What To Wear to Yoga Class: 10 Great Example Outfits (& 3 meh ones)

• Corinn


• 20 Apr 2016

In this article, we’ll cover the three rules for yoga clothing. We’ll also go over ten different yoga outfits and accessories you’ll need for various types of yoga class as well as different options for different preferred styles. Finally, we’ll show you what not to wear to yoga class.

Yoga clothing has become a culture of it’s own. And it all started with the simple yoga pant.

This super-comfy, fantastically stretchy, butt-flattering pant made yoga apparel cool. At first, we wore them to actual yoga class. Then, our boyfriends loved us wearing them around the house after yoga class. Soon, they moved outside the yoga studio and the house and into the public eye.  No yoga class required.

The sheer selection of brands, price ranges, materials, lengths, and rise ranges is huge. Which means that almost everyone in the USA has a pair of these in their closet. Which also means you have half the required apparel for yoga class. So you have that going for you, which is good.

But yoga clothing doesn’t end at yoga pants. And not all yoga clothing is just for women.

There are yoga tops, socks, accessories, bras, shorts, undies, gloves, bags. You name the clothing piece, and there’s most likely a yoga version of it out there.

So, how do you put together the perfect yoga outfit?

First, there are some basic requirements and rules for all yoga clothing. There’s only three of them. They’re simple. And you should not break them. They are:

1. It needs to be able to moooooooove and stretch

Let’s warm up our imaginations. Think of yourself doing a split (don’t worry – we can’t do one either, but let’s just go along with it for now). Would your pants be able to handle it? If you think they could – then get those bad boys on your body and get your butt to yoga class. If they can’t? Get yourself to any place that sells athleisure apparel.

For a bargain, we love Marshall’s, Ross’, & TJMaxx. For shit that’s going to last a bit longer try Athleta and brands like Prana, Alo, and Onzie. You can search through a ton of brands on a yoga-specific site like yogaoutlet.com.

2. It needs to not fall off, go over your head, or get caught. Another way of putting this – it needs to hug your body like an overly touchy friend.

Everybody loves warm hugs from clothing. A nice pair of warm socks that have the perfect compression. A hoodie you can pull your arms into and fit over your legs. Sweatpants that are fuzzy on the inside. If it were winter all
year, we’d get fat just because of our clothing choices. But this is not the clothing you want to wear to yoga. Sorry.

While we like warm hugs, yoga clothing needs to be more like a tight hug from an overly touchy friend.  It almost needs to stick to you – but you can still peel it off without it being uncomfortable. If you’re going in to downward dog, you don’t want your shirt falling down to your neck.

This doesn’t mean that it has to be tight-fitting. If you’re self-conscious about your tummy, tops with a banded waist are excellent. They afford you some extra coverage and ensure that your shirt will stay put while you move around.

3. It needs to cover you in any “revealing” poses.

We couldn’t understand what the big deal was when the see through yoga pants scandal happened. But that was before we started yoga. Now we get why.

You’re in a standing forward bend. You reach up into mountain pose a breath before the person whose mat is in front of yours. You get an eyeful of something you did not want to see.

Please, for the love of spock, buy some opaque leggings or pants. And buy the correct size please. Especially if you’re going with a pair of short yoga shorts. We don’t want to see anything hanging out…if ya know what we mean.

Okay, so now that we have our 3 requirements defined, let’s get into examples of outfits that meet them.

Great Examples of What to Wear for Yoga

1. Generic Yoga Class Outfit #1

Simple. Tried and true.

You really can’t go wrong with a simple tank and a pair of black leggings for a yoga class. The leggings having a perfect amount of compression and have an awesome high-waist. That way, you don’t have to worry if you’re flashing your crack as your trying to balance in crow pose.

2. Generic Yoga Class Outfit #2

Here’s another go-to outfit when it comes to yoga. A solid top. Fun and wild print bottoms. It’s kind of like the mullet of yoga wear.

3. What to Wear for a Yoga Class for Men

Prana Bear Hug Fitted Tee + Prana Men’s Flex Yoga Pants

This outfit looks like you’re not trying too hard, but you’re still totally prepared at the same time. The pants have spandex cycling length shorts built in to them, so you won’t be flashing a whole lot of leg once the class gets moving.

4. What to Wear for a Yoga Class if You Don’t like Super Tight Clothes

Yak & Yeti Indian Harem Yoga Pants + Yoga Rx Feelin Good Pullover Long Sleeved Shirt

When you’re not feeling tight clothes, these awesome looser options still won’t budge and are super flexible.

5. What to Wear to Hot Yoga

In hot yoga, you’re going to be sweating a lot, and sweating through to the fabric you’re wearing can make you uncomfortable. Try opting for shorts in a hot yoga sesh. An open back tank with built-in support also lets the heat escape from your body easier while not having to add an extra sports bra layer.

Don’t forget to bring water and a towel to hot yoga class with you.

6. What to Wear to Hot Yoga for Men

Men, you may want to go a little shorter in hot yoga to let those gams breathe. A sweatband can also help sweat from running into your eyes. And again like stated above, don’t forget your water and a towel!

7. What to Wear to Yoga if You Have the Sweaty Gene

Some of us are sweatier than others and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, as a fellow sweaty person, you may be worried that you’ll slip off the mat due to excess moisture. Adding these babies to your wardrobe, keeping a towel handy, and getting a super duper grippy mat can help you overcome your tendency to ‘glisten’ more than others.

8. What to Wear for Yoga if You Practice at Home

Practicing yoga at home is the perfect excuse for you to buy the skimpiest, cutest yoga clothing that you would probably never wear out in public. But that’s OK. Because if cute outfits mean more yoga practice, then we’re all for it.

9. What to Bring to Yoga Class if You Want to Look Super Cute

You can go with with pretty much any yoga outfit you love and add some pretty accessories to amp up the “cool” factor. These accessories and gear we think can add to any yoga experience.

10. What to Wear to Yoga Class if You’re Overweight

Marika Tummy Control Plus Size Yoga Capris + Marika Ella Plus Size Short Sleeve Yoga Shirt

There’s really not much of a difference in yoga clothing if you’re overweight. And there are definitely some cute options out there for you. These printed pants and simple pants will help keep your lines smooth while still letting you smoothly move between poses.

All great examples of what to wear.

Now, let’s get into the “what NOT to wear” section.

Poor Examples of Yoga Outfits

1.) Anything including inflexible materials – such as denim

2.) Sheer clothing

4.) Improperly Sized Clothing – too big or too small, it doesn’t matter!

Conclusion

And there you have it! Our 3 requirements for yoga outfits, 10 examples of what to wear for a yoga class, and 3 examples of what not to wear to a yoga class.

We hope this provides you with a great starting point of picking out your next outfit for yoga.

And please share this (or pin it) if you liked it or have a friend that may find it useful! Cheers & happy yoga-ing!

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