Best attire for Hot Yoga

If there’s one guarantee about a hot yoga class, it’s that you’ll sweat…. A lot! A friend of mine tricked me into going to my first hot yoga class, but I couldn’t be happier about it. My friend asked me to try a new yoga place and neglected to tell me it was hot yoga. I’m pretty sure I drank a latte before I went and wore a t-shirt. I was clearly not prepared for the class but still had a great experience. I didn’t think I’d like it because of how warm the room would be, but I remember thinking how much deeper I could get into poses because of how warmed up my muscles were. I quickly learned the importance of hydration and proper attire.

Here are my key recommendations for what to wear and bring to a hot yoga class:

Make sure to wear some sort of work out capris. It’s tempting to wear shorts because of the heat in the room, but remember, in hot yoga you will sweat. I mean literally your entire body will be covered. As someone who doesn’t sweat a lot, I leave hot yoga classes with sweat on my arms and legs which I don’t normally experience. So, if I’m sweating on my legs they are going to be slippery which will make poses like crow pose hard to perform in shorts. Capris will keep your legs covered and wick the sweat away from your body so your arms won’t slip.

Don’t wear cotton. Earlier I mentioned that I wore a t-shirt to my first hot yoga class. This was a terrible idea because the back of my shirt got soaked and ended up sticking to me, which is not comfortable. You want to wear tops that will work to keep sweat off your body so you can better perform poses and feel comfortable. What pants you wear are also important, rather than just regular leggings, make sure to wear specific leggings for yoga or other types of exercise. These will keep the moisture off of your legs.

My last piece of advice is to make sure you bring a towel and some water to class. The towel will be helpful to wipe some sweat away as I always end up getting some in my eyes which is not pleasant, and the water is just to make sure you stay hydrated. There are also towels you can purchase that go over your yoga mat that will keep you from slipping on the mat. It’s also important to be properly hydrated before going into class. Always sit down and say something to your instructor if you start to feel overheated.
The best thing you can do for a hot yoga class is just be hydrated and wear something you feel comfortable in. It’s a fantastic workout but can be ruined by unfortunate outfit decisions or not hydrating properly beforehand. Enjoy these suggestions for what to bring you class and figure out what works best for you! I generally bring a bottle of water, a wash cloth, and wear a tank top and leggings.