How to Layer for Winter Practice Specifically

The winter layering problem is not that it is cold. It is that the transition from cold to warm happens in your car, in the lobby, or in the ten minutes before class, and by the time you are actually practising you are carrying three unused layers.

The transit layering sequence

1. 01Base layer close to the skin: very lightweight, long sleeve
2. 02Mid layer: the warmest garment, worn on the walk
3. 03Outer shell: windproof, opened or removed the moment you are indoors
4. 04Practice garment: the same base layer you walked in with, if the studio is warm

The point of this sequence is that the mid layer comes off at the door and the base layer becomes the practice garment. You arrive in two layers rather than four.

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The studio that is too cold

Some studios are genuinely cold in winter, particularly older buildings or ones with poor heating. This is a different problem and it needs a heavier practice garment rather than more practice layers.

• A brushed mid-weight legging for a 19 to 21 degree room
• A long-sleeve base layer for the warm-up, removed after
• Keep socks on for the entire class
• Socks are the highest-leverage item in a cold studio

The studio that is warm

Many studios overheat in winter because the heating runs hard with poor ventilation. Coming in from the cold into a 28 degree room is a bigger adjustment than the reverse.

• Wear the base layer but no mid layer on arrival
• Remove the base layer once warm, within the first ten minutes
• Expect to sweat significantly for the first part of class
• Change out of your outer layer before class, not during

Hands, feet, and head

• These are the extremities that lose heat first and feel it most
• Warm the hands before class with a few rounds of wrist and finger movement
• Cold feet make balance work significantly harder
• A hat is worthwhile for a cold studio even though it feels impractical

Arrive in two layers and remove one at the door. Everything else about winter layering follows from that.

The damp garment problem in winter

In winter you sweat more in an overheated studio and then cool immediately on the way out. This is the worst combination and it is the leading cause of winter cancellations.

• A full dry change in the bag; this is not optional in winter
• Change immediately rather than sitting in damp clothes in a cold car
• A dry top for the walk home even if you only practised in a tank
• Keep the damp clothes sealed in a separate bag

What to check before you buy for how layer winter practice

Two pieces can look identical on the hanger and behave differently in how layer winter practice. The checks below are the ones that catch it early. Ivory Accolade Short is the piece we would test them against first.

• Sit and stand: the leg opening should not ride up past mid-thigh.
• Check the rise against your hip — a low rise folds when you sit.
• The liner, if there is one, should not shift when you move.

Buy in this order

1. 01A full dry change set for the bag; this has the highest impact
2. 02A lightweight zip-through transit layer
3. 03A brushed mid-weight legging if your studio runs cold
4. 04A long-sleeve base layer in a lightweight knit
5. 05Warm socks, in quantity