Seven reasons to invest in quality yoga clothing

Is there a big difference between cheap yoga wear and quality yoga clothing? Yes there is! And in this blog contributor Katherine Smith tells about why she switched to quality yoga apparel. By the way, Katherine is also organizing yoga retreats…

Seven reasons to invest in quality yoga clothing

I remember when I made the switch. It was something I’d been resisting for a long time. I fiercely stood by my €10 leggings and thought they did just fine.
  

To me expensive yoga pants, with fancy prints made from fancy fabric, were frivolous.
  

When I began practising yoga, there was none of the sparkle and shine that is associated with the practice today. It was something you did in a tracksuit or pyjamas.
  

I’d already upgraded from looser layers to something more form-fitting and just put up with all that fiddling with the waistband between postures and the very real risk of the person on the mat behind me seeing more than they bargained for, as my pants turned not opaque anymore in Parsvottanasana.
  

The trouble was yoga had turned into my profession, as I ditched my day job and began teaching full-time. Between my personal practice and the classes I taught, I was spending between 4-6 hours on the mat each day. Those well-meaning Lycra leggings just couldn’t keep up.
  

I figured that if I was mountaineering, skiing or scuba diving, I would invest in the right equipment and apparel for the job, so why not yoga pants?
  

The first time I browsed online for ‘professional’ yoga wear I was overwhelmed with choice and wanted one of everything. Each item seemed to make a statement that demanded the wearer be taken seriously, without compromising their free spirited integrity or sense of playfulness and fun. I cautiously ordered a single pair from Teeki out of curiosity, still sceptical.
  

Then they arrived and I was converted.
  

Perhaps it sounds shallow to say, but I felt more confident wearing them. Not because of how they looked necessarily but because I felt more comfortable; nothing slipped, snagged or went see-through and if I got sweaty the fabric clung fast to my skin and didn’t slide down. They were so feather light to wear, that occasionally I’d get paranoid that I was naked and had forgotten to put yoga pants on at all.
  

Before experiencing it for myself I would have found it hard to believe the difference investing in decent clothes, that were designed for the job, makes. I would never say that you have to have fancy-pants to practice yoga, but investing in good quality activewear can have a positive impact on performance.
  

So, here are my favourite reasons to invest in good quality activewear and yoga clothes.
  
  

1. They stretch without sagging

Activewear is developed to meet the needs of an active lifestyle, which means they’ll happily stretch without sagging and won’t lose their shape through wash or wear.
  
  

2. They help you to stay focused

No more droopy clothes during practice means you’re able to maintain your yogi-focus far more easily and won’t loose time or miss queues because you’re adjusting them.
  
  

3. They’re clothes, with conscience

Most yoga-wear companies are committed to sustainability and use recycled or eco-friendly materials, so you can relax knowing that you’re spending your cash on ethical products.
  
  

4. No more peak-a-boo

When you choose proper yoga pants over cheaper alternatives you can move into those glorious postures with confidence, because they won’t go see-through and reveal more than you anticipated.
  
  

5. They’ll make you feel practice-ready

How we dress has an influence on how we feel. Wearing clothes that were designed and developed for a particular purpose is practical but they’ll help you to cultivate the right mindset too.
  
  

6. They’re comfortable and so pretty

When something is this comfortable and makes you feel so rock-star-ready you’ll want to wear them all the time - in fact there is a real danger you’ll never want to take them off. Real clothes feel so dull in comparison.
  
  

7. They stand the test of time

That first pair of leggings I purchased have far outlived anything else I’ve owned. 3 years later and, despite the fact they’re the ones I reach for the most, they still look as good as new. So their lifetime value is far higher than those €10 ones.
 
 
 
Namasté,

Katherine Smith
 
  

About Katherine

Katherine runs boutique yoga retreats worldwide that invite you to unravel and renew in places of exquisite natural beauty. She is the creator of Empowered Yoga, a personalised yoga programme with purpose that gives practitioners a 6 week jump start towards their wellbeing goals, based in Amsterdam.

Katherine is a yoga-teacher, writer, travel junkie, food enthusiast and all round life-lover, who rarely content with the status quo, relentlessly chases a life less ordinary, hungry to carve out her own path.

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