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Pro Tip: What to Wear Under Yoga Pants

Pro Tip: What to Wear Under Yoga Pants

by | Aug 17, 2015 | Life Experience, Uncategorized

Pro Tip: What to Wear Under Yoga Pants

by Laura Olinger

When you’re settling in for some deep hip opening in Half Pigeon, the last thing you want is to be distracted by your undergarments, or as a friend once called them, “unmentionables.” Instead of allowing yourself to focus on your breath, you’re thinking, “Is my underwear line showing? Is it twisting into an asana of its own? Can I adjust this wedgie without anyone seeing?”

It’s better to beat the bunch before you begin practice by being choosy about what you wear under your yoga pants.

Keep it quality

First, I recommend getting comfortable, durable yoga pants. It can be tempting to buy the cheapest option (guilty!) but you’ll pay in the end with the flimsy fabric showing what’s underneath. Real talk: my dear friend once called me out on the pattern showing through a thin pair of pants in Pyramid pose. Trust me, make the investment in a performance guaranteed product, like Lululemon’s Wunder Unders.

Keep it in line

Choosing what style to wear under your yoga pants comes down to personal preference. Some women prefer thongs because of the limited amount of fabric that is easily hidden and can help keep you cool in a hot practice. Others are comfortable with more substantial coverage, like briefs. Regardless of style, look for pieces that are designed to be seamless and won’t show a line.
Another option is to go commando. There’s no concern for anything showing through, and it’s more breathable. That said, be sure that you are properly covered when you practice in the studio.

Men’s shorts and pants tend to fit looser, although tight fits are also available. While you gents may not have to worry as much about lines showing through, you will still want to find undergarments that are comfortable to wear throughout a practice.

Keep it together

Lastly, you can get the best of both worlds by selecting yoga bottoms that have a built-in lining, such as Dear Kate pants and shorts.

My final piece of advice is to always test out your ensemble at home first. Do a few Sun Salutations in your living room to make sure that you can be a Warrior and not a worrier when you arrive at the studio for practice.

Student Highlight: Baely Tally

Student Highlight: Baely Tally

by | Aug 4, 2015 | Interviews, Uncategorized

Student Highlight: Baely Tally

Written by: Grace Krauser

student highlight 502 power yoga

 

World, meet Baely.

She is a wife, doggy-momma, musician, wedding planner, and powerful practitioner at 502 Power Yoga. When asked to describe herself in five words, Baely answered, “First and foremost, Nerdy. Artistic, fun-loving, analytic, and stubborn. My husband definitely wouldn’t let me leave out the word ‘stubborn’…” Baely began her yoga journey back in the fall when Hannah Clore invited her to her first ever yoga class. To set the scene, it is a 6 AM Power Yoga Class with the amazing Mimi Hahn.

 

 

 

 

502: Tell us about that first class.

I had a lot of expectations in my mind of what it would be like- all of which, of course, were completely inaccurate. I thought it would be very mild and relaxing. I did not expect for it to be as intense as it is. I remember thinking during the sun salutations that this was harder than any workout I’d done with my personal trainer. Somehow, by the grace of some higher power, I made it through the entire class. Completing that first class made me feel so strong and powerful. I started practicing regularly during the 40 Days to a Personal Revolution program in January, and I’ve been obsessed/in love with it ever since. student highlight | 502 power yoga

 

 

 

 

 

502: During the 40 Days program, you said the biggest change was how you viewed yourself.

I realized I would look at the mirror, and say, “I don’t like this. I don’t like this. I don’t like this…”  During the 40 days program, I didn’t look in the mirror for 2 days, which was more difficult than I initially thought because there are mirrors everywhere begging you to look at yourself.  It became really eye opening how much time I waste criticizing myself… Now, I think about the poses I never thought I would be able to do before, and I get really happy when I get into them because I think, “Ha, you couldn’t do this like 2 months ago.”

502: What are your favorite and least favorite poses?

I love poses that make me feel open, like half-moon and fish pose. I have a love/hate relationship with twisting poses and chair pose. I’ve definitely been going through the internal struggle of realizing that some pain is OK. The discomfort I feel in my legs during chair pose is OK, and I don’t have to run from it. (This is a lesson I’m taking with me off the mat as well.) So even my least favorite poses I kind of love, because they teach me something about myself.

What kept you coming back to 502PY after the 40 Days to a Personal Revolution Program?

I love how yoga makes me feel powerful. It makes me feel more present in my body, and it makes me feel like I’m more capable of handling day-to-day life. Yoga has taught me so much about how I view the world and how I view myself. I’ve learned so much about myself since I started practicing, and it’s been a truly invaluable experience for me. In addition to that, I have found that everyone I’ve met at 502PY is so encouraging, warm, and welcoming, that you can’t help but feel like you’re part of a family. Even on days when my body does not want to practice, I come for the people.

What are some of your yoga goals for the next year?

I keep waiting to hear when the next training to be a Studio Class Assistant will be (Hi, Cat and Sarah!) so I can jump on that. Then, in the next few years, I’d love to do the teacher training. In terms of my personal yoga practice, I am determined to get into tripod headstand, and be able to hold crow for more than 2 seconds. I’m also working on wheel pose a lot in my personal practice.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years, I would love to be working for myself as an event/wedding coordinator. I’m working my way towards that dream right now, but I not ready to give up the day job just yet. I’d also like to be teaching yoga and sharing it with the people around me. And lastly, in 5 years I would love to be a mom. student highlight | 502 power yoga

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does being a YES mean to you?

Being a yes to me means being open to the possibility that anything can happen. Being open to the possibility that my body can do more than I expect of it, being open to the thought that I can reach my goals no matter how impossible they seem, and disregarding the negativity and self-doubt that pop up on and off the mat. Being a yes means that when a teacher says try on tripod headstand, instead of telling myself I’m incapable, I look for what I am capable of doing. I can get my head to the mat and my arms in the correct position. I can work towards getting my hips over my shoulders. I can try every time to pull knees to my triceps. If I fall, so what? Being a yes means being open to the process and the experience.

student highlight | 502 power yoga

 

We love having Baely as a practitioner at 502 PY and see big things for her future in our community. Thank you for sharing and inspiring us through your yoga practice!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out Baely’s work at her Wedding Coordinator Facebook page.

Off the Mat: Running a Mini Marathon

Off the Mat: Running a Mini Marathon

by | Jun 3, 2015 | Life Experience, Off the Mat

The Lessons I learned during a Mini Marathon

Written by Shelby Villier

I’ve been a slow but persistent runner since I hit early adolescence. In college, it was no longer about times and practices but a release and an escape. If I had a bad day I would run—I was under the impression I was running through my problems. I kept the habit; running and running. I ran harder and longer the more stress I experienced in life. It didn’t matter that my times were nothing to brag about; I was just running and pounding out whatever tape was playing in my head. I was accomplishing races but even during this time swore I’d never run a mini; I told myself I couldn’t run that many miles.

After college, it all clicked. I was not running through my changes and situations that challenged me, I was running from them, I was running from myself. Not long after this realization, I wandered into my first class at 502 Power Yoga.

1. Yoga is cross-training…physically and mentally

Soon after joining 502PY I signed up for the 40 Days to A Personal Revolution program. I was learned so much through the practice besides cool poses and terms; I learned more about who I truly am and what is important to me. Through it, I decided to do the Mini Marathon with the support of my Yoga community and family. I finally had the confidence to run for me—not for getting away from the parts of life that are uncomfortable.

2. When my practice began

I woke up on race day; it was cold and going to rain. I did not want to do it. I pushed myself to get up and get to the course. I started and wanted to quit so bad just like I really wanted to quit uncomfortable poses sometimes in class. But I didn’t on my mat and didn’t in my race. It started to rain harder, and I stopped to breathe, and I began to focus on the quote so often repeated in class, “The pose begins when you want to get out of it.”

3. You Are Stronger Than You Think You Are

My race began at that moment. I started running harder not to pound away the discomfort or stress of the race but to embrace it and reach a new experience in myself. I finished my last five miles with a smile on my face, a better time than I expected, and a feeling not just of accomplishment but perfect happiness.

So much came together for me in that moment—when my months of practice on my mat clicked with my life outside the studio. The inquiry and breath, the strength to push through not only physically but mentally and emotionally—all those things surfaced for me during my first mini-marathon. I would not have signed up for the race without my practice in my life. I also know that I would not have shown up or completed that race without my Yoga community or without the self-love and strength that I have found through it.

Off the mat: mini marathon

Should You Practice Yoga When You Are Sore?

Should You Practice Yoga When You Are Sore?

by | May 8, 2015 | Life Experience

Should You Practice Yoga When You Are Sore?

By Becca Washer

I once heard someone say, “the only cure for Yoga-Sore is more Yoga.” While there is a lot of merit to this, there are also a lot of other kinds of sore. As someone who has experienced lower back spasms, soreness and pain from running, wrist pain, and general yoga soreness, the best advice I can give is “you do you.”

In other words, meet yourself where you are. The best way to avoid injury is by listening to your body. Pain is real. There are real times when you need to give your body rest. Our bodies do a lot for us every day and we need to respect that. There is also tightness, tired muscles, soreness, and general achiness. For those things, sometimes the best thing we can do is work it out.

Meeting yourself where you’re at does not mean doing the hardest variation of every pose because you know how. It means doing exactly what your body needs. That can look like dropping a knee in side-plank or staying in yogi squat instead of crow pose. It can also look like working your legs vigorously in Warrior II and then taking supported bridge for lower back pain.

Another part of meeting yourself where you are is realizing that there is no expectation, no bar to meet, no grading scale when you’re on your mat. It is a daily practice for me to step on my mat and tell myself “this is for me.” As a recovering perfectionist with a need for approval, this is a hard thing to swallow. My practice does not need to look like my neighbors’ or impress my teacher. It does not need to be ready for the cover of Yoga Journal or be Instagram likeable. It does need to feel good, it needs to stretch and work my body, it needs to strengthen and release, and it needs to be something I can be proud of right then and there. It needs to be for me.

So, should you practice yoga when you’re sore? Yes. Show up, do the work but take care of yourself. Allow yoga to restore your mind while you work out your kinks and soreness. Create a practice that serves you, and then take one heck of a Savasana.

**Disclaimer – I am not a medical professional. All statements are from personal experience.**