“It never matters what you’re wearing if you practice with your heart,” said Ms. Suh (at left). “You all come in, you all commit.” Still, in an ultra-hot room, Ms. Suh said, it was helpful to have clothes that did not ride up or slip off, and could withstand the wear of a daily class.
And so The New York Times dives deep into the trenches of today’s sticky news: What on earth do we wear to HOT yoga class? (or Bikram, you know, whichever). Thank goodness the steadfast reporters of the NYT have come to our rescue with product reviews to answer our problems, accompanied by a pretty slideshow (definitely a slow news week). Featured brands include: yogabela, lulu, shakti activewear, and gear like Manduka mats and Yogitoes skidless towels, and not everything gets a rave review. Oh and sorry guys, you’re still out of luck, these hot skimpy yoga clothes are only for the ladies (unless you’re into that sort of thing, we won’t judge).
Though we’re not huge fans of the string bikini yoga attire ourselves (too much slipping and sliding in sweatiness), we understand it gets pretty hot in 105 degrees and you might need something easier to move around in…like underwear. Seriously, some of the clothes are so tiny we have to wonder, where’s the naked Bikram yoga? It’s a hot trend…someone copyright and franchise it asap!
[NYT]
[Photo: Evan Sung for The New York Times]
Earlier…Celebs Orgy Around Nude Yoga, A Nudie Bootie Gimmick
Personally, I’ve always found short shorts in a hot and sweaty room make it very hard to hold positions like vrkasana – coz every surface of the body is covered in sweat. Skin on skin is slippery, so its always good to have some fabric in between, I reckon…
That’s balls. If you do not have “skin on skin” then you are relying on a “prop” instead of your strength.
Balls to you too, friend. Not everyone enjoys the skin on skin slippery feeling! And unless you are about to tell me that you do all of your yoga without any props whatsoever (including a mat) then perhaps try being less offensive in your comments, eh what?
Regarding the skin-on-skin issue, I must add that I find skin on skin to produce less slippage. To me, vrksasana is easier if your foot rests on bare thigh rather than slick spandex; bakasana is easier if your knees press against bare arms rather than slippery sleeves.
But maybe that’s because I do not practice Bikram yoga and so I’m not drenched and dripping…
@Yoga Spy I don’t do Bikram, but my constitution (or perhaps my dosha imbalance!) sees me sweating at the drop of a hat. So, I’m always drenched in sweat from yoga class, unless its a very passive restorative class. Sigh…
Guess the thing is, everyone is different. And making a claim that one way is better than another, without walking a mile in someone else’s sweat is y’know… what do they say about moccasins again?
Yes Svasti, I do use a mat but only to keep the sweat from my balls off the carpet. Namaste.
What’s that YB, not strong enough to keep your balls from scraping on the ground? Or is it just that you have really, really short legs? Namaste to you, oh sweaty-groined one!