Yoga Works

Harem pants courtesy of Prancing Leopard Organics, Elizabeth and James tee, L.D. Tuttle shoes, Slow and Steady Wins the Race sunglasses, Anni Albers DIY washer necklace c/o Urban Outfitters.

Over the past few months, I've gotten into doing yoga on a regular basis. While I've been dabbling with it for about twelve years, I never practiced seriously, as I haven't ever taken to regular exercise. I'm one of the least active, and least physically fit people I know, but lucky for me, at the most basic levels, yoga doesn't necessarily require a plenitude of athletic skill. However, as I've gotten more deep into the practice, and more interested in improving, I've wanted to push myself further. I've found Michelle's ballet journey incredibly inspiring, even though yoga and ballet are very different, and yogis come in all ages, shapes, and sizes. It feels good to try to take a very new and somewhat difficult challenge on, and as you grow older, the subtle progress and improvements you make become all the more revolutionary. It also helps that I've been joined by two fabulous friends.

Of course yoga and fashion aren't known for mixing very well, and any personal vanity is best left outside the yoga studio. Thus, when it comes to deciding what to wear to yoga class, the choices usually range from dull to disgusting, and for the most part, I've opted for my own leggings and old tees, even though they were never designed for exercise. I was therefore very excited to have the opportunity to try Prancing Leopard Organics, a line of organic cotton yoga clothes made without any chemical treatments, and manufactured using sustainable practices. The clothes are meant to transition from the studio to the street, without the shameful scrubby feeling of wearing your exercise clothing out in public. In addition to being better looking than your average yoga clothes, designers and owners of the label Sevda and Bert explained how the majority of mass-produced clothes are treated with dozens of chemical processes to prevent them from wrinkling, stretching, fading in color, etc. These chemicals are likely to seep into our skin while we sweat, which we're obviously more likely to do when we're exercising. Miraculously, the couple have worked with their mills to create an organic cotton fabric that isn't chemically treated, but still wicks away sweat, like other commercial athletic wear.

I took their yoga pants to one of my favorite classes at Laughing Lotus, and put it to the test. The fabric is a little thick and heavy feeling, and I was worried that they would get hot, but they were perfectly comfortable, and lived up to their promise of wicking up sweat. Plus, I love the harem pants so much that I've found myself wearing them even when I'm not planning on going to yoga class. Anyway, if you're also into yoga, and if you're in New York, make sure to stop by Escape to Yoga Island, a free all day yoga event taught by the city's best instructors, including Laughing Lotus's Dana Flynn. I'll be there wearing my harem pants.


Capri pants courtesy of Prancing Leopard Organics, T by Alexander Wang bra.

-Tiffany