Why I Went Back To Wearing Pig Tails

**With summer in full gear, perhaps you’ll find this style tip (from my post archives) to be useful when working out.

The topic of hair and yoga has never crossed my radar.

My routine has always been quite simple — grab a hair tie on the way out the door, place it around my wrist, and throw my hair back into a low ponytail once class begins.

Easy peasy. No fuss. No muss.

Except it doesn’t last. I’m often adjusting my hair in yoga.

Like whenever I lie down on my back (which in yoga can be up to 50% of the class) the low pony needs to be removed otherwise there’s a bump at the nape of my neck. Then there’s the shorter pieces up front which without fail start to come undone, and into my face. I’m constantly redoing my pony tail to regather the wispy flyaways. I’d love to scoop it all up into a top knot, but my hair never quite reaches the top…so again the wispy flyaways come out.

I don’t dwell on the readjustments…I just fix the issue and move on.

And this is how it’s been with my hair in yoga for years.

Then I scrolled into this post which was dedicated to hairstyles in yoga–Ashtanga to be precise. The comments were extensive with multiple opinions shedding light onto the subject.

How could I have missed this?

I’ve been in and around the yoga studio since the 90s– not once had I considered there’s a better solution for the constant readjustment of my hair.

It’s pig tails.

And I needed to give it a try.

Not quite ready to commute to class in said hair-do, I grabbed 2 hair ties from my drawer and placed them on my wrist. First challenge- finding the same color ties. Not possible.

When I got to class, I noticed no one wore pig tails. There were a couple top knots. A few low ponies. Many regular pony tails. And one women with a head scarf.

I was on my own in the pig tail department. So without trying to make too much of it, I tied up my hair just under each ear, and joined the group.

It felt a little strange at first. I wondered if people were thinking who is this grown woman in pig tails? But then I recalled other women through the years who I had seen in Heidi Braids, or Princess Leah buns… they weren’t doing it to be cute. They did it because it’s practical!

Gone were the stray hairs falling in my face. No more readjusting when setting up for Wheel or Shoulderstand. Putting my hair into pig tails made my hair a nonissue in yoga.

I decided to take my new look to the Ashtanga class the next day. That was, after all, where it seemed to be a big hit.

When I arrived I quickly saw that once again I was the only one with the do. And once again, it worked really well throughout the entire class.

Will I continue with pig tails forever?

Don’t know. But maybe I will try to organize my hair ties so I can come up with something more matchable.

How do you wear your hair in yoga or for your workout?

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