Editor’s Note: I’ve gotten tons of requests from readers to talk about yoga fashion options for the curvy yoginis among us. Now, I’ve been called a lot of things in my day… but curvy is not among the most common, so I deferred to an expert on this one. My friend Anna Guest-Jelly from CurvyYoga.com was gracious enough to share her insights. Enjoy her guest post, and don’t forget to add any of your own tips by commenting below! — SpoiledYogi
8 Ways to Put the Fatshion in Yoga
By Anna Guest-Jelly
By Anna Guest-Jelly
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| Anna Guest-Jelly, CurvyYoga.com |
Yoga is for every body, right?
Tell it the major yoga clothing retailers.
I may rock the curvy party in yoga class, but looking cute while doing it is no easy feat. Some of the major yoga clothing companies (*cough*Lululemon) only go up to size 12. For sheer bottom-line reasons alone, this doesn’t make any sense. The last time I checked, the average American woman is a size 14, so these companies are missing out on a lot of curvy moolah. And, of course, from a yogic standpoint, only making clothes for people up to size 12 sends an unfortunate message that if you’re bigger than that then yoga isn’t for you.
Well, guess what I say to that?
Screw it–and embrace yoga fatshion! (Nope, that isn’t a typo.)
The great thing about yoga is you can wear whatever you want. If you’re in my class and you roll in in your PJs, that’s fine by me (as long as they’re not stinky, but that’s another story for another day). But if you want to up your curvy cute factor on the mat, here are eight ways to give it a go:
- Look outside the fitness section of clothing stores. I’ve gotten quite a bit of my yoga outfits from the non-fitness sections of clothing stores. I look for clothes that are cute and easy to move around in (go ahead and give it the Down Dog test in the dressing room); if I find something in the wear-to-work section instead of fitness, that’s okay by me.
- Shop online. It can be painful to scour the mall for plus-sized yoga clothes (or, really, anything). Shopping online gives you so many more options, and more and more places are offering free shipping. I’ve got a great list of places I like here; if you know another one, please send it my way! (Bonus: very few clothing items at these places require a co-signer to purchase.)
- Determine what you need to feel comfortable: You don’t want to worry about your clothes during yoga class, so make sure you look for clothes that fit that bill. On a related note,
- Don’t settle: If you hate your outfit or feel self-conscious about what you’re wearing, it may be harder to relax into your practice.
- Accessorize: If you’re not loving your clothing options, you can always add in something that makes you feel fabulous. There are plenty of choices that won’t get in the way of your practice, including scarves and rings. As long as what you choose won’t clatter together (bangles) or put someone’s eye out (pointy ring), you should be fine.
- Get Creative: If your pants have that stretch-out-too-quickly problem, try tights or a leotard underneath to avoid getting to know your neighbor too well too fast. If you’re worried about your boobs popping out and suffocating you during inversions, try a tight-fitting, high-necked tank (under another top, if you’d like).
- Make Your Own: There’s no way I could do this because it literally took me six months just to figure out how to thread my sewing machine. But if you’ve got the skillz, put ‘em to work! (And then call me and let’s start a clothing line together!)
- Remember How Curv-riffic You Are: Sometimes curvy clothes shopping can get a gal down, but don’t let it. More and more companies are making clothes for us every day. Keep giving your dollah bills to the ones who get it and girlcott the ones who don’t.
Moral of the story? Yoga fatshion doesn’t have to be a time-consuming, soul-sucking, body drama-creating endeavor. Figure out what makes you feel fantastic on the mat, and then wear it with all the curvy confidence in the world. After all, if our yoga practice teaches us anything, it’s that what we need most is already inside us. How we dress it up from there is up to each of our uniquely glamorous selves.
Anna Guest-Jelley is a bit of an anomaly: a curvy woman who practices and teaches yoga. Despite not dreaming of putting her leg behind her head (without going to the hospital, at least), she learns/practices/teaches yoga because of its transformative powers in her life. For more Curvy Yoga goodness, visit Anna’s website or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.
I love this post. It is fantabulous and Anna is a terrific writer.
Seriously. LOVE 😀
Great post! Love it!
LOVE
Great Post!!! Unfortunately, what I've also found when shopping for Yoga clothes is that a size 12 is actually a size 8 in real life clothes anyway. *sigh*
Thank you – this made my day! I am a size 14/16 and finding cute yoga/workout stuff is hard. I was looking at Forever 21 the other day and was so disappointed they had athletic stuff up the wazoo but nothing over a size 8. :/
Fabulous post! Thank you Anna. I'd like to ask yoga clothing manufacturers to please cut their yoga clothes true to size. I'm 5'9" and wear a size 10 jeans. Yet Lululemon pants don't fit (which is probably good because I can't afford them anyway) and any yoga tanks I buy are always an extra large. And then I'm lucky if I"m not bulging out the sides. Yoga makes me feel good about my body, but shopping for yoga clothes makes me run screaming from the dressing room!
Wonderful post! I also love to look for organic or fair trade options in clothing, yoga and otherwise and this is another place where curvy women aren't being served all that well, or if there are clothes in a size that would fit they only offer it in black. Black is awesome but every once in a while a girl wants some color on her body!
One place I have had some success with this sort of thing has been second hand and consignment shops.
Not very helpful. Like WHERE can we find real plus-sized items? She mentioned wearing a high-necked shirt. Well, what are her examples of those? It doesn't matter how many shirts I wear they slip down and my boobs give the class quite a show. I am 18/20 and 36FF. I feel so helpless. I go to yoga three times a week. It is humiliating not being able to find clothes that will cover up the goods. Better luck next time with your guest author. Not impressed. No real helpful suggestions. Just vague suggestions.
One thing yoga teaches you is to be accept where you are now. Correct? In my opinion i'm shocked heavy women would WANT to wear lulu. Have you ever hear the saying – WEARING SPANDXEX IS A PRIVLEGE NOT A RIGHT! Thank GOD lulu doesn't make above a 12. It gives the fatties something to look forward to, when, if they loose the pounds. I advise AVOIDING spandex, get a pair of those be present pants. They flatter full figures.
now that's just plain bitchy….if I wasn't in my zenzone, I'd have to say something like….."I hope some day you are curvy!". I won't say it though…..ommmmmmmm. :o)
Sybil
To Anonymous 1 post above…..have you tried an Enell bra? (www.enell.com). It's truly the mother of all bras. It will hold your chacha's in place – no problem. It's not the most attractive, but it's the best sports bra I've ever tried. (Oprah is a fan of them.)
Enell is not come in my size. Even if it did, when I bend down, you would still see them come above the tshirt opening. (Anon1)
Anon, There's link to a list of companies that offer clothes that work for Anna! Did you miss those examples? I'm sorry you feel helpless, but I'm thrilled that you're practicing 3 times a week despite the added challenge of finding appropriate clothes. That's an inspiration. Keep practicing, and please let us know if you find clothes that work for you!
Anon2, Yoga teaches us to accept where we are now, that is correct.. so no one needs to look forward to the privilege of Spandex! That's just wrong. Besides, I've seen tone plus-size ladies that look fabulous in stretchy clothes… But looking fabulous is NOT the main reason to wear Spandex-like fabrics. It allows freedom of motion and lets yoga teachers see the body's alignment–things that could help yoga students of ALL sizes.
(Anon1) I clicked on the resources list. Nothing there that will help with the covering of the girls.
Wow, I am absolutely shocked at Anon2. This is why I don't allow Anon comments on my blog. When you actually have to tie an identity to your posts you're less likely to say vile hurtful things.
Not every woman should strive for the "priviledge to wear spandex" that is just absurd. I know women who are larger, curvy, big-boned, whatever you want to say, who have better cardio health, flexibility and stamina than a lot of smaller sized women. So saying someone who is skinny is automatically more appealing or healthier is just not true.
Additionally, I entirely agree with Spoiled Yogi, wearing form fitting clothing allows us to better understand alignment and gives fuller motion. It's not about looking hot, it's about being practical. While the hotness factor might be more important at certain studios or gym yoga classes I have never read in a text for my YTT program the necessity of being sexy in order to practice yoga.
Although as a personal trainer and nutrition counselor I disagree that being extremely overweight is a healthy way to live your life – as it taxes your liver, heart, and dependent on diet leads to things like type 2 diabetes – it is even more unhealthy to be overweight and striving for the "privilege to wear spandex". (Seeing as a size 12 can be a dress size belonging to an amazingly fit woman.)
Something like spandex should never be a motivator to lose weight, and never be something to be "proud of" for those who slip on the spandex and look smooth as buttah. Be proud of being healthy, fit, treating your body right, but not proud of a dress size.
How sad would life be if your biggest accomplishment was looking good in spandex?
To the vapid Anonymous-rudy-poo: Guess that's why you didn't leave your name. I wouldn't want anyone to know who I was if I was as shallow as you either.
Great post. I love yoga and wearing comfortable clothing in yoga class gives me mental peace and increases my self confidence. I really got help from you to make my wardrobe beautiful. After reading your suggestion now I feel fabulous.
Life coaching for women
Thanks for the tips.
Raquel
Good suggestions.
Michael
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