Yoga sportswear design, functional attributes and wear comfort properties: a review

• Published in: Journal of Physical Education and Sport
• Main Author: Azli N.N.M.; Misnon M.I.; Ibrahim N.; Ismail S.I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Editura Universitatii din Pitesti 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85172779332&doi=10.7752%2fjpes.2023.08238&partnerID=40&md5=b2040d5206e9ea46d32b3bc5ac5640d2

Yoga is a static recreational exercise, in which people engage in physical activity, but do not train for competition. Despite its growing popularity and potential health benefits, yoga sportswear is extremely understudied in terms of apparel design, functional attributes, and comfort properties. This paper aims to review the appropriate sportswear design for yoga and the significance of common functional attributes influencing wearing comfort. The second aim is to identify the main aspects of sportswear's comfort properties and methods for evaluating the comfort properties. The review shows that there are no specific designs made for yoga sportswear. However, several common apparel elements are typically used for yoga, which include sports bras, tank tops and leggings. Each element has a few design criteria to improve wearer performance and prevent discomfort. In addition, garment fit, stretchability and protection are the three functional attributes of yoga sportswear that are just as important as the other basic sportswear functions addressed in previous studies. Meanwhile, each aspect of comfort properties, such as thermo-physiological, psychological, skin sensorial and ergonomic comfort, are essential and relates to one another in contributing to wearer comfort. The review also found that there are two methods to evaluate comfort properties: subjective and objective evaluation. Subjective evaluation is reliable, though it is highly influenced by the impact of human differences on the test results. While objective evaluation provides quantifiable results, some of the results are less accurate, and it is recommended that both evaluation methods be used in tandem for more reliable experimental data. More research on yoga sportswear's specific design categories is needed, especially related to its functionality and specificity to the demands of yoga activities. It is clear that while the comfort properties and evaluation methods are well identified, there is no specific testing currently available to explicitly evaluate yoga sportswear. Thus, these inadequacies in yoga sportswear development warrant further exploration. © JPES.