Let's Talk Gear - Top to Toe
What is preventing you from starting a yoga practice? One of the most common reasons is - I don't know what to wear. You see these amazingly gorgeous, bendy, scantily clad Instagram yogis and think “I can't pull that look off”. Well, guess what…you don't have to. Here are a few pieces that will get you started and pro tips to selecting the right gear for you.
The Bra
The Women's Edit:
How much time and effort have you put into finding a good fitting, comfortable everyday bra? HOURS. Am I right? Well, after I finished that endless, annoying search – I basically had to start over to find a great fitting sports bra. My requirements were – fabric MUST be soft, straps had to be strong and comfortable and it had to stay put. That doesn't seem like too big of an ask. After much time spent putting on and taking off sports bras all over town, here are my two favorites that met the above requirements:
Lululemon Invigorate Bra – I love that even though the straps are thick they don’t make the bottom of the bra ride up and cut me in half. I love the mesh back for a sassy addition and a bit of airflow.
$52 at lululemon.com
Gap Medium Impact Strappy Sports Bra - Somehow Gap managed to make a cool looking, multi-strap bra actually comfortable. It stays in place without leaving marks from being too tight - plus, it comes in some really fun patterns. Beautiful and functional - in a bra!
$39.95 at gap.com
Victoria's Secret Lightweight - For those of you who haven't been successful with the standard small, medium large sizing of sports bras, these come in cup sizes. This is a terrific option if you are bustier with a smaller band size or vice versa.
$29.50 at victoriassecret.com
The Top
The Women's Edit:
I've made all the mistakes - wearing something too loose, too tight, too long, and too thick. These issues make the practice less about finding peace and calm and more about wrestling with your clothing. The best tops that I've found are long enough to cover the top of my hips but aren't so long as to look like a dress. The allows for some grip-action so my shirt doesn't slide over my head in inverted postures while also not restricting movement. I also like for my shirts to be made of some kind of soft, stretchy fabric but I avoid most of the dryfit options as I find them to be much too thick (then I'm just thinking about how hot I am). Here are a few of my MVPs for tops:
Gap Fit Breath Collection - My personal fav is the tie back tank. I like that by tying it low on my hips, I get the grip and "stay put" I'm looking for while not being too tight.
$24.95-$29.50 at gap.com
Manduka Enlight Relaxed Tee - There are days when my practice is less vigorous and those days call for a relaxed fit tee. Manduka's is super soft and has a wide neck line. It can be tied to keep it in place if you practice heats up!
$48 at manduka.com
Full disclosure: I do not like bra tops. I don’t ever feel secure while wearing them so I don't have a great MVP for them. I know women who do love them and they think Athleta carries the best ones!
The Men's Edit:
Men have it way easier than women - shirts for men can be basically any t-shirt. It totally depends on your preference but a fellow yoga teacher wears men's cotton tanks to teach in - claiming they keep him cooler at a really good price. The best ones he's found are at Target (who doesn't love Target?!). The other option for a heated class (or just a hotter climate) is dryfit or a similar material. So many companies make these stretchy, sweat wicking shirts now that you can pretty much decide which features you like and find one for a good price. Here are some options that have flat seams and super soft fabric:
Manduka Cross Train Tee – This tee is fitted without restricting and wicks sweat away from the body. We live in Houston and this tee helps make the heat a bit more bearable.
$52 at manduka.com
C9 Dryfit – This Target brand dryfit shirt is great for bigger guys. It isn’t too tight or too lose, the fabric is super soft and won’t chaff and its inexpensive. I feel as though that is a winning trifecta.
$12.99 at target.com
The Bottom
The Women's Edit:
Every woman I know is looking for yoga pants that make their butt look amazing and flatten their tummy. The secret to finding these is two-fold: seaming and high waist. Seaming that curves across the top of the booty will help you achieve that perfect yoga butt (isn’t that why we all do yoga?) while a high waist will avoid the dreaded muffin top. Also, it has another secret function of acting as backup, plan b coverage if your shirt is, in fact, too loose – the higher waist will help you to feel a bit more covered. Without a doubt, I have only ONE great recommendation for yoga pants that fulfill both of these requirements:
Zella Live In High Waist Leggings – I actually live in these. I teach in these. I travel in these. I hike in these. They are so soft, unbelievably comfortable and completely cover my rear (even when bending over). These are a Nordstrom brand and don’t carry as hefty a price tag as some yoga pants. At $54 for the black ones (do people wear other colors?!) they fit nicely into my budget.
$54 at nordstrom.com
Disclaimer: I know there will be those of you who swear by Lululemon, Athleta, Lucy, Manduka, Noya or Beyond - and by no means am I saying their pants aren't good - for your body type they may be the PERFECT ones. My recommendation is based off of washing and wearing the HECK out of my Zella pants and being very happy with how they help keep my bottom half tight and right!
The Men's Edit:
I am obviously not wearing men’s clothing but my husband is a wonderful man who is willing to be a guinea pig on things like this. He doesn’t regularly practice yoga but he’s an active guy so I think his opinion is valid. He thinks that while traditional mesh basketball shorts would probably be fine, they move around more than you might like – especially in a more active practice. Here are some you might like:
Lululemon T.H.E. Short linerless 9” inch shorts – They have a little bit more structure to them than mesh shorts and as an added bonus have a pocket for a key as well as ample space for your cell phone.
$58 at lululemon.com
Manduka The Now Short – These are a bit thicker than the Lululemon shorts but they have a faux fly that makes them look more like a traditional pair of shorts. They also have a pocket for your cell phone which my husband really appreciated.
$64 at manduka.com
If you try any of these options – take a photo and tag us @yogabalancehtx! I would love to see how you rock my favorites.
If you have other gear recommendations, I would love to hear them. I’m always looking to add to my starting line-up of the best yoga gear!