Jun 02, 2022

What To Wear For Yoga Class? Hot Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Restorative Yoga & Yin Yoga

What to wear for yoga class? The short answer is whatever you would like to wear you can wear. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable! Think shorts, leggings, tracksuits, relaxed trousers, t-shirts, sports bras and yoga leggings. Yoga is done barefoot so no need to think about shoes or socks.

In this article, we will share what to wear for yoga classes so you can maximise your enjoyment and experience the peace that regularly attending yoga classes brings to so many people worldwide. It is awesome to have you here reading this and makes me incredibly excited because it means you are likely soon going to try yoga for the first time.

My wife and I first tried yoga while travelling in India. We had heard from other travellers and from looking online that Rishikesh in North India was the place to go. Known to be the birthplace of yoga. The moment when we decided we would like to find a yoga centre in Rishikesh we couldn’t have been further away in India. At the southernmost tip of India Rishikesh was 52 hours north of us by train. We booked ourselves onto the next available train and embarked on the 2+ day train journey from Bangalore to New Delhi. An amazing adventure!

Rishikesh India - What To Wear For Yoga Class? Hot Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Restorative Yoga & Yin Yoga.jpg

It was a fantastic train ride, a wonderful experience to sit for 2 days reading, playing card games, and watching the world pass by while eating delicious Indian food. From New Delhi, we took a second train to Rishikesh. Rishikesh is a small town situated by the River Ganges and at the foothills of the Himalayas. Famously put on the map when The Beetles travelled to and stayed there in 1968. The Beatles stayed with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement.

The Rishikesh streets are occupied by hundreds of yoga centres with thousands of travellers flocking there to learn about yoga, Indian culture, philosophy, Ayurveda, lifestyle and to find themselves. When we arrived at Rishikesh we booked ourselves into the Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram with the plan to stay for 3 days and immerse ourselves in their full yoga programme. The programme at Anand Prakash consists of two yoga classes per day morning and evening with three delicious meals breakfast, lunch and dinner. We enjoyed learning yoga at Anand Prakash so much that we extended our trip from 3 days to 1 month. Malene my wife stayed for 2 months joining their next 1-month intensive residential yoga training while I skied for a month further north in the Himalayas.

What To Wear For Yoga Class?

If you have never been to a yoga class before or are a yoga beginner choosing what to wear for a yoga class may feel like a daunting task. You could even be worrying so much about what to wear that the task alone may put you off going to yoga. But not to worry yoga and yoga classes are welcoming places. Yes, there may be people in class that have been doing yoga for years looking like pros. I can assure you they are not there to judge quite the opposite. Most people go to yoga classes to find peace and equanimity in this busy place we call life. Yoga is naturally at its roots about judging less and being more compassionate to others.

You may be thinking your lack of equipment and clothing is a good reason to not go to a yoga class at all. This is very much not the case. When it comes to yoga class and what to wear or use there are no rules. People are welcome to wear what they would like and most yoga classes and yoga studios will have yoga equipment that you can borrow. The most important thing is that you are comfortable. And if that means wearing dedicated yoga leggings you're welcome to do that however shorts, leggings, tracksuits and relaxed trousers are also totally fine. Once again the most important thing is that you are comfortable and can easily move. Yoga is practised barefoot so no need to think about shoes or socks.

It can be nice to wear a top that will either stay in place while you're moving or something that you can tuck in. During a yoga class you will be moving a lot through the different bodily stations (standing, seated, crouching, kneeling) and it is nice that your top isn’t flapping around or falling over your head. Simply wear either a tight-fitting top or tuck your top into your shorts/trousers. This will mean when you are in the commonly used downward dog transition your t-shirt/top will stay put.

What to wear for Hot Yoga class?

Hot yoga rooms are heated from 33 degrees to 40 degrees so you will likely want to wear less clothing for hot yoga class. Most often people wear shorts and a small/thin t-shirt or sports bra. You are likely to sweat a lot during hot yoga class so it is best to wear clothing that is designed for working out.

What to wear for Vinyasa Yoga class?

Vinyasa yoga class is most commonly in an unheated room however it includes a lot of movement and is one of the more challenging yoga styles. Because of this yoga are likely to feel warm during a Vinyasa Yoga class. Wear shorts if you easily feel hot or long trousers/pants and a t-shirt.

What to wear for Hatha Yoga class?

Hatha yoga class is often less strength and movement-based than Vinyasa Yoga. So likely you will want to wear a bit more clothing or have a cosy jumper close by that you can put on during relaxation yoga poses, savasana and meditation.

What to wear for Iyengar Yoga class?

Iyengar yoga class often involves holding active poses for longer periods. Most people in Iyengar yoga class wear Pune Shorts for comfort, increased their mobility and enable them to easier see if they are doing the poses correctly. Again you’re welcome to wear what you feel most comfortable wearing.

What to wear for Restorative & Yin Yoga class?

Restorative & Yin Yoga are the 2 yoga styles with the least movement. You will want to wear more clothing so that you feel warm and can maximise the relaxing and rejuvenating benefits of these two yoga styles.

What to do with your hair when practicing yoga?

If you have long hair simply try putting your hair up in a ponytail that will keep it out of your way throughout yoga class including during forward folds and inversions. When laying down you may want to undo your ponytail to maximise your comfort. Another option to avoid having to take your hair up and down is to tie your ponytail to one side or to tie your hair in a top knot. That way you can do the whole yoga class without having to think about your hair.

What yoga clothing brands can you recommend?

We look for companies that focus on sustainable natural fabric clothing like organic cotton & bamboo. Bamboo when grown absorbs five times more carbon than hardwood trees. It needs less land to produce and is often grown without the need of irrigation and pesticides. On top of that it works well as a performance fabric.