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Pose & Pause

What to Wear Guide

What to Wear to Your First Yoga Class

You do not need to buy anything. You need to check two things about what you already own, and leave three things at home.

By Janet H.Updated How we pick
An empty studio with two mats laid out on the floor
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The short answer

Leggings or shorts you can squat in, a fitted or tuckable top, and bare feet. That is it. Nothing new, nothing bought for the occasion — wear something you already know behaves, because a first class is a bad time to discover that a waistband rolls.

The two checks

Both take under a minute and they catch essentially every wardrobe problem a first class throws up.

1. Bend fully forward in front of a mirror, in daylight. Look at the seat of whatever you are planning to wear. If you can see skin tone through the fabric, wear something else. This is the check nobody does and everybody should — the full method is here.

2. Get on all fours and look down. If your top falls forward toward your face, it will do the same in downward dog for an hour. Tuck it in, wear a fitted one, or pick something cropped.

A third, optional check if you have a high waistband: hinge forward and see whether it rolls. If it does, that is the thing you will be adjusting all class.

What to leave at home

  • Socks and shoes. Yoga is barefoot. Your feet grip the mat; socks slide. Pilates studios are different — many require grip socks — so check which you are going to.
  • Jewelry. Rings and bracelets press into your hands in weight-bearing poses, and long necklaces swing into your face.
  • Strong fragrance. You will be in a warm room, close to other people, for an hour.
  • A belt, a zip or a hood. All three dig in when you lie on them.
  • Anything brand new. New kit has unknown behavior and a first class has enough unknowns.

What to bring

Water, and that is genuinely most of it. Studios supply mats, and for a first class using theirs is sensible — you will learn what you want from a mat before you buy one, and our beginner mat picks will still be here afterwards.

A small towel is worth having if the room is warm. A hair tie if you need one. Nothing else, and specifically not props — studios have blocks and straps, and bringing your own to a first class marks you out in a way nobody enjoys.

Arrive ten minutes early, tell the teacher it is your first class, and say if anything hurts. All three are normal and all three make the hour better.

The picks

If you do want to buy something

A legging that stays up, a top that cannot ride up, and a bra that does not move when you invert.
  • Stock photo: a row of people in black sportswear against a plain backgroundStock photo

    Soft leggings on a budget

    CRZ YOGA Butterluxe High-Waisted Leggings

    The buttery-soft legging that everyone compares to the premium originals, at roughly a quarter of the price. Soft fabric picks up lint and pet hair, and that is the honest catch.

    Check price on Amazon

    #ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to CRZ YOGA Butterluxe High-Waisted Leggings

  • Stock photo: hands holding a stack of neatly folded tops in earthy tonesStock photo

    One layer instead of two

    ODODOS Cropped Tank with Built-In Bra

    One garment instead of two, with enough built-in support for mat work. Cropped, so it will not slide over your head when you fold.

    Check price on Amazon

    #ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to ODODOS Cropped Tank with Built-In Bra

  • Stock photo: a sports bra, sneakers, mat and earphones laid out on a pale surfaceStock photo

    Not riding up in inversions

    CRZ YOGA Longline Sports Bra

    Longline cut means it does not ride up when you go upside down, which is the single most useful feature in a yoga bra. Light support only.

    Check price on Amazon

    #ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to CRZ YOGA Longline Sports Bra

The things people are actually worried about

The clothing question is usually standing in for a different one. Here are the answers to the questions underneath it.

“Everyone will be able to do it except me.” Beginner classes are full of beginners, and in a mixed class the range is enormous. More to the point, nobody is looking at you: in half the poses everyone is upside down and in the other half they are concentrating on not falling over.

“I am not flexible enough.” This is like saying you are too dirty for a bath. It is also why blocks exist — a block makes the pose available at the body you have, and the studio will have some.

“What if I do not know what the words mean?” You will not, for a few classes. Follow the person in front, and when a pose is named in Sanskrit the teacher almost always says the English immediately afterwards. Nobody expects you to arrive with the vocabulary.

“What if I need to stop?” Then stop. Sitting down for a minute, or lying on your back, is a completely normal thing to do in a yoga class and no teacher will comment on it. The one thing worth doing is telling them at the start if you have an injury, so they can offer you an alternative rather than an adjustment.

“Do I need to buy anything first?” No. Studios have mats and props, and using theirs for a few weeks tells you what you actually want before you spend — the beginner kit page is there for when you are ready.

How we picked

Chosen on published criteria, and we say so

Most gear sites open by telling you how many hours they spent with the products. We have not used most of these, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Every pick here is chosen against criteria we publish — grip, cushioning, size options, what buyers report after a year of use, and whether the thing is still actually sold — and every manufacturer figure on the page is labeled as the maker's claim.

Nobody pays for a place on this page, no product was supplied free in exchange for coverage, and a specification the maker does not publish is never guessed at. See the full criteria and weighting.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What should I wear to my first yoga class?

Leggings or shorts you can squat in, a fitted or tucked top, and bare feet. Wear something you already own and already trust.

Do you wear socks to yoga?

No, yoga is barefoot. Pilates studios frequently require grip socks, so check which class you are attending.

Should I bring my own mat to a first class?

Not necessarily. Studios have mats, and using one first tells you what you want before you buy.

What should I not wear to yoga?

Anything loose over your head, anything with a zip or a belt you will lie on, jewelry, and strong fragrance.

Should I wear shorts or leggings to my first class?

Whichever you already own and already trust. If both, leggings are the slightly safer first choice: a mat sticks to bare thighs in seated poses, which is a small surprise nobody warns you about.

What do I do with my hair?

Tie it back, and low rather than high — a topknot is uncomfortable the moment you lie on your back, which in most classes is within the first two minutes and again at the end.

Related

Keep reading

Update log

What changed

  • First published.

Receipts

Sources

  1. 1.NCCIH (US National Institutes of Health) — Yoga: What You Need To Know
  2. 2.OutdoorGearLab — The Best Yoga Pants
  3. 3.NBC Select — The best yoga props and apparel
  4. 4.Manduka — hot yoga essentials

We have not used every product on this page, and we do not pretend otherwise. Thicknesses, materials, sizes and warranty terms are the manufacturer's published figures, shown as their claims. Anything about materials, skin or injury is linked to a source. Prices are set by Amazon and change constantly, so we never print one. Read the full method.