There's a problem in yoga class. We do a pose called "Downward facing dog" where we stand with hands on the ground and tail in the air. We hold this pose for as long as 20 seconds (see yoga journal link).
In that time, my long loose T-shirt has time to slowly creep toward my armpits. So I find myself making sure no one is looking at me, praying my shirt doesn't shift any further, or even coming down from the pose early. (See yogapants link, first line)
I could tuck the shirt in my pants, but that defeats the purpose of wearing a long shirt - to cover my butt. I have tucked in just the front, but that looks stupid to have the front short and the back long. (See yogapants link, second line).
So my solution is to add pockets to the front of my yoga pants that I could tuck a bit of the shirt into. The pockets would be made of wide elastic. Just a wad of T-shirt would go into the pocket, and the rest would hang free. (See yogapants link, last line)
Each pocket is about two inches wide by three inches deep, and treated on the inside with a non-slip rubber coating. To use a pocket, the yogini pushes one point of the shirt-hem clear to the bottom of the pocket, using a thumb or finger. The bulkiness of the T-shirt point should be enough to stretch the elastic and create tension. This allows the pocket to grip the T-shirt.
There would be a column of nested pockets running down the center front of the pants. Then I can tuck my shirt into whichever pocket lines up with the bottom of that shirt. (See yogapants link, third line)
That would be enough to keep the T-shirt from slipping out of place during downward-facing-dog. (See yogapants link, fourth line)
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No-Flash Yoga Pants FAQ (these are questions that came up in the annotations) Solutions that are unacceptable because they take two hands to do, and forethought: holding the shirt in place with a safety pin. (The new pocket-tuck can be done one handed, quickly, at the last moment.)
Solutions that are unacceptable because they look funny: A strap between the legs. A metal clip sewn to the front of the pants.
Solutions that can't be achieved: Suddenly not caring how one looks.
Solutions that are less practical because they require altering every shirt: velcro, shirt tails
Solutions that are unacceptable because they offer no butt coverage: wearing a leotard instead of a T-shirt.
Solutions that are unacceptable because they hike up the shirt so much that you don't get butt coverage, so you would have to either have an uncovered butt, or keep undoing the shirt after every downward dog, which is there isn't time to do in a yoga class: tying the shirt hem tightly at the waist in a knot
Solutions that are unacceptable because they don't let the body cool itself: wearing a second tighter top under the loose shirt.
Solutions that are unacceptable because they constrict the long deep breaths that are the most important thing in yoga: wearing a bra.
Solutions that are unacceptable because they create a lump that digs into you during floor exercises: gathering the T-shirt hem into a knot or T-shirt buckle.
Solutions that are unacceptable because they wouldn't last through the first laundering: Double sided tape.-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 "Downward facing dog" from Yoga Journal http://www.yogajour...ewtoyoga/153_1.cfm# [robinism, Feb 06 2005] Yoga pants illustrations (from the back of an envelope) http://members.cox....inism/YogaPants.jpg [robinism, Feb 06 2005] (??) Nude Yoga http://www.videofli...1&TYPE=2&ASSN=20499 [po, Feb 06 2005] Note the visible midriffs http://www.yogawith...even-way-strech.htmScroll down for more examples [nineteenthly, Feb 06 2005] Wardrobe malfunction. http://logo.cafepress.com/6/729376.gifFor robinism. [skinflaps, Feb 06 2005] Typical Yoga Pants http://members.cox....-nycb-pirouette.jpg [robinism, Feb 07 2005] For the one handed pinning operation being discussed http://half_crazy.tripod.com/hb/stapler/ [half, Feb 12 2005] [robinism], if I could give you a box of a dozen freshly baked croissants, I would. I *always* have the exact same problem during downward facing dog and end up doing the pose with one hand on the floor where it's supposed to be, while the other is holding my t-shirt in place (I switch arms every 5 seconds). I thought I was the only one with this problem because everytime I look around, everyone else seems fine. I used to tie a sweatshirt around my waist to cover my butt and hold my t-shirt in place but then the knot would dig into my stomach during the floor exercises.-- Machiavelli, Feb 06 2005 Leotards? (Rrrrowl.)-- jutta, Feb 06 2005 I've done that one-paw-on-the-ground trick too. It builds up your arms fast!
Part of the reason I want to get my clothes off my mind, is that I like to put my full concentration on the pose, how my body feels, and what the teacher is saying.-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 Leotards? If someone sees me in one of those they'll think I was a beached whale that somehow ended up in a yoga studio. ;D-- Machiavelli, Feb 06 2005 I just take my shirt off.....my teacher says it's ok for anybody to do so :]-- normzone, Feb 06 2005 I suppose an elastic band in the hem of the shirt would be totally uncool. I suppose a clip-on elastic strap attached to the front center of the hem, routed southerly, and back up to the hem in the back would be totally uncooler yet. (Not serious suggestions)
Certainly not as fashionable, but a bit of velcro won't do? Is the goal to be able to quickly tuck the shirt for this dog trick and then untuck for maximum comfort/ventilation the rest of the time?
I do that tuck-in-the-front thing while doing ab work, head-down, on an incline bench. It looks stupid then, too.-- half, Feb 06 2005 "Safety pin?"
Good question. I added the answer to the description.-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 <robinism> I maybe have a bad question. why do you want to cover your butt? If it is too big (please don't be offended) why worry about what all the other people think? You should know that everyone has something that they don't like about their body. You are doing Yoga for mental peace and physical advancement, no? Things will improve.
If your butt is beautiful and you want to cover your butt to keep people from staring at it, perhaps yoga pants with text saying "Free Tibet" or something similar would help others from having lewd thoughts about you.
I haven't done yoga yet so maybe I just don't understand.-- Zimmy, Feb 06 2005 It's weird when you post something relevant, and it goes phoof, while you are snoozing. I hope I didn't offend anyone, again.-- blissmiss, Feb 06 2005 [Reads and re-reads Zimmy's annotation trying to fathom whether he really thinks this is about butts or just putting us on.]-- jutta, Feb 06 2005 Wear a tuxedo jacket?-- tiromancer, Feb 06 2005 Perhaps I am that clueless. In the admittedly violent sport of American Football, as a running back when we were doing physical exercises, the very last thing on my mind was my care of what other people thought of me.
To me, there is a certain Zen quality in that. Do what you can, no more, no less. Expect to achieve the results you are due (no more, no less).
Why worry about other people? really. Is this why I am lacking the big Clue? I am still on the big quest of understanding and would like to know what I am missing if anyone is so kind.
Tucking the shirt in seems to work, but then ....?-- Zimmy, Feb 06 2005 Nude Yoga. In the dark.-- hippo, Feb 06 2005 "I suppose an elastic band in the hem of the shirt would be totally uncool."
Actually that is a good solution, but is a bit lacking in ventilation. I was thinking of doing a ventilated version of the elastic-bottomed shirt.
The strap between the legs is way too bondage looking, and could hinder movement. Which probably means it will be the height of fashion next year.
The velcro solution requires sewing the velcro into every T-shirt. The no-flash yoga pants work with any T-shirt.
Being able to untuck quickly is not a priority. Being able to tuck quickly and then leave it tucked without looking ridiculous is the priority. In the classes I like, downward-facing-dog is done several times during the class, interspersed with other poses. So I don't want to have to untuck and retuck repeatedly . I want to tuck it in a way that looks ok, so I can just leave it tucked.-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 "Nude yoga in the dark" - Yes! I believe someone with a yoga practice at home could do this. But in a class, it's not practical. At the end of class, the teacher does lower the lights for 'Savasana'.-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 Zimmy said "Do what you can, no more, no less. Expect to achieve the results you are due (no more, no less). Why worry about other people?" That sounds like a winning attitude to me. Here's the clue though - One area of life in which you want to "Do what you can" is communication. In communication, a key skill is listening to people openly and accepting that their reality might be different from yours. If you read with compassion, you see that just telling me "I'm not self conscious, so you shouldn't be self-conscious" won't work, because my reality is different from yours.
A lot of people have body image 'issues'. I understand that it's not rational, but it's not the kind of thing you can talk me out of in one brief internet encounter. In a perfect world, I would not care if people are sizing me up. But given that I do care, I don't want that worry to interfere with my concentration during yoga class, so I hide in a loose comfy shirt.-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 Blissmiss, what went phoof? I didn't delete anything. Is the UnaDeleter at it again? I hope you repost it so I can see it.-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 Too late, the moment, and the motivation both went phoof, but I'll try.
It was right after jutta's first post, and it basically said that my brother taught me yoga when I was around 12 years old. Though not in the same room, we always did the sun salutation in the nude. I thought it was supposed to be part of the ritual. To have your body be renewed through clothing seems frivilous.-- blissmiss, Feb 06 2005 True, the clothes are really beside the point. I learned yoga from a sibling also...-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 in my case, I am considerate towards my neighbours.-- po, Feb 06 2005 Nude Yoga. With LCD projectors to project clothes/physique of your choice.-- hippo, Feb 06 2005 Velcro facing out on the back of the waistband might provide enough friction to keep your shirt up, without having to add the loop half . It might also wear holes into your shirt though.-- tiromancer, Feb 06 2005 I guess a metal clip sewn to the front of your pants wouldn't be acceptable. Those plastic gizmos used for pulling a t-shirt corner through in lieu of tying a knot might not be too comfy or attractive either.
Ever considered just wearing something under your t-shirt? ;)
Anyway, back to the actual proposal at hand: Would there be tension in the elastic to keep the cloth trapped against the front of the pants? Is that the plan? I'm assuming that would require (or result in) fairly tight pants. Seems like with all those strips of tight elastic that this might wind up being a girdle. Maybe a slimming effect would be a selling point? Am I missing something important about how this would actually function?-- half, Feb 06 2005 If you do Yoga naked you tend to get bits of grit in various places.
I too have had this problem and no matter how firmly i tuck my top in it just comes out at some point. I agree that one should avoid end-gaining, i.e. become detached from the outcome and one's appearance, but i think the issue is not actually appearance but that of becoming distracted by dangling T-shirts and, in my case, glasses falling off and getting caught in my hair. I have reached the conclusion, after much internal debate, that actually leotards *are* the answer.-- nineteenthly, Feb 06 2005 if you had a really big baggy t-shirt you could grab the bottom corners and tie it tightly round the waist. would that help?-- po, Feb 06 2005 One other thing that happens when the shirt rides towards the upper body in this pose is that the neck hole slides over my mouth and nose and I get claustraphobic.
[half], wearing something under the t-shirt isn't a bad idea, but some people (like me) sweat enough as it is with only a light t-shirt or tank top and bra.-- Machiavelli, Feb 06 2005 Magnetic clips. Everything's better with magnets.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 06 2005 what happens when the poles shift/flip? whoops, wrong idea.-- po, Feb 06 2005 All forms of meditation teach us to put these minor irritations out of our mind while we focus. The problem lies not in T-shirt slippage, but in the time spent thinking about it.
Easy to say if you're a bloke I guess.-- wagster, Feb 06 2005 This is true, but not everyone has reached that stage yet. Also, there's the question of what happens to muscles that are cold.-- nineteenthly, Feb 06 2005 I would truly feel guilty if I accidently flashed in yoga class. Mortified, really. To me it is inconsiderate to show too much of one's body in yoga class, because it is likely to distract others from their own focus on the poses. Am I crazy?-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 Ask yourself this: when you're in a position, how much time do you spend looking around at everyone else?
PS No not crazy - being concerned at showing your boobs in public is normal. Considering clothing to be an earthly hindrance to spiritual enlightenment is abnormal, it's just people who are into meditation who think that way :-)-- wagster, Feb 06 2005 [robinism], it's very considerate of you to think that way. However, if you are focused on what you are doing, there are unlikely to be any distractions. Then again, it is alien to the spirit of Yoga to expect anyone else to live up to any particular standard. It's a bit of a quandry really.-- nineteenthly, Feb 06 2005 About ignoring minor irritations as part of meditation - For me, my own relaxed stream of thought is enough of an irritation and distraction. So I prefer not to add urgent embarassment to that, when I'm trying to focus on the poses.-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 "when you're in a position, how much time do you spend looking around at everyone else?"
I do look at other people, especially if we're doing a pose or sequence I haven't done before, and I am turned away from the teacher. And I get very upset if they are not all wearing "No flash yoga pants," which they could purchase for just $49.99 in the gift shop. :-)-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 Then I am very unhealthy, [UnaBubba].-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 I just realized that the phrase "Wardrobe malfunction" belongs in this invention somewhere. Open to suggestions as to where (Title? Subtitle? Description?)-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 Okeedoky.-- skinflaps, Feb 06 2005 Thanks for that link, [skinflaps]. I guess that the logo is supposed to be Janet Jackson's special jewelry. Maybe that's the solution - wear a pair of those and say to hell with it.-- robinism, Feb 06 2005 Yeah, it's kinda bling.-- skinflaps, Feb 06 2005 Sticky stuff is the answer. Double sided carpet tape. A little square in front, a little square in back and presto: shirt stays put.-- bungston, Feb 07 2005 Wonderful idea and series of annotations.
In my teenage mind, all should be nude, life is good.
In my mature mind, it's a little more challenging than than that.
Current reality, somewhere in-between is appropriate. If you don't want to flash all in dwds/dg, well, to quote W. Gibson, a la the "The Finn", "you can't let the little bastards generation-gap you".
Oh yeah, and disappointed that Paul did'nt' flash a nipple.-- normzone, Feb 07 2005 "Would there be tension in the elastic to keep the cloth trapped against the front of the pants?"
Yes. The bulkiness of the T-shirt fabric itself creates the tension. The bit of T-shirt fabric that is tucked into the pocket fills up the pocket enough to stretch the elastic a bit.
The pants can be either fitted or baggy. If the pants are fitted, the pockets can be wide like the ones in the drawing, and still hold the shirt tightly. If the pants are baggy, then the elastic pockets should be narrow, just wide enough to poke a finger in. The narrow pocket squeezes the bit of shirt hem like a clothes pin.
In order for the pockets to grab the T-shirt and hold it, the pocket has to be deep enough to get a grip. The deeper the pocket, the more surface area it has, and the more friction it can create against the T-shirt, to grip it. Two-three inches is a good depth - about the length of a finger. In order to space the deep pockets more closely, the pockets are nested or layered.
Though the pants can be fitted, they aren't supposed to be girdle-like. My drawings do have girdle-like front panels because I thought that was a cute way to style the pockets.-- robinism, Feb 07 2005 What about L-shaped pockets that you tuck T-shirt tails into? Would this anchor them? In that case, you could also benefit from a "no-flash Yoga T-shirt". The problem is that this reminds me of the story of the Yogi who was troubled by a mouse, so she got a cat, then needed to feed the cat, then needed to wash the cat's bowl, then needed plumbing...-- nineteenthly, Feb 07 2005 The L-shaped pocket is creative, but that requires shirt tails, and these yoga pants work with any tailless T-shirt.
The shirt tail idea reminds me of my original idea, which was to do ear-shaped shirt tails called "Downward facing dog-ears." I gave up on that because I realized an elasticized hem was better, and that had already been done.
I think the I-shaped pocket can grip sufficiently. If not, the inside of the pocket could be treated with non-slip rubber tread. That will hold the shirt even better.-- robinism, Feb 07 2005 If you stay near the wall during yoga class, you can do 'sideways -facing-dog' instead of 'downward-facing-dog'. Place the soles of your feet flush against the wall, then slowly bring your fingertips, then knuckles, then the back of your hand flat against the wall.
When the mind is distracted by embarrassment, the form of the exercise is meaningless.-- ConsulFlaminicus, Feb 07 2005 That's what's happening at the bottom of the page i linked to.
So actually, [robinism], your idea is less materialistic than mine, meaning good.
I wouldn't say the exercise is entirely meaningless if one is distracted, since absence of distraction could then become a goal, which would itself not be positive. Also, some physiological benefits would remain.-- nineteenthly, Feb 07 2005 [CF], I would like to try your sideways-facing-dog pose. How do you say that in Sanskrit? Is that part of the Hydrant Salutation?
[CF] said "When the mind is distracted by embarrassment, the form of the exercise is meaningless."
I don't know enough about yoga to judge such a sweeping generalization. But if I had to speculate...If one thought about nothing but embarassment, then maybe the exercise would be meaningless as a mental discipline (it could still strengthen the body). But if one is able to bring one's mind back to the breath and the pose even a little bit, then the exercise has sufficient "meaning," I think.-- robinism, Feb 07 2005 [CF]'s asana is not a classical Yoga posture, but could be described as a "forward bend against the wall". I agree the pose would still be worthwhile even in the difficult circumstances you describe.-- nineteenthly, Feb 07 2005 [UB]'s idea of everyone wearing blindfolds isn't bad. Sometimes our instructor tells us to close our eyes as we go through the poses (which feels great mentally) but everyone has a hard time with the balancing poses when our eyes are closed, as we need a focal point in order to keep our balance.-- Machiavelli, Feb 07 2005 I have a tendency to use other people as a focal point when balancing, with the result that if they fall over, so do i. It could be the basis of Yoga domino toppling.-- nineteenthly, Feb 07 2005 Fie on you [nineteenthly], I was about to say the same thing! :-) I was picturing a crowded classroom full of blindfolded yogis in a balance pose, knocking each other down like a row of dominos. The dominyogi effect.-- robinism, Feb 07 2005 I see this idea has been annoed to nix my double sticky carpet tape idea. But I still want to help. It is my nature.
To that end, I propose ironing, with heavy, heavy starch. The shirt will be roughly cylindrical and on sliding forwards, will stop at the underarms and go no further.-- bungston, Feb 07 2005 With my weak ankles, I would be the one to go down first.
I like the starched shirt idea. We could start with a fabric that's inherently stiff, like organza, and then starch it to make it stand up on its own. You could also do it with whalebone stays, like an old fashioned corset or crinoline.-- robinism, Feb 07 2005 A photograph of [robinism] demonstrating the problem would be very helpful (teasing).
Another Yoga clothing problem is that of possibly having worn long pants to yoga in the winter and needing your pant leg to stay up so your bare foot will stick to your leg during The Tree.
I was thinking a lot about nude yoga not long ago so I checked google. There are such groups, some all male. Then I did google image and, though entracing, the views are pretty extreme. Few would go there. You'd want to bathe and groom very carefully beforehand. In the dark though, yeah [hippo].
I enjoy being the only male in the Yoga class. It's definitely enjoyable to be around women doing yoga and they seem to like having me there.
I don't like wearing too many clothes but keep my shirt on (etc.) because, though I have a yoga-compatible body, I wouldn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. I'll have to ask my instructor her rules [normzone].
MB says she wears a sports bra under the shirt and wears short shirts anyway, so, she doesn't consider it a problem for herself.-- Mustardface, Feb 08 2005 [Mustardface], Haven't you seen the video? It's outselling Paris Hilton...
"Another Yoga clothing problem is...needing your pant leg to stay up so your bare foot will stick to your leg during The Tree."
Could that be solved by adding a non-skid patch to the inner thighs of the yoga pants? Or an inner thigh cheater pocket that you can tuck your toe into? (a vertical column of pockets so as you get better, you use a higher pocket).
"I was thinking a lot about nude yoga not long ago." Good things, I hope.
I know what you mean about not wanting to make people uncomfortable. That's what this invention's about.
Is MB your Mustard Babe?-- robinism, Feb 08 2005 "Safety pin". I'm with frogfreak. Your rebuttal to that solution as "requires forethought" could also be said of the pants you describe.-- sophocles, Feb 09 2005 This issue is resolved in the future when everyone wears silver jumpsuits.-- Worldgineer, Feb 09 2005 Sophocles, I also said that the safety pin solution requires two hands, while the pocket-tuck requires just one hand. Unless you have some special one-handed safety-pin applicator invention, which I will gladly buy.-- robinism, Feb 09 2005 [Worldgineer], the silver jumpsuit of the future is the leotard/unitard of today, and the solution therefore already exists.-- nineteenthly, Feb 09 2005 I'm thinking you could safety-pin a piece or 2 of the shirt to the pants before you even begin. I'm assuming of course, that you have 2 hands free before you begin. Just leave enough slack to move freely.-- sophocles, Feb 09 2005 [robinism], MB, Mustard Babe, good one! Yes. MB's here right now and agrees.-- Mustardface, Feb 12 2005 I love this idea [rob]. I have to say that I like most your ideas, really. ¡Felicidades!-- Pericles, Feb 12 2005 random, halfbakery