Yoga Pants for Women

Women know too well how elusive that perfect pair of jeans can be. Luckily, this does not apply when it comes to shopping for the best yoga pants for women. Women, both young and old, have fallen in love with yoga pants because they’re very comfortable to wear AND they make you look good. Here is the low down on yoga pants if you’re curious to join the bandwagon and get your own perfectly comfortable pair.

Different Styles and Types of Yoga Pants

Yoga pants come in different styles, lengths, colors, and designs. You have probably noticed that a lot of non-workout clothing lines now also offer yoga pants because they have gotten so popular among women. But if you’re shopping for yoga pants for doing actual yoga, you should know the different types and styles they come in and how they can affect how you do your yoga exercises.

Long Yoga Pants

Some people still get confused between yoga pants and leggings. While leggings technically ARE as long as pants, and can have enough stretch in them to be used for doing yoga exercises, these two are still classified differently. Long yoga pants almost exclusively refers to the long, slightly loose pants made of a combination of cotton and lycra. The difference between your typical tights that you use for running and working out at the gym and yoga pants is the amount of stretch in the material.

You can wear yoga pants for doing other forms of fitness workouts, but you can’t use just any workout pants for doing yoga because they might not be stretchable enough to let you do different yoga poses. Long yoga pants can be straight-cut or have slightly wide leg bottoms. For beginners, we recommend straight-cut yoga pants to minimize the risk of tripping over loose cloth when moving quickly through different yoga poses.

Capri-Style or Cropped Yoga Pants

Choosing between capri-style or cropped yoga pants and long yoga pants is primarily a matter of preference. Some women like it short, while some are more comfortable with long pants. Either way, the requirements for material used remains the same — the yoga pants you choose should be able to hold and/or absorb sweat, and should be stretchable enough to allow unrestricted leg and hip movement.

Cropped yoga pants are ideal for those taking a beginner’s yoga class so the instructor can easily see and monitor if your legs and hips are in proper alignment when you hold poses. Those who are doing Hot Yoga may also prefer cropped yoga pants over long ones simply because they want to cool down faster.

Maternity Yoga Pants

The only difference between maternity yoga pants and regular yoga pants for women is the waistband elasticity. Naturally, those who have a bun in the oven would need more room for their tummies. Some maternity yoga pants are made with foldable waistbands, which are ideal if you plan on doing yoga until your last trimester. With this type of yoga pants, you can wear your yoga pants higher so that most of your tummy will have cover and support.

There are also maternity yoga pants with a fixed length, but with an elastic waistband that can accommodate your growing tummy. There are also maternity yoga pants with a special stitching on the area right below the waist for those who might need extra support to do yoga exercises.

It’s undeniable that yoga pants have become wildly popular because they make the thighs and butt look good. But if you’re serious about doing yoga, comfort should still, and always, be your primary consideration when shopping for yoga pants. Your efforts of looking good at the yoga studio will be useless if you can’t even do a Triangle Pose or a Seated Forward Bend without flinching in discomfort in your yoga pants.