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| Hi!
I have two questions:
1) Where can I order good women's yoga clothes? E.g. shorts that are decent and won't keep sliding up but not too tight either, and capris. Preferably not too expensive either. I have some yoga pants I got from Costco and love them (TUfts brand) but they don't have them anymore.
2) I've been doing yoga for a few months now and it gets so sweaty that my mat becomes a bit slippery. Is this avoidable by getting a better yoga mat? Just wondering what my options are. I just bought the cheapest mat from Target! Maybe I should have got a better quality one.
Thanks,
gtrekker2003 |
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| my favorite yoga clothes i bought at American Apparel. i have tank tops (with built in bras) and yoga pants from them. the clothes fit great, the prices are great, and they're fair trade! the web site is: http://www.americanapparel.net
as for mats, my favorite mats (not earth friendly) are the german mats that you can get at http://www.yogapro.com . i first started using these mats while doing hot yoga (baptiste power yoga), and once i started using this kind of mat, i never slipped. i prefer to 2 mm to the 4 mm--but some people like a bit more padding. also, i find this mat to be very affordable, and with daily use, they tend to last about a year (then they start 'pilling' a bit). even with the pilling, they can go for another year, but you're loosing mat fast. i cut them up once they're old and donate them to the local animal shelter where they're used to line cages for animal comfort.
aside from those german mats, i like the jade harmony. it's a rougher texture, so more grip, but also less comfortable on the hands than the german mat. they're also made with natural rubber and cotton/hemp thread. they don't break down quickly at all--most of them look brand new after 2-3 years of consistent to heavy use. they are considerably more expensive than the german mat too--double or triple the price.
i recommend cutting up your target mat to use as bath mats (no slip in the shower!), props for yoga (extra padding under knees, etc), or donating them to the animal shelter.  get the new mat--it's a great investment.
or, if you want a really quick fix so that you can continue to use the mat you have, get two hand towels. place one at your feet and one at your hands. 
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Our studio uses the German mats and they have lasted for 3 years, with most students in each class using them rather than bringing their own. I think ours are the 4 mm. I love them. They are just beginning to deteriorate now and I have to order new ones - TODAY! (madly writes on to-do list...   )
My favourite suggestion for clothes is to find a place locally where they make dance clothes - every town big enough to have a dance studio where they teach ballet and tap to little kids has one. Take the stuff that you know you like in to them and have them make some to order. It will cost more than Target, but you will get exactly what you like and the colour choices will be better. Just don't go in May - that is festival month and they get a little crazy then |
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| that's a good idea tourist.
i have my wrap dress (from american apparel) in black and my black pants, but i'm really tired of looking like i'm going to a funeral. i try to color it up with tank tops, scarves, etc, but i'm not completely happy with it.
so, i'm thinking of finding a dance wear maker and seeing if s/he could make some clothes in some nice colors or patterns, in the fabrics that i want/like, and so on.
i love that salwar kameez look, but they don't tend to come in wraps. it's such a comfortable, sophisticated mode of dress. i just love it.
and when i dress like that, people treat me like i'm a queen or something. it's really nice. i get lots of compliments.
so i definitely want to 'go that way' in regards to dressing. but, i also know that i'll have to have it made.
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| Those built in bras shirts are really hard to fold.
I always get confused when I'm doing laundry..
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| I just get clothes from Target or wherever. I usually end up in a sports bra by the end. I don't think AA quality is that great. There are pirate lotus pants from yoga tribe/yoga culture I am coveting, but I won't pay $60 for yoga pants. I live in NYC and people will show up w. their Marc Jacobs yoga bags and head to toe LuLu Lemon.
I was wondering the same thing about mats. I have this mat (http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product/95-1360_MSTR), which is one of those eco mats and I hate it. It slips all over the place. I like my mats thicker than usual. I may just go buy and old fashioned sticky mat taht makes that satisfying sticky sound as it unrolls. What about those yogitoes towels. Do they do anything interesting?
Who has the money to spend on custom made yoga clothes that are just going to get nasty and washed a million times?
Edited by ShaktiGrrl 2007-08-08 1:32 PM
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| What is the german mat called? I looked on yogapro but couldn't find one that said it was 'german'.
Thanks for the tips,
gtrekker2003 |
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| the jade harmony mats are worth the money and come in three thicknesses.
yogi toes towels are not (you can get regular sport towels for a lot less, made of the same material without the plastic dimpling on the back, that does the same thing or just use a regular hand towel as i do when i need to).
as far as having things made, it's not as expensive as one might think. In fact, when i had the situation priced out for myself and myhusband (his entire wardrobe), the amount of money was surprisingly low considering the great quality that we were getting.
beyond this, not all of us need yoga clothes that are going to get "sweaty and nasty." i teach yoga, so it's important that i look nice while teaching--clean, nice clothing. i tend to either buy high end clothing to teach in or--as i'm considering now--having it made.
with this, whenever i go to study with my teacher, i dress up as much as i can. i make sure that i'm wearing nice clean clothing, that i'm well kept, and that everything is 'the best' that i can offer. i consider going to class similar to going to church--but that is partly because of the nature of my relationship with my teachers.
i do not wear junky clothes out of the house in general--even if i am going to get them 'sweaty and nasty.' it is really important for me to look appropriate, to look nice--and i offer that to both my students and my teachers, as well as my fellows, out of respect for them and this whole process of Yoga.
with this, since i teach so often, i want clothing that can look nice and not look like i belong in a gym or yoga studio when i am going between classes and about my daily business. i also don't want to have to change my clothes 10 or 20 times a day unless i get sweaty (i always carry spare yoga outfits around, though i generally do not get sweaty or dirty while teaching). that's why i want to have salwar kameez made. i've shopped for them, and they are not traditional with a wrap dress that is easy to take on and off. i don't feel comfortable pulling something over my head 10 times a day either, but the wrap dress that i have works really well.
so, i'd like to have different colors and fabrics than what i have, and it makes sense that if i can't find what i want, then i should have it made. doesn't it? |
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| this is it:
http://www.yogapro.com/mats/mats.html
Our mat is the Original "Sticky Mat". Refined and perfected for over 20 years,
it is one of the most popular on the market. Made in Germany, you'll recognize the
characteristic bumpy texture that provides superior traction. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Yep, that's our mat. I went and measured and ours are only 2 mm. I still have my original one from 10 years ago, though it gets minimal use nowadays.
The custom clothes are surprisingly not that expensive. They keep a stock of standard stuff that I fit into now, but when I was bigger, they would change the length of pants for 5 bucks. And they made a set of loose capris to match the length of my capri tights, so I can wear them before and after class without my tights showing, if I want. And since I don't do a particularly sweaty style of yoga (Iyengar - not to say we never sweat, but not like Bikram) the washing isn't an issue. And like ZB, I wear my "nice" yoga clothes for teaching so I like to look presentable. They go in a cycle - first for teaching, then when they are worn a bit (usually a year or more) they become "go to class" clothes, then they are demoted (or promoted, depending on how you look at it...  ) to home practice, then finally they join the "just for painting or gardening" pile  |
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| Have you tried to wash your mat? Some of the mats that Target sales are fine.
One of my teachers recommends taking the mat in the shower with you. And he recommends doing this multiple times.
I've also heard of people leaving their mats in the sun???
These things aren't easily recycled - so I'd make an effort to find a way to make it work before giving up on it.
I don't buy particular yoga clothes - I wear whatever I have that is comfortable and loose fitting.
I am a bit anal about matching - and I am bummed that one of my favorite pair of pants seems to have shrunk. But I've never felt it was necessary to have "yoga" only clothes.
Good luck.
Vic |
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| No, I didn't wash it. Should I have? Will that make it better and less slippery? |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Yes, washing will really help your mat get stickier. |
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| If you sweat - the Jade Harmony is a great investment. It is very grippy, even when wet. I have had mine for about 2 months and it just gets better and better, even in "hot" vinyasa flow classes. Cleaning it also helps; I use a spray mat cleaner that does the trick.
Edited by dwd 2007-08-09 12:27 AM
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| What is a spray mat cleaner? |
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| basicly anything that you can spray on it that will disinfect it a bit.
you might consider a mix of vinegar (white, distilled) and water, or tea tree oil and water. these tend to give the best results for keeping bacteria and mold down.
wash your mat in a front-loading washing machine and line dry it. when you buy it, it comes with a 'sheen' on it that will keep it from disintegrating while it's in transport and being stored for sale. once it's sold, it can start disintegrating--right? i mean, you own it and are using it, so it will.
so, you wash it and it starts that process. it takes off the sheen first, and then it's stickier. and then, the mat itself will start to break down.
that's why it's a good idea to have an understanding of what you're going to do with 'dead" mats. and that's why i cut them up and give them to animal shelters. they'll eventually wear out there, and i guess they then get thrown away. but at least they got well used. i use mine until they're thread bare (literally holes in them) where the hands and feet usually are. i cut out the center section (between the holes) and i give that away to the shelters. i use the other parts as pot holders--simply cutting them into squares or rounds around the holes.
it works well enough. |
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Yoga Clothes for Women and Mat
