Favorite Yoga Pants
I wear a lot of yoga pants, which is not surprising since I am a yoga teacher. Through the years I have gone through countless numbers of these pants through many different fashion changes. When I first began yoga, tight leggings were in style. Things then changed and nobody wore tight leggings because the loser fit yoga pants were the fashion. Then the fashion seemed to take a trend towards very billowing and lose yoga pants, then back to more straight leg and finally has turned the corner back towards the tighter fit leggings. I am happy to report that as of now, anything you happen to wear for your pants in a yoga class is totally in fashion.
As I have said, these days just about anything will work for you in the fashion arena so you can afford to focus totally on comfort. With that in mind I thought I would share with you my favorite yoga pants. As I have said I have been through a lot of pants since these are in pretty much constant use and with repeated washings eventually wear out. It is very important for those who wish to retain at least a little bit of dignity to regularly check your yoga pants for signs of wear. Broken seams in the crotch area are a problem as is the ever present threat of see-through fabric in the butt.
One thing that can prolong the life of yoga pants is choosing a long lasting fabric. There is an incredible variety of fabrics to choose from including synthetics like nylon and polyester to organic cotton and hemp. Most yoga pants will be a blend of substances and if you like them to be stretchy there there will be some small percentage of lycra or spandex.
Hemp fabric is similar to cotton in its breathable and porous nature, however hemp is more durable and wears better after repeated washing. Industrial grade hemp is still illegal to grow in most parts of the world even though it is a plant that requires no irrigation nor pesticides and its cultivation improves soil health. Be that as it may, due to restrictions on the plant most hemp is grown in China and then imported.
As a fabric by itself, hemp is not very soft, but when blended with other fibers such as organic cotton, recycled polyester or spandex the cloth is quite soft and grows softer with wear and laundering.
The first hemp blend cloth yoga pants I ever tried were the Mina Wear roll top boot cut. They are 27% hemp, 68% organic cotton and 5% spandex which makes them very soft. These are also some of the most vibrant of colors and I even have a tie dyed pair that Mina made especially for me (one of the perks of meeting her at a yoga conference). Her yoga pants tend to run slightly large, so what is listed as a medium is really more a medium/large. I really like her style and I would probably own every color she makes but she is currently out of my size.
Minawear’s low inventory had me searching for other hemp blend yoga pants and I found a great one with PrAna’s Linea Pant. This one is 53% hemp, 42% organic cotton and 5% spandex. Due to the increased amount of hemp it is not as soft of fabric as the Minawear, but that does not diminish how really nice these pants are. The seams are all double stitched and this one has a wide waistband which is very comfortable. It also has these little pockets on the back, which for me are totally useless, but hey, if you need pockets they are there.
All in all these are my top choices in yoga pants. I have had the Minawear for almost a year now and they show no sign of wear or fading and I have worn/laundered them quite a bit. The weave of the fabric makes them slightly thicker than some yoga pants but the fabric breathes very well. These have taken me through the heat of our summer and now I know they will keep me warm in the winter as well. They are pricier than some yoga pants out there, but these are going to be around for quite some time. If you are looking for a high quality and attractive yoga pant, you can’t go wrong with the hemp blends.
Nice stuff. As Yoga has become one of the inseparable parts of our daily life, it is very common fact to choose our cloths, which should be comfortable and also suggest our work-outs. You have referred a lot of items for the same and it is truly a fact that there are several measures of different companies to represent Yoga cloths. I may suggest the name of Rock & Rouge, as I have got the most comfortable and suitable collection from them.