Yoga is one practice which looks deceptively simple. And there’s no need for any fancy clothes or wear for this. A comfortable yoga mat and comfortable clothes is all you need.
I have an Asian mat at home and it’s made from palm leaves. I’m told that this particular mat was made in a small town in a fishing community, and that in that country the town is famous for this mat. It’s a durable mat and eco-friendly.
With regards to clothing, I exercise at home with shorts which look like boxer briefs, or in my hawaiian shorts. In the gym, however, yoga gear may be a problem as some yoga instructors from the old school insist on a particular type of clothing. This is specially true of the stricter forms of yoga, including the Iyengar school.
Some schools of thought are more strict in the implementation. The emphasis is in how the muscles interact. And in such schools of yoga, it’s important for the instructor to see the individual muscles. Having had my share or accidents while exercising, as well as various body aches and pain as I approach middle-age, I understand where these precautions are coming from.
Much like the directions from the weights instructor, these are for the practitioner’s own good. The yoga poses and stances are static and anaerobic. Keeping the poses imposes discipline on the muscles. The wrond posture can lead to problems and pain later on. The poses may look easy because there’s no movement, but you can feel the tension in the muscles which means that the poses work.
With a yoga instructor watching for wrong posture, it is important that the muscles can be seen. Viewed from this perspective, it’s understandable to have yoga clothes which are comfortable, allows the body to move, and at the same time show the pertinent muscle group.
