorter than normal compression leggings? Drumroll, please…let’s introduce you to cropped leggings! They retain the same form factor of normal leggings, giving you a nice high waistband, plenty of flexibility, and awesome breathability. The difference here is that they cut off just below your knees. You can expose your calves to get even more breathability and temperature control – a great choice when it’s hotter than usual.
It’s also a personal preference kind of thing: some people don’t like how leggings feel around their ankles, so cropped versions give you a better sensation. Others may just like how their calves look and feel like showing them off without committing to shorts. It’s totally up to you, just know that this is a great consideration for yoga.
Worst: Cargo Pants/Leggings
When you’re looking for things to wear during yoga, you may consider cargo pants. They can be pretty flexible and stretchy, and maybe even breathable. So, what’s the problem? Well, cargo pants/leggings are usually very baggy, which makes them a no-go for yoga. There’s a reason you mainly see people in tight-fitted leggings during yoga sessions: baggy clothes get in the way.
It can be hard for your teacher to correct your positioning because the bagginess gets in the way of your body’s alignment. Not to mention the sound of extra fabric moving around irritates you and everyone else. If you want to enjoy the true relaxing effects of yoga, you can’t have rustling cargo pants making an absolute racket the whole time.
With that, you’ve seen our complete list of the best and worst leggings to wear when doing yoga. Which of the “best” options do you like the most? Pick whatever makes you feel the most comfortable, as it helps you avoid any anxiety during your sessions.
Thanks for stopping by!
Magda
xoxo