Why do people wear white in Kundalini Yoga Class? And where can I get me some?

The first time I went to a Kundalini Yoga class I figured I should wear white.  When in Rome, right?  So I went on the hunt for my white yoga pants in an effort to fit it.  These would be the Prana white yoga pants that I bought for my hatha yoga teacher training graduation.  The ones I had no intention of ever wearing again.  Little did I know.

I told a friend recently that I wear white and tie a turban every morning for my daily yoga practice.  She said, ‘Wow! You really are dedicated, aren’t you?’.   And it made me wonder why I continue to wear white – even when I’m all alone (except for my sleeping dog, Ike) practicing in the morning and there’s nobody to ‘fit in with’.

I have to admit, for me I feel more etherial and connected to spirit when I wear white.  I feel elevated and radiant.  White is the colour of light – the direction we are headed.  Sometimes I remain in my floaty, white clothes all day and I know I feel lifted as a direct result.

Just to be clear: you don’t have to wear white to practice Kundalini Yoga.  Wearing white is just another tool for us yogis to try on and see if it elevates us.  If it works for you, you keep it, but if it doesn’t then maybe try it again in the future.  Or not.  It’s your practice so it’s up to you.  It’s also recommended to try wearing cotton or other natural fibers as this allows the body to breathe as we practice.

So here are just some of the reasons we wear white – it’s enough to get us started…

Wearing white is good for your aura: Your aura is the electromagnetic field that protects you and can extend from three to nine feet in all directions from our body.  White is reflective.  Negativity and negative energy are less likely to penetrate your aura if you are wearing white.  Plus at a conscious level, wearing all white invites us to deflect what’s going on outside of us and go in for answers and guidance.

Increased consciousness: You are more aware of yourself and your surroundings when you wear white because of the potential impact your surroundings could have on your clothing.  You are more careful with how you eat, where you take a step and so on.

White embodies all colours: Each chakra or energy center in the body is associated with a color- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple – the colours of the rainbow.  White represents all of theses colours and therefore balances our chakras or energy centers when it is worn.

Creates greater self-acceptance: As a hatha yoga teacher I loved loved loved my black yoga pants.  They hide so many of the ‘imperfections’, the lumps and bumps, that us women are generally taught to dislike about ourselves.  Wearing white yoga pants puts it all out there.  There’s nowhere to hide.  You are confronted with yourself, as you are, and you learn to accept every beautiful inch of your body temple.

My advice would be to ease into wearing white.  If you are not used to wearing white buy a white top or shirt that you feel comfortable in and wear that out in the world.  See if you feel different.  See if people treat you different.  Try it in different situations.  Try it in yoga class.  Try it at work.  Try it cooking and eating dinner.  What are you noticing?  What awareness are appearing for you?  What is being revealed to you?

So where do you start buying white clothes?  The while clothes I’ve found in brick and morter stores are garments I’ve come across while looking for something else.  Or on the occasion I visit a big city and go to a yoga studio featuring Kundalini Yoga they often have beautiful Kundalini garments for sale.  I recently visited Ottowa and practically tried on every garment on display at Prana Shanti Yoga Center – so many beautiful things!

If you want to make a minimum investment and don’t mind hunting, I’ve picked up some lovely pieces from 2nd hand stores like the Salvation Army and Thrifty Shopper in Syracuse.  Plus Marshalls always seems to have some affordable cotton tops and wraps to add to my collection.

However, most of my Kundalini Yoga Clothes shopping has been done online through Spirit Voyage, Long Time Sun Apparel, Oh My Gauze! And April Cornell.  I love my white sweat pants from Spirit Voyage in the winter – it gets cold in Syracuse – and I love the floaty tops, turbans and scarves from Long Time Sun.  You also might want to get on their mailing lists so you get notifications on when they have sales or offer free shipping.

So what do you really need to get started?  Say you are new to Kundalini Yoga and you are taking one or two classes a week.

If you are female, a few pair of white yoga pants or leggings, and two or three white tops plus some sort of wrap or sweater.  Now if you are going to wear leggings or anything tight on the bottom half of your body, you might want to consider that your tops hit you at mid-thigh or slightly lower or wear a skirt for coverage.  Most of the white yoga pants and leggings I’ve come across can be sheer and that’s all I’m going to say on that.  Just something to think about.  Plus think about underwear.  White shows under white.  Flesh tones do not.  Again, something to think about.

For men, same idea – a few pairs of pants and a few shirts or tunics plus a warmer sweatshirt or sweater should be enough to get you started.

Now, once you start going to more events, workshops, festivals or even a Kundalini Yoga teacher training, you’ll want to start adding to your collection of white clothes, but you’ll also begin to notice opportunities to shop for white clothes popping up as your practice continues.

Layering is also a great idea.  There are tons of white wraps, panchos, scarves, shawls and so on to cover up with.  When the teacher kicks things up a notch in class it’s handy to be able to remove a layer or two so you are not too warm, but then for warm ups, mediation, pranayam, chanting and so on, you might need the extra warmth.

Remember, wearing white is just another tool in your yogic toolbox.  It’s something to try, like a new yoga set or meditation, and then reflect and see how you feel.  Plus it’s important to remember that however you choose to put yourself out there as a yogi it’s all beautiful.  What feels right to you might not feel right to someone else and that’s OK.  It’s all part of your path towards uncovering the best version of yourself, right?

Hope this post has been helpful.  As ever if you have any comments or questions don’t hesitate to contact me.

Light and peace,

LivAvtar Kaur