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| Not meant to be an example. |
1. Cleavage. I don’t mind a little cleavage peeking out of a flirty little black dress, but for yoga teachers this is a big no-no. As a teacher, your job is to help your student shift his focus internally. And that might be hard for him to do when your goods are on display.
2. Too Tight or Too Loose. See explanation with no-no Number 1. This is not the place to let it all hang out.
3. Body Hair. Some teachers can get away with this one.. Like men (which is SO not fair.) Or yoga teachers from foreign lands where shaving is not the cultural norm… But on the rest of us… body hair just looks kind of icky. If you don’t feel like shaving your legs, please just choose full length pants over capris or shorts–especially if you know you give a lot of up-close-and-personal adjustments.
4. Funky Feet. I have been guilty of this one a time or two.. You don’t have to have perfectly pedicured toes for every yoga class, but polish chipping off or thick calluses can be a distraction. Oh, and no toe nail fungus… EVER!
5. No Personality. I think one of the biggest fashion mistakes a yoga teacher can make is not letting their personalities speak through the way they look. A lot of teachers buy basic yoga pants and tops, and just throw them on and head to the studio. But if they had an office job, they might put a little more thought into their accessories. Don’t let the yoga clothing companies dictate your style! Once you have enough basics think of creative little touches you can add to your look that lets your personality shine–scarves, jewelry, wraps, bags, and leg warmers will all make your look more interesting and unique in a totally appropriate way!
What is the worst fashion mistake you’ve ever seen a yoga teacher make?
So true, on every count!! This isn't all that bad, but far too often, I see many teachers with severe camel toe – distracting.
Agree with Victoria, the camel toe is big issue with alot of teachers.
I'm guilty of forgetting to shave but luckily most of my cropped leggings are almost as long as full length pants on me!
I agree on the camel toe, very unbecoming. Also men who wear those skin tight shorts. Their bulge are sometimes a distraction.
Heaven help us larger chested instructors. I have yet to find a yoga or fitness tank that does NOT show a little cleavage in certain moves. It's a challenge to find tops that move with your body instead of against in terms of the "girls". If I wear a tee, then I have to worry about flashing them from the other angle. Fitted tees sometimes work, but I would like to see someone come up with a tank that gives some coverage and moves well while you workout.
I usually love your blog, but I have to admit, this post didn't resonate with me at all. Good hygiene and common sense should be all that's requried to know 'what to wear' for a yoga class. A good teacher doesn't need 'accessories' to allow his or her 'personality to shine'.
I arrive at my classes clean, neatly dressed and well-prepared to teach. Rather than spend my money on jewelry or 'yoga fashion accessories', I've invested my dollars it in workshops and training in order to better serve my students.
I ask my students to practice good hygiene and dress in a way that facilitiates a comfortable yoga practice. I apply those same standards to myself. Keep it simple and keep with the spirit of the practice.
Some of the most popular yoga teachers I know have big boobs and wear tight clothes. I am talking about classes that are 40 to 60 people deep every single day. It gets people in the door and then they hit 'em with the mind/body stuff. I am not saying it is right. I am just saying…..
Shanna
http://www.wellnessfrominside.typepad.com
@Victoria, @Drew, @Mel — Yes, Camel Toe goes under the category of TOO tight! 🙂
@B — I know! I'm sure it's hard.. Yoga clothes are sometimes so skimpy! I am not so well endowed.. but I've made the mistake of wearing a top I hadn't test driven to class before and I still kept spilling out! I guess the answer is to just keep trying on until you find something that works.. then buy duplicates!
@Kaivalya — Thanks for your comment. I'm afraid I didn't explain myself very well! You're totally right. And it doesn't matter what a teacher wears as long as he knows his stuff! I simply meant that a lot of people don't think about mixing in accessories from their everyday wardrobe with their yoga clothes–which is another way to express themselves. Obviously, presenting yourself in a warm, friendly, sincere way is WAY more important.. and if you don't have that authenticity it doesn't matter how good you look.
@Shanna — I hope it's not the teacher's clothes that gets students in the door! But I get it… we often are drawn to teachers who embody qualities we'd like to possess, and physical attractiveness isn't an exception.. I'd like to think it's not as important as other things, though.
@Spoiled Yogi
I'm still not sure 'accessories' (even if they come from your everyday wardrobe) are compatible or necessary. I teach upwards of 20 classes a week, travelling to various yoga centres with a bag of 'teaching stuff' (mat, stereo, Tibetan singing bowl, etc). I've learned to cull it down to what's absolutely necessary, otherwise, that bag weighs a TONNE!
In addition, I've found that anything short of a nice top, yoga pants and possibly non-dangly earrings, will tend to get in the way when I'm demoing poses. A few years ago, I was wearing a nice necklace in a class. As I demo'ed a jump-through, the pendant swung up and wacked me in the mouth. I had a fat lip for the rest of class! Now, I keep my jewelry more conservative 🙂
@Kaivalya I hear ya. Accessories are never necessary (that's why they're accessories!), but I think they're nice to and from class. I'm sure your students appreciate all the "teaching stuff," which is far more important than what you're wearing. 🙂
I think different things work for different teachers and perhaps I should be more careful with my generalizations next time… Forgive me?
I have to say, so far I am with Kaivalya on her first comment.
Accessories? They really do get in the way. Also there is the question of money and time, which is also another form of resource. I cannot make a living teaching Yoga so I really do not have the monetary resources to think and spend too much time on how I look when I teach.
I am always clean, make sure I brush my teeth, etc. And I also hope that students appreciate that I am just human and have not just escaped from the cover of Yoga Journal. Students worry already too much what they look like doing Yoga.
SpoiledYoga I do appreciate your responses to Kaivalya. We're are who we're and it seems the look matters a bit more to you than to me. And that's okay too.
Also body hair:I did not know that even was an issue! So I am glad to know that this might distract Yoga students. I shave but not super-duper well.(I am German so maybe they're more forgiving.)
Ahem, and I think Shanna might be right.
So what about male Yoga teachers and their appearance? Seems that once again they have it a lot easier. Sigh!
PS:As always cool post-even or because I do not quite agree.
-Sabine
I can't really think of any instructor really dressing inappropriately, with the exception of the too thin yoga tights. When in down ward facing dog the backside area shows through the weave of the fabric. And if course seeing holes in the crotch area is a real bummer too.
I have a corded anklet with beads and four little tiny coppers bells that make the tiniest jingle when I walk around the room. It's my favorite personal accessory and I wear it 24-7.
also agree with Kaivalya….
as for the camel toe remarks…really?!? seems to me that anyone who's looking at their teacher's crotches aren't too involved in their own practices and are easily distracted….try cultivating the inward gaze…
I'd rather have authentic, sincere teaching from a hairy, smelly teacher than from someone who's wearing the clothes to play the part of a yoga teacher.
I teach yoga. I'm not in a fashion show. I really don't want my students walking out of my class saying:
"Wow, did you see the scarf he was wearing with that tight-fitting Columbia sportswear shirt? Simply divine. I feel so much more focused now."
So, if it's about yoga teachers finding their personality, then we should fight the "L.A. Yoga" trend of being fashionistas (unless, of course, that's your personality).
Keeping my "stuff" in place while adjusting students or showing them a pose is important, though, so I'll stick to functional yoga clothes.
No offense but this comes off really trite. I don't know if this an attempt at being funny but in all my years of attending classes none of these are issues. Just seems you feel the real yoga world should look like more like Yoga Journal. Camel toes?
Please don't misunderstand. I don't think that a teacher's clothes are more important than the teachings… not even close!
But I do think that the way a teacher presents himself or herself is very important. Do I expect my yoga teachers to look like they stepped out of a magazine? No way! But it's not cool if they show up looking like they just rolled out of bed either.
Self care is a big part of yoga… and I think it's important to practice what you preach! Yoga teachers should have respect for their students and themselves in everything they do.
BTW this is for me, as a Yoga teacher, a really important discussion because it makes me more aware of the gaze we, especially as female teachers are dealing with.
So for me I am rather glad that SpoiledYogi raised the issue. And I think she made her position clear. Beyond that I appreciate that she expressed what likely a lot of our students think as well. So I rather know that.
BTW for me it reminded me once again of how demeaning I find the whole "camel toe" issue. Yuck! And like others pointed out:Why look "there"?
For me as a student cleanliness can be an issue. I had this wonderful Yoga teacher who strongly believed in the healing power of eating fresh garlic. I could smell him three meters away from me—and that was not that great.
Was great to check in again on this conversation!
-sabine
I work full time in the fashion industry in NY. I also practice and teach yoga. "Style" is personal and describes all looks. Someone who wears basic black stetchy pants and a white tank with no accessories has a style. Someone who is always sporting lululemon has a different style. Another teacher may wear a t-shirt with their studio's logo, be present pants and large quantities of jewelery. That is yet another style. We all have a look or style that describes who we are or how we are feeling that day. Function also plays a part of that too. No jewelry when you know you're going to demo an inversion makes sense.
I don't think it's that controversial to bring up a teacher's fashion sense or a certain appearance you prefer or expect. I am sure to a certain extent is also describes their teaching style. I would even suggest that the student that wears basic colors and no jewelery is attracted to teachers that dress similarly. I would also suggest that the student taking that particular teacher's class takes place at a studio where the main focus is on foundation (or basics) of a no-frills vinyasa practice. The studio itself may even be "styled" in the same mode. Pls keep in mind that there are always exceptions and layers to this assumption. I do not think that the way a teacher presents his or herself makes them any better than anyone else. But, wouldn't life be boring if everyone dressed and moved the same?
The way one dresses is a way of communicating and relating to the world and your students. It is absolutely normal to analyze, discuss and have a different point of view than the next yogi or yogini. For me Yoga and fashion are both supposed to be fun and each offer ways to express and learn more about your self.
The issue of how we present ourselves is really valid, especially given how commercialised yoga is in the US (here in the UK, yoga teachers TEND to be more on the comfy, slightly hippyish, it's-not-a-fashion-parade side of things).
My yoga teacher wears a light cotton salwar kameez with elasticated ankles. Under the tunic, it's sometimes possible to see that she's wearing a leotard.
She's covered from ankles to wrists to throat, and she doesn't look like she's hiding anything. Her clothing is a total non-issue. It's neither distractingly showy nor puritanical, is clean and fresh, and keeps her warm enough and cool enough.
Can we see what every single muscle is doing? No. She's able to describe how the movement feels, and because we're a small class, she can come round and make adjustments in a very easy way. And while it's good to know about the musculature, in class it's more important to me to know what I should be feeling, where I should be tightening and releasing, and what sensations are telling me I need to shift position or breathing.
We're encouraged to wear whatever's comfy: "If it's comfy, keeps you warm without making you hot, and stretches, it's yoga clothes."
It's not an issue of covered = moral and skimpy/tight = immoral. It's an issue of comfort for the teacher and class. I am baffled by the tightness and skimpiness of some yoga clothes, as they are simply not that comfy to me. And I have large breasts, so most yoga clothes don't fit me anyway.
If your boobs or buttocks are hanging out, people will notice. Mainly, if you're calm, centred, and enjoying yourself, people won't be looking at your clothes.
They also won't be looking at your body hair, or lack thereof, which is just as it should be anyway.