Before taking up an exercise regime, one typical rite of passage for most novices is to hit the shops and buy the necessary equipment, or at least a new outfit suited to their purposes. When it comes to yoga, there really is not much you need to buy, and if you are not looking for an excuse to buy new clothes even they are far from compulsory. The one thing you are looking for in a yoga outfit is comfortable garments in which you will find it easy to stretch. above and beyond that, there are no rules.

There are a few guidelines which it makes sense to follow, however. The first one of these is that when you are doing yoga, some of the exercises will involve bending in such a fashion that your head is lower than your hips. Gravity dictates that if you do that, any loose top will begin to roll up (or down, depending on your perspective), and if you are doing yoga in a class this may become embarrassing, so you should wear a close-figure top – not skintight, or anything uncomfortable, just one that won’t lead to you revealing yourself.

The same applies to anything worn loose, really, including any hair or ear adornments. Some of the poses you have seen will appear very difficult, but rest assured that they are infintely more difficult if you attempt to perform them with an earring caught in your t-shirt. There is precious little opportunity to reach a level of peace if your earlobe is threatening to split.

With regard to garments worn on the bottom half, the “looseness” aspect obviously applies equally, but in addition it is important to remember that for many of the exercises some aspect of control is required over your hips where they come into contact with the ground. Trying to maintain balance is exponentially more difficult if your hips are clad in Lycra or any similar slick fabric, and it therefore makes sense to wear a duller fabric. As for your feet, they are best kept bare for the purposes of yoga, whatever the position, so no new footwear is required.