Now this might sound silly, but I sometimes find myself struggling with the fashion choices of yoga that are available now. Is high end yoga gear worth the premium, either in performance or in the sustainability of the product? Which, if any, of the popular yoga brands are paying a fair wage to the people that make their clothes, or are manufacturing in an environmentally sustainable manner, or are giving back? Is it contradictory to yogic philosophy to buy your yoga clothes (or any clothes for that matter) at a "big box" store? Who has time to find the answers to all these questions? I don't always feel that I do, but still I ask them. I try to be a good yogi and a responsible dweller on our planet, so sometimes I start thinking about these things.

With the increasing popularity of yoga, many companies are capitalizing on this growing segment of the greater health and wellness industry. This includes companies like Gaiam, founded with the intention of providing products that promote healthy lifestyles, environmental responsibility, and economic and social sustainability. It also includes large national and international corporations for whom adding a line of yoga clothes is purely a business decision with the intention of generating a profit from a product that is in demand.

The dilemma for the consumer, as is so often the case, comes when we look at the price tag. An organic yoga pant from Gaiam or a similar company is currently priced at over $65, while yoga pants are available from Old Navy, WalMart and Target for $20 or less. This is really a struggle for me. I've always been a frugal shopper, searching for bargains and shopping consignment shops and thrift stores. I've also worked for non-profit organizations promoting environmental and social sustainability and I do my best to make decisions in my personal life that are sustainable and responsible to the planet and my fellow man. Even so, and maybe I'm lacking in moral fortitude or something, but it's a challenge for me to pay a premium for clothes for moral and environmental reasons.

I buy most of my yoga clothes at big box stores and I'm not proud of that, but it meets my budget and I find gear that fits well and meets my immediate needs. I still hope that someday I can put my money where my ideals are, and pay a little more for yoga gear and other clothes that I can feel better about wearing. I would love to know that my yoga pants were made of rapidly renewable or organic fabric, and the workers that made it were paid a fair wage, or the profits from the sale were going to a charitable cause.

In the meantime, I'm going to do my homework. There are a lot of high end yoga and fitness clothing companies out there these days, and they make some beautiful clothes. But I question whether they are all worth the premium. When you pay more does that ensure a higher value product that is more sustainable or performs better? Or are some companies simply capitalizing on the popularity of yoga and counting on their beautiful designs to sell yoga cloths at a higher price even though their business practices don't place environmental and social responsibility high on the list of priorities?

Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to look beneath the stunning pictures, pretty patterns, and figure-flattering cuts, and find out what you're paying for, wherever you purchase your yoga clothes. And I'll let you know what I find out.