The Best Yoga Pants 2021

The Best Yoga pants are an absolute must-have for anyone who is practicing yoga. A proper pair of yoga pants that will fit you perfectly can make all the difference in the world. The best part is, they don’t have to be for yoga only.

You can use them for other activities as well, such as running, pilates and many other.

Yoga pants come in several different shapes and types of material. When deciding what yoga pants to buy, the most important factor is how comfortable are they and whether they will allow you to fully expand your limbs when doing various yoga poses, without hindering your movement in any way.

Type of material is also a factor. They are mostly made out of cotton and synthetic, in various proportions. We will talk later about which one is more suited for a certain type of yoga.

In this review, we put together top rated yoga pants on the market and defined their pros and cons, as well as their suitability for different styles of yoga.

Best Yoga Pants Comparison Table

Different Types of Yoga Pants

Yoga pants can be divided by the type of material they are made of, and by their leg design. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages for certain types of yoga.

Cotton Yoga Pants

Cotton is a natural material, preferred by most people when it comes to regular clothes. Its soft feel makes it very comfortable to wear. However, when it comes to yoga pants or any other clothing that’s used for sports activities, cotton is not that popular. Here is why:

Cotton can absorb a lot of liquid, that is, sweat. If you are in a yoga studio with lots of other students, the last thing you want is for everyone to see sweaty areas on your body. Another problem with the cotton is that it’s a “poor breather”.

Meaning, when you work out, cotton doesn’t allow the heat your body generates to dissolve into air, making you sweat even more and dehydrating you. There is a reason why you will never see a professional athlete, in any sport, to wear a cotton jersey.

Cotton yoga pants are an okay choice only for very slow, relaxed yoga routines that don’t make you too sweaty.

Synthetic Yoga Pants

There are several different synthetics used for yoga pants but most pants are made out of spandex, polyester, and nylon. Synthetics are not as comfortable as cotton and they do tend to have a stronger smell after a workout. But, synthetics have their advantages when it comes to demanding yoga routines when you sweat a lot and generate a huge amount of heat.

Synthetics ventilate the heat your body generates much faster than cotton and they also dry much more quickly, which is very important for your stamina, as well as for avoiding embarrassing sweat stains.

Another important advantage of synthetics is that it holds everything in its place. No matter what yoga position you are in, you can be sure that everything will stay the way it is, even if you are not in the best shape of your life.

Legging Designs

When it comes to leggings, they can either be loose or tight. They can also have different lengths, but that’s more of a personal preference than a real consideration.

Loose yoga pants are perfect for gentle types of yoga where you are not doing complicated poses and where you don’t sweat too much, but you do stay in the same position an extended period of time. In such cases, cotton yoga pants will provide you with much-needed comfort.

They are mostly made out of cotton or cotton blends and suitable to wear for daily. But, for some more complicated positions, their flapping my bother you and since they are mostly made out of cotton, you will have cotton-related problems I already described.

Tight leggings are usually made out of pure synthetic and are perfect for advanced yoga routines where you need maximum breathability. They also stretch as much as it’s needed so you won’t feel constrained, no matter what position you are in.

Yoga Pants Brands

There are many different brands of yoga pants. Some of the brands reviewed here are 90 Degree by Reflex and Spalding.

90 Degree by Reflex

Beside manufacturing yoga pants, 90 Degree by Reflex produces all sorts of clothing for an active lifestyle. Their goal is to create affordable, yet efficient clothing that will appeal to everyone. They also sell various clothes for plus-size women as well as clothes for men and children.

They have only one store so far, in New York, but they ship their products to anywhere in the world. They are considered a top yoga pants brand and have many satisfied customers.

They offer many various yoga pants and it’s practically impossible not to find the perfect one for you.

Spalding

Spalding is a huge, well-known manufacturer of sports equipment that’s been around for a very long time. They are mostly famous for their basketball and volleyball equipment, but they also have a wide array of sports clothing, yoga pants included.

Their yoga pants are one of the most popular on the market, with excellent ratings from customers around the world. Yoga pants might not be their priority, but they sure manufacture them in a way that will make you think yoga pants are their only concern.

They have many different affordable yoga pants on the market, so no matter what type of yoga you are practicing, you will find something that will suit your needs.

Top 5 Best Yoga pants

1. 90 Degree By Reflex Yoga Capris

 Just like any other yoga pants from 90 Degree By Reflex, their yoga capris come in many different colors and sizes, to suit women of all sizes and preferences.

This particular model has astonishing 35 colors to choose from. When you pick a color, make sure to take into account what type are they (Heather, Solid, Space) as their spandex, nylon, and polyester ratio varies from type to type.

Because of their material and tight leggings, those yoga pants are perfect for advanced yoga, such as Vinyasa or Ashtanga yoga, where lots of sweating is involved.

They have a single pocket that is barely noticeable and can come in handy for key, money, etc.

They also have a gusseted crotch, which means that they will last you longer and make it more comfortable to wear, especially when you are doing some difficult yoga pose.

They are not transparent at all, so you don’t have to worry about it, no matter what position you are in.

2. Spalding Women’s Capri Legging

 Spalding’s capris are made from 57% cotton, 37% polyester, and 6% spandex, making them a golden middle, material wise. They are very thin, but not so thin to be transparent. Panty line might be visible, but their color isn’t.

They don’t have any kind of rubber at the waist, but they are elastic enough to stay on your hips if you are not doing difficult yoga poses.

They are mostly suited for basic yoga routines that don’t include complicated positions or demanding yoga types.

You can wash them in a machine so they are very easy to maintain.

Spalding offers only three colors: black, gray, and navy blue. So if you are looking for some flashy, fluorescent colors or cool designs, you’ll be disappointed.

But if you don’t care about that and just want some simple, inexpensive yoga pants, these might be perfect for you as lots of customers have been satisfied with their performance.

3. Spalding Women’s Boot-Leg Yoga Pants

 Spalding’s yoga pants are made from 92% cotton and 8% spandex. With their loose, full-length design, they are perfect for gentle types of yoga such as Yin yoga.

In such slow, mild types of yoga, you stay in the same position for a relatively long time and you need to be as comfortable as possible. These yoga pants are perfect for that.

Being loose and made mostly out of cotton, they are not suited for hot yoga or power yoga where lots of sweating is involved, because, as mentioned before, cotton is horrible for managing sweat.

They are not appropriate for expert yoga either as the flapping of their loose leggings might bother you while performing sophisticated yoga poses.

Unfortunately, just like with its capris, Spalding offer the same, limited number of available colors: black, gray, and navy blue.

But on the other hand, since they are so loose, they can be worn in everyday wear or used for various recreation, not just for yoga.

4. Prolific Health Fitness Power Flex Yoga Pants

Prolific Health’s yoga pants are made of 63% Nylon, 29% Polyester, and 8% Spandex. They are perfect for women who want yoga pants with interesting color patterns. They are most suited for hot yoga or power yoga.

5. Baleaf Women’s Yoga Capri

Baleaf’s yoga pants come in several versions, each with different cotton/synthetic ratio. They are very comfortable and excellent for hot yoga or power yoga.

Yoga Pants Buying Guide

 While it might seem that the type of yoga pants is irrelevant, it’s actually very important to wear the appropriate type, depending on what kind of yoga are you practicing.

If you are a beginner or just a casual fan of yoga that sticks with the basic positions, you’ll want to go with yoga pants made out of pure cotton, or cotton blend. Pure cotton is rarely used, but if you feel like it works the best for you, feel free to use it.

However, cotton blends might offer you more flexibility and support while practicing yoga. Look for looser legging for maximum comfort. Yoga pants are usually not needed for basic yoga. They are not as comfortable as cotton, and they don’t bring anything useful to the table. Synthetic becomes important where there is lots of sweat involved.

If you are into advanced yoga that involves lots of strenuous poses, you should definitely go with synthetic yoga pants as they will offer you maximum flexibility and will adequately ventilate the heat you are producing. When it comes to handling the heat and the sweat, synthetics are far superior to cotton. For extra breathability, wear capris instead of full leggings.

Always try to look for yoga pants that have quality stitches and gusseted crotch for maximum durability and comfort.

All of the yoga pants we reviewed are affordable while still being high in performance and quality of material. There are lots of expensive yoga pants on the market that don’t justify their price and don’t offer anything that’s not already offered by the yoga pants we reviewed.

Conclusion

Yoga pants are a vital part of equipment for anyone who takes their yoga practice seriously. In this review, we covered some of the most popular and praised yoga pants on the market, helping you decide which yoga pants to choose and what to take into consideration.

It is especially important to have a decent pair of yoga pants when you are practicing in a studio, with lots of other people, but equally as important if you are sitting at home on your couch reading a book ;).

But even if you are practicing alone at home, a good yoga mat and great pair of yoga pants can greatly improve your satisfaction while doing yoga while a poor pair can leave you frustrated and unmotivated to continue with your yoga training.