If you’ve ever done yoga, then you already know how important it is to condition your body to become flexible. Doing a series of stretches and breathing techniques is just another day in the life of yoga enthusiasts. But when it comes to yoga wear, women will simply throw on the first sports bra and yoga pants they lay eyes on. This, however, might not be the best course of action, as yoga wear, especially bras, can inhibit you from doing regular stretches. The wrong bra can make your breathing exercise more difficult to bear without you realizing.
In order to avoid that, read the following tips to know how you can choose the right bra.
Choose a Bra That Can Help You Move
Practicing yoga means stretching and twisting your body for a good amount of time. If your bra is restricting your movement, then you might experience breast pain, back pain, or shoulder and neck pain. If your bra is applying to much pressure, your lymphatic vessels might compress, leading to blocked lymph valves and vessels, not to mention that it is going to ruin your posture, something that’s highly required to practice yoga correctly. If you notice any of these symptoms, then it is time to shop for a new yoga bra. Consider getting a bra top, as they are specially designed to stretch comfortably as you move and are usually made of four-way stretch fabric to accommodate all your movements.
Make Sure It Is Comfortable
Making sure your yoga bra is comfortable can be difficult due to many reasons. For starters, you might be wearing the wrong size or wearing a bra that has thick underwires or bulky clasps. If you check out this useful 889yoga guide, you’ll find that choosing a comfortable yoga bra is easy if you know what to look for. You have to look for lightweight fabrics like cotton and microfiber. It should also be breathable for maximum comfort. Another thing that you’ll need to consider is finding the perfect fit. This is important to keep your breasts in place, especially when you perform inverted and complex poses. Finally, your bra shouldn’t be too tight to cause pinching while you’re practicing.
Your Bra Doesn’t Have to Be Supportive
Fortunately, you won’t have to worry about support when you get a yoga bra. Unlike high-impact exercises, yoga doesn’t require much movement and bouncing as regular exercises, so you can choose a minimal support bra and it would still be perfect for your yoga class. Compression styles are ideal for doing yoga, but to ensure that they don’t cause any discomfort, you can try to touch your toes. If you wear DD cups or bigger size, then an encapsulation style bra or a compression-encapsulation style bra might work best for you. Make sure that it fits perfectly and that it has adjustable straps.
Know How to Get the Perfect Fit
Getting the perfect bra for you starts with finding the best fitting one in the store. Getting fitted once is not going to give you accurate results because your body is prone to changes all the time, especially with you exercising or doing yoga. Experts always recommend that you get fitted every once in a while, and try different sizes and brands to find that perfect bra. A perfect fit should have all these qualities:
- Not too tight and not too loose: Although sports bras are tighter than your daily bras, they should allow you to breathe normally. Also, you should be able to fit two fingers between the straps and your shoulder.
- Easily adjustable straps: If the bands go up when you raise up your arms, it might be too big, or it just might need to be adjusted. As bras wear out, straps might stretch, so you’ll need to be able to adjust in the future.
- The underwire is lying flat on your ribcage: If it doesn’t then this means you’re wearing the wrong cup size. If it’s digging into your skin, this probably means that you’re wearing the wrong band size.
- The cups are smooth: Wrinkly cups indicate a bigger cup size, so avoid those. If your breasts are spilling out, on the other hand, this means that you’re wearing a smaller cup size.
After you’ve taken all these factors into account, you can consider other steps such as your style preference, and color. It shouldn’t be a hard task to find a yoga sports bra that fits and also looks great once you get the gist of picking the right bra. However, if you’re still confused, be sure to consult a specialist or a fellow female yoga enthusiast to guide you.
