Dressing appropriately to head to your first few yoga classes can be intimidating. Even seasoned yogis sometimes wonder what clothing choices are appropriate for a particular class or in a given season. One of the most popular questions surrounding yoga attire is how compression pants can be worn to further your practice.
Compression pants have plenty of useful benefits for your time on the mat. For example, they can assist you with alignment and make you more aware of how your body is moving through the poses. However, many yogis wonder whether they will genuinely be warm enough for their regular yoga practice. In order to decide, first you have to take an objective look at your overall practice.
What Kind Of Yoga Do You Practice?
Knowing the intricate way that your yoga class or practice is structured can play a significant role in what clothing is appropriate. Compression pants are ideal for those who have sequences created to build heat within the body. Yogis who practice rigorous traditions, such as those of Ashtanga, Bikram, or Vinyasa yoga, prefer clothes that allow their skin to breathe and wick away sweat during an intense section of the practice. Compression pants are perfect for this application.
On the other hand, gentler types of yoga aren’t going to create the same kind of heat. In an air-conditioned studio without a more intense, sweat-inducing practice, compression pants may leave your muscles feeling cold. Cold muscles are difficult to stretch profoundly and can prevent you from moving as deeply into your practice as you would like to.
What Is The Weather Like?
You also need to keep in mind what it will be like to travel to and from your yoga class if you don’t have a primarily home-based practice. Colder weather can be very hard on your muscles and joints, so you need to ensure that you are insulating and protecting them appropriately. Compression pants are great for summer months when the heat is a recurring theme from sunup until sundown. Unfortunately, winter makes it much more difficult.
Consider layering your compression pants under thicker or warmer pants during the winter month if you’re heading to a hot yoga class or one that builds heat. It allows you to remain cool during the class while still protecting your body from the chill. Not only that, but it can be detrimental for your muscles to absorb the sudden shock of the cold when you exit class to return to your car. Layering gives you an opportunity to make the transition more slowly and to retain some of the heat you built up during the practice.
Compression pants can undoubtedly be warm enough for your practice, depending on your particular style, where you practice, and what season you’re in. Your answer may vary based on the fluid nature of your practice or just the rotation of the calendar. Make sure that you take the proper precautions to take good care of your body in each and every season, allowing you to practice good self-care and self-compassion.
