In Search of the Perfect Yoga Pants

The truth is, when it comes to shopping for yoga gear, the options in Boston are very limited. City Sports, Nike Town ...yeah yeah. You can find the same old brands: Nike, Danskin, Prana. But I'm done with "missionary" yoga wear. Take Prana --Prana yoga pants are just expensive polyester pants with an elastic waste band. Where is a girl to go when she graduates from Prana?

A few months ago, while jeans shopping in Newton Center, I discovered that New York Jeans Co has a great selection of Hard Tail yoga clothes. Since then, I've invested a small fortune in those boot-cut, 100% cotton, long enough, almost-perfect Hard Tail yoga pants. It's not easy to find cotton athletic wear anymore, because Nike has convinced the world that athletic apparel isn't worth a damn unless it wicks. However, the truth is cotton is much better than performance fabrics for yoga--particularly for balancing poses. You definitely don't want to be sliding around on synthetic pants whilst in twisted scissor! But cotton also has its drawbacks, particularly if you sweat. Enter Beyond Yoga.

Last Spring I wandered into NY Jeans Co to gear up for a yoga trip in Costa Rica. The sales clerks are extremely aggressive there, and the owner, a New Yorker, was all over me. When I explained to him that I was shopping for yoga wear, he said: "You must try this new line called Beyond Yoga. It's great stuff. All the moms are wearing it." All the moms are wearing it? OK, I have nothing against moms, but come on..... I do not have any children (that I know of). I don't think I look like a mom. I try to be fashion-forward ....my jeans don't come up to my belly button, and more importantly, I've gotten at least 8 hours of sleep for the past decade. I'd like to think that I don't look like I just dragged my tired, mom-ass out of a minivan.

I did not buy the Beyond Yoga pants out of principle--and because they were $70. But I did come back to the store several months later and decided to give the pants a whirl. And, I must admit that Beyond Yoga makes a great pair of yoga pants -- very flattering cut, nice weight, they hide the sweat, and the texture is so inviting that people are drawn to touch them. And this non-mom will take a little fondling whenever she can get it.