Are Fitness Clothes Today all that Different from Yoga Clothing?
Over the past few decades yoga has been gaining widespread popularity all around the world, especially the west. With certified studios opening up in every country including the United States, Canada, and Australia, more and more people are getting into the drift to practice this holistic discipline.
Naturally, fitness clothing manufacturers are having to branch out to make clothing that will attract the yoga population as well. But, many retailers and customers are wondering if there are much differences in the current crop of fitness clothes and what you need for a yoga session. To come to any possible conclusion, one has to first look at the qualities that yoga clothing require. Let’s find out –
1. Yoga needs stretchable fabric
For a person to be able to do yoga properly and comfortably, they must have clothes made of a fabric that allows them to stretch without much of a movement restriction. This is very important because it will let students try out the most complicated poses without having to worry about any tear or other sort of distraction.
2. Yoga clothes need to be light weight as well
As a discipline, yogis promote lightness of mind and body, ease of breathing and attaining different postures without tension or struggle. That is the basis of the art form and for that, light weight clothing is something that one cannot at any cost forget about. If the clothes feel heavy, then the whole mechanism falls apart and the real peace of mind is not attained. In fact yoga clothes should not feel like any extra weight on the body – that is the reason why people who promote serious yoga, are seen doing it without much clothing, other than an underwear.
3. Light colors are important for promoting mental peace
Yoga as a discipline is very much bent on the effect of colors on our frame of mind and that is why good yoga clothes will always be in lighter shades, like white and sky blue. These colors promote a kind of mental state that is much likely to able to concentrate inwardly. This is also the reason why you will find many yoga studios with a very calm interior, often with natural scented candles and aquatic sounds which also have a calming effect on our consciousness.
These are the three main things that a yoga clothing apparel needs. Now, let’s take a look at whether yoga clothing manufacturers and fitness wear producers make similar type of garments that can take care of both purposes.
Most fitness and yoga apparel producers are in need of similar type of comfort and performance and that makes them very adept for both types. Today, they can be used alternatively and in most cases what differentiates them is the style and design of the clothing. While fitness and gym clothes are made with more hardcore colors and prints, yoga clothing is designed to promote calmness of the body and mind.
Another difference between the two is that all yoga clothing can used for fitness, running, and the gym. However the same cannot be said the other way around. Since yoga clothes are made from tough fabrics that offer no resistance of movement and stretch perfectly, it can be used for all kinds of workouts. However, there are gym clothes that do not have zero movement restriction and might be called more of a movement friendly clothing – which is different from yoga.
So yes, there are points of difference and points of similarity – and it is latter that bridging the former’s gap over time and in a continuous process. After reading this blog, you might have gotten a fair amount of idea about the congruities and incongruities of both clothing, well enough to answer the initial question by yourself!
