The best socks for yoga and pilates

Most yoga and pilates is done barefoot, so socks are easy to overlook. But the moment your foot slides on the mat mid-pose, or your studio floor turns out to be cold and slippery, the right pair earns its place.

Do you need special socks for yoga?

Not always. Plenty of people practise barefoot and are happy. But there are a few common reasons to wear socks:

• Studio and gym floors can be cold, hard or slippery, especially wooden or laminate surfaces.
• Grip socks give you traction so your feet stay planted in standing poses and during faster flows.
• Some people simply prefer not to have bare feet on a shared mat or floor for hygiene reasons.

If any of those apply to you, a proper pair of yoga socks is worth having. If you practise on a good mat at home and never slip, ordinary socks are fine, though most standard socks are smooth on the sole and can slide.

The one feature that matters most: grip

The single biggest difference between a yoga sock and a normal sock is the grippy sole. Small rubber or silicone dots on the underside stop your foot sliding, which is what you want when you are holding a lunge or moving through a flow.

Grip is useful well beyond yoga. It helps in pilates, barre, dance and even just moving around the house on a slippery floor. If you only take one thing from this guide, it is that a gripped sole is the feature to look for.

Toe styles: full, half or split

Yoga socks come in a few different shapes, and the right one depends on how much you want to feel the floor.

Full toe. These cover the whole foot like a normal sock, just with grips added. They are the warmest and most familiar, and a sensible starting point if you are not sure.

Open toe or open heel. These leave the toes or heel exposed. The idea is to give you grip where you need it while keeping some skin in contact with the mat, which many people prefer for balance work.

Split toe (separated toes). These have individual pockets for each toe, a bit like a glove for your foot. Spreading the toes can help with balance and feels closer to being barefoot, while still giving you grip underneath. They take a little getting used to, but people who like them tend to stick with them.

There is no single best style. Full toe is the easy all-rounder. Split toe suits anyone who wants a barefoot feel with grip. Try one pair before buying several.

Material: comfort and breathability

Feet get warm and a little sweaty during exercise, so breathability matters.

• Cotton is soft, breathable and easy to wash, which makes it a reliable everyday choice. Organic cotton is widely used in yoga socks.
• Bamboo is soft and breathable too, and naturally helps keep feet fresh, so it is a good option if your feet tend to get hot.
• A little elastane or Lycra in the blend helps the sock hold its shape and stay put, so it does not bunch up while you move.

Whatever the material, look for a close, comfortable fit. A sock that slides around inside itself defeats the point of having grip on the sole.

How to choose the right pair

A simple way to narrow it down:

1. Start with grip. If you slip on the mat or floor, prioritise a gripped sole. This is the main job of the sock.
2. Pick a toe style. Full toe if you want simple and warm, open or split toe if you want more contact with the floor and help with balance.
3. Choose a breathable material. Cotton or bamboo for warm feet, with a touch of stretch for fit.
4. Get the size right. Grip only works if the sock stays in place, so a snug fit matters more here than with everyday socks.

Looking after yoga socks

Yoga socks last longest with a bit of care. Wash them at a low temperature and avoid the tumble dryer where you can, as high heat can harden the grip dots over time and shorten their life. Turning them inside out before washing helps keep the grips in good condition. Other than that, they wash like any other sock.

The short version

For most people, a full toe cotton or bamboo sock with a gripped sole covers yoga, pilates and barre without any fuss. If you want more of a barefoot feel, try a split or open toe style. The grip is the part that makes the real difference, so that is the feature to focus on.

You can browse the full range of yoga socks at SOCKSHOP, with full toe, open toe and split toe styles for men and women.