5 Best Yoga Shorts for Any Body

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Leggings are the undisputed queens of yoga practice with an easy swath of fabric that makes for a continuous sensory experience from waist to ankle. But yoga shorts let you revel in bare knees and shins, help you find a different sort of grounding during Cat-Cow and Child’s Pose, and connect you to the earth in unprecedented fashion during Camel and seated stretches. And, of course, there’s the practical benefit that less fabric means less material to trap sweat on hot days and in hot studios.

We spent the past two months dancing through warriors, easing into forward folds, and cultivating a chill restorative vibe in yoga shorts to find out which ones best accommodate a range of yogis and their practices. These five are our favorites.

RELATED: The 10 Best Yoga Shorts for Men

5 Best Yoga Shorts

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1. Best Overall Performance: Athleta Salutation Stash 5 Inch

If you’re searching for no-brainer yoga shorts to suit any and every type of practice, look no further than Athleta’s Salutation Stash. The fabric is a blend of Nylon and Lycra that’s plush, supportive, and beautifully wicking. We love the way it hugs the body during quick flows, long holds, and low-key stretching sessions. Although the waist might be a little too high for petite yogis (try the Prana Electa II instead), we appreciate how the thick construction and back yolk keep everything in place during forward bends and quick transitions.

These are the rare yoga shorts that don’t feature flatlock seams down the side (they’re a traditional foldover seam instead), but we didn’t experience any digging into our thighs. As the name suggests, there’s a stash pocket on each side, and although we did miss having a small key pocket on the waist, this keeps the tailored fit sleek. Bonus points for sizing that goes from 2XS to 3XL. And if a five-inch inseam is too short for you, the Salutation Stash also comes in a seven-inch inseam.

$69 at Athleta

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2. Best Smart Pockets: Prana Electa II

For practitioners who like to keep their personal items close, the Prana Electa II can’t be beat. There’s a sizable pocket on the waistband that can swallow a card wallet and key and two—two!—drop-in pockets on each side of the leg. So if you, like one of our testers, have anxiety about pocket multitasking and losing your class pass while you reach to put your phone on silent, the Electa II will put you at ease.

And since this is Prana, the rest of the details are dialed in as well. The waistband is nicely thick and hugs the waist with a mid rise that sits just above the pelvis, so it stays put during forward folds and lunges. A gusseted crotch allows for deep yogi squats and comfortable pigeons. And the seven-inch leg length hits a coverage sweet spot for a nice range of heights. Also great: The nylon-elastane fabric is UPF50+ and Bluesign approved, and the shorts were produced in a Certified Fair Trade factory. They’re also currently on sale for half the usual price.

$34.50 at Prana

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3. Best for Mermaid Thighs: Patagonia Maipo 8 Inch

These shorts were designed for multisport excellence, and they don’t disappoint on the mat. Made with 80 percent recycled nylon and 20 percent spandex, the fabric is peachskin soft for a cozy feel but still thin, wicking, and breathable for when your practice heats up. Best of all, that softness-meets-performance means the Maipo doesn’t cut into your thighs but still hugs your body with a good dose of support. After two months of wear—both on the mat and trail run warm-ups before sun salutations on the grass—the inner thighs had only minimal pilling, and we never experienced chafing from the extremely flat seams. The eight-inch inseam hits the sweet spot, too, providing a little extra coverage while still letting the legs float free. We reached for these on the hottest August days and left our practice sweaty yet comfortable. Though we wish the Maipo had a waist pocket, the drop-in side pockets are appreciated.

$69 at Patagonia

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4. Best For Slow Flow or Yin: Ridge Merino Iva Bell High Waist 8 Inch

When the goal is deep relaxation, we love to dress in merino: it feels more nurturing than synthetics, manages moisture beautifully, and is naturally odor-resistant. Ridge does a beautiful job with a double-knit fabric that’s 55 percent merino, 40 percent polyester, and 5 percent spandex. Though these are the least stretchy yoga shorts of any that we tried, we kept reaching for them (and the brand’s Send-It Seamless bra) on the days we barely made it to the mat for even a quick bedtime practice.

Where these shorts excelled was during poses that had us draped over bolsters or put our legs into beautiful elevation. There we found these shorts to be like a warm hug for the hips, quads, and hamstrings. Before and after practice, the drop-in side pockets were handy for keeping our phone close by. Though the crotch is gusseted, we could use a touch more maneuverability for things like flowing low lunges.

One caveat: these shorts run a touch small, since they’re not made with traditional stretch fabric. If you have muscular legs, consider sizing up and using the interior drawstring to dial in the waist. Last time we checked, these were steeply discounted.

$48.50 at Ridge Merino

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5. Best For Expectant Yogis: Girlfriend Collective Seamless Maternity Bike Short

It’s difficult to find maternity wear that’s built for more than lounging, but Girlfriend Collective took the task seriously with its offerings. These shorts are cut from a soft and light nylon-spandex fabric that does an excellent job of dumping heat and also doesn’t slip and slide when put through a gauntlet of Goddess variations. The oversize paneled waistband is extremely comfortable on sensitive bumps, and during early pregnancy and postpartum, it can be folded down for a tighter fit—an accommodating touch that helps extend the use of an otherwise limited-time garment. One tester wore these nearly every day through her second pregnancy and was sad to say goodbye to them when they finally became too loose postpartum.

A couple downsides: There are no pockets, and the softness of the fabric means it’s a bit prone to getting scuffed up on the quads and seat. We’d also like to see Girlfriend make the maternity line eligible for its recycling program. Still, the other qualities—and the fact that they’re available in sizes 2XS to 6XL—make these the best maternity shorts currently on offer. (And for the record, we love Girlfriend Collective leggings, too.)

$58 at Girlfriend Collective