Most people sign up for a yoga class or begin practicing yoga in their homes with the desire to improve their mental and physical health. And it doesn’t matter if the primary objective revolves around losing weight, improving flexibility, relieving stress, getting better sleep, or even easing digestive issues - practicing yoga daily can help with all of those goals.
Unfortunately, some newer yogis don’t pay much attention to the yoga apparel they purchase to perform their yoga routine. While you certainly can practice yoga in any pair of yoga leggings, athletic shorts, or yoga tops - what you wear can have a big impact on both your performance and long term results.
Organic yoga clothing might carry a larger price tag than some synthetics, but in terms of what you get in return, quality organic yoga clothing is well worth the investment. Here are five reasons why you should consider making the move to organic cotton yoga pants and tops and investing in proper yoga attire.
Organic Yoga Clothing is Better or Your Health
Cotton is a “go to” fabric for yoga wear, but unfortunately the traditional processing methods are chemical laden and potentially dangerous. Cotton is one of the most chemically treated crops and many of the pesticides used during growth are possible or known carcinogens.
Organic cotton is grown without synthetic fertilizers and uses insects that feed on cotton pests to keep crop damage to a minimum without relying on pesticides. Buying organic keeps those harmful chemicals away from your skin.
Organic Cotton is More Sustainable
Speaking of synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides - they not only pose a potential danger to the women who come in contact with them, they wreak havoc on the land as well. Chemical runoff from traditional means of growing and processing cotton can pollute the soil and surrounding waterways, having a tremendously negative effect on other crops and wildlife.
Organic cotton farming and processing is viewed as far more sustainable because there is no extraneous damage done to the environment from the time of planting through harvesting. By opting for organic yoga clothing, you are doing your part to protect the environment with eco-friendly apparel.
Organic Clothes are Comfortable
Cotton is lightweight and breathable - an ideal fabric for clothing used for exercise like yoga. A fitted cotton top and cotton yoga pants will stay in place while moving with your body to keep you covered during inverted postures or bending movements, without being constricting or binding. This allows you to stay cool and comfortable throughout a challenging workout without any risk of accidental exposure.
Organic Yoga Clothes are Durable
Though it may not seem so to the casual observer, yoga can be a very intense and taxing form of physical activity. Deep stretches, bends, twists and inversions can push your body and your clothes to their breaking point.
Lower quality yoga gear can stretch and become misshapen around the knees, it can lose its form and elasticity and become baggy and unattractive. Relying on the yoga gear with the lowest price tag often means you’ll be back to the store to replace it early and often just so you can be comfortable and well covered in class.
Organic yoga clothing holds up exceedingly well to the rigors of regular yoga practice. Even with sessions that feature the most challenging postures, high quality organic yoga pants and tops will keep their form allowing you to attend class after class without fear of wardrobe malfunction or failure.
Organic Yoga Clothing Stands the Test of Time
One of the biggest concerns when it comes to yoga clothing, and yoga pants in particular, lies in the fact that they can become thin with wear. While any piece of clothing will experience some signs of degradation over time, especially if it is used regularly during heavy activity, thinning yoga pants can spell serious embarrassment for the wearer.
Yoga pants that start to wear thin can often become see through, leaving the yogi overexposed in all the wrong areas, and usually at the worst possible time (like in a crowded studio). High quality organic yoga clothes are constructed to stand up to rubbing on the mat and regular movement without compromise. This means that you won’t have to worry about showing too much even after you’ve worn your favorite pair of organic yoga pants to several months worth of rigorous classes.
Organic yoga clothing might cost a little bit more than synthetic or non-organic cotton, but taking into consideration the potential health benefits and difference in quality, organic yoga gear is well worth the investment.