Meditation Clothing

Meditation clothing is the clothes being worn by those people who meditate. They are specially designed for meditation which has a loose and comfortable style giving the body a refreshed and relaxed feeling while meditating. The meditation clothing is designed from the clothes originally worn by meditators such as the monks, the Tibetans, the Buddhists, and all others. Wearing meditation clothes especially designed for the meditation tradition enhances the experience.

There are a lot of meditation clothing designs, depending on what type or form of meditation you are into. Here are some of the common meditation clothes:

Yoga Meditation Clothing
This type of meditation clothing is what yoga meditators wear. Usually for more deep yoga meditators, the yoga clothing is white in color with a long sleeve loose top and a loose pant, which is soft in fabric giving a very relax and comfortable feeling when meditating.

However, the more modern yoga meditators, the ones who usually do the different body positions of yoga called fitness yoga, have fashioned it into a gym-type clothing, which basically uses something more body fitting and cotton fabric.

Zen Meditation Clothing
It is helpful to have Zen robe when practicing, especially when on a retreat, or for a weekend session. Zen robes acknowledge the commitment to living a life in the presence of the Dharma (Buddhist teachings), the teacher (Buddha) and the Sangha (spiritual community). Usually the robe is composed of the Jubon, a form of shirt and serves as a layered undergarment which is worn under a Koromo (Lay Zen robe) or sitting jacket, and the Hakama, which is a full-length Japanese Zen sitting skirt worn by men or women. The skirt is double pleated front and rear that allows ample room for cross-legged sitting or kneeling.

Tibetan and Nepalese Meditation Clothing
This meditation clothing is usually worn with a Chuba, which is like a long skirt usually made of silk, and a Tibetan meditation shirt, which is long sleeves or sleeveless and made of silk and rayon, sometimes it worn under a Zen Tibetan meditation shawl.

Other meditation clothes that are commonly used for meditation are the following:

Kurtas
These are shirt meditation clothing that is commonly used for simple meditations. Indian kurtas are big knee length long sleeve shirts that are loose and comfortable to wear when meditating.
Samu Jacket
These are worn by meditators for zazen or work period, often worn with jubon underneath.
Jubon
This meditation clothing is usually worn under kimono to give a more polished look and to prevent frequent kimono washing.
Koromo
This is a traditional monk’s robe with seven pleats. It is worn over kimono and jubon underneath.

There are many other styles and designs of meditation clothing for various meditation practices, whatever practice or style one wears for meditation, meditation clothing will always be a significant part of meditation.