I left my all yoga pants in Albany - and here’s 3 reasons why it’s okay.
As I write this, I’ve just arrived in Bali for the retreat I’m hosting… and I forgot to bring any yoga pants. Menopause brain strikes again! I knew exactly which ones I was going to bring and I thought about them multiple times while I was packing, but they never quite made it into my bag. And when you have a body shaped like mine, it’s really hard to get some here in Bali. So I’ll do without (and I don’t mean I’ll do yoga pantless). I’ve got a few pairs of loose linen pants with me and they’ll be perfect. And my bathers bottoms are bike shorts so they’ll work well too.
And to be honest, yoga pants are a little bit problematic and here’s why:
Yoga tights can be a big reason why people don’t try yoga. If you don’t look like someone in an ad for an activewear campaign, and you can’t find tights that fit, it’s easy to think yoga isn’t for you. But think about it, back in South Asia, 2000 years ago when yoga was becoming a thing, they didn’t even know what spandex was. So yoga pants aren’t necessary! You can do it anything you find comfy including your pjs!
Yoga was never about commercialisation and money until it came to the West. The yoga industry was worth $107 billion in the US last year and I would say that a HUGE proportion of this goes to the brands that make clothes and accessories and not community teachers like me.
Whenever something gets commodified, you end up with people like Chip Wilson. He is the founder of Lululemon, perhaps the most famous yoga pants brand. He has gone on the record saying things like his brand isn’t for plus-sized women, and that he called it Lululemon because it was hard for Japanese people to say which is “funny”. Being a racist, fat-shamer isn’t very aligned with yoga!
So, I’ll be happy with my linen pants, bike shorts and pj bottoms for the retreat and be very grateful for the daily laundry service at the villa. If you’re keen to see what happens on retreat, make sure to follow me on Instagram and check out my stories to get all the updates.
Yoga Pose of the Week
Cobbler or Butterfly - For many people, this is a more comfortable way to sit on the floor instead of cross-legged. To make it easier, sit on a cushion to raise your hips higher than your knees, and you can put blocks or cushions under your knees for support. A lovely gentle stretch for the hips and pelvis.
Yoga Philosophy of the Week
The point of yoga is to still the mind. Yoga philosophy helps us to do this. One of my favourite tenants of yoga is aparigraha which is Sanskrit for non-hoarding or non-greed. When I realised I’d left my yoga pants at home I could have had a meltdown, but instead I remembered I have lots of other pants options and I will be okay. I just let it go. Which is aparigraha in practice.
Mindful Moment of the Week
I took this photo after I finished teaching my last yoga class for the term. I was really tired that day and thought I wouldn’t make it through the class, but I did, and felt so much better afterwards. And one of my students commented on Facebook that she really loved the class. I’m so lucky to teach something I love so much.
