I’m 23, fairly mobile, and injury-free. So no, I (luckily) don’t experience a variety of knee pain in my day-to-day activities. Nevertheless, there’s a definite sensation in my knees that I encounter every time I move into Marjaryasana (Cat Pose) or Bitilasana (Cow Pose). It’s subtle yet definitely noticeably and I assume the most effective technique to describe it will be somewhere between a twinge and pain.

Practicing on a thicker mat often eliminates the bothersome feeling, and I’d never considered that it could possibly be addressed by something apart from a foundational change in how I practice yoga—namely, avoiding being on my knees. Until I got here across the brand new Maät 1.0 Leggings ($148).

Designed by Fiona Devaney, a yoga teacher, the revolutionary leggings include padding within the knee area, eliminating the necessity for a towel or blanket tucked beneath you. After experiencing any such protection for her joints from a wetsuit, Devaney sought to recreate the identical sort of product for her yoga practice. As an alternative of adding protection throughout all the leg, the design tapers the polyester and spandex padding around your knee area, mimicking a ribbed, grunge-inspired legging. Nobody can tell that there’s an additional layer of support around your strained joints. Seriously.

Even with these design-based advantages, I remained skeptical that I might notice a difference between these leggings and my typical non-padded pairs. After I slipped the pants on, I felt snug and secure, the oh-it’s-good-suction-feeling you simply experience with a high quality pair of leggings. I liked the look of the bottoms, too. They felt harking back to the moto-chic trend of years ago that appears to be making a return this fall.  And, to be honest, I just felt cool. Nevertheless, I desired to test out the thickness of the Supplex and Spandex material, opting to move to a hot yoga class versus a non-heated studio. Overheating in a heavy pant in high temperatures wasn’t something I used to be trying to add to my practice.

I didn’t notice much in regards to the leggings in the primary couple of minutes of sophistication. Nevertheless, I did immediately feel a difference once I moved into my first Cat-Cow. As an alternative of noticing the uncomfortable contact of my joints with the skinny mat, I felt a thick layer of cushioning and support under my knees. Within the absence of joint pain, I turned my attention to my upper body as an alternative, tapping in to the subtle movements of the posture. This shift was also helped by the pants’ high-waisted, secure band, which eliminated the necessity to yank up my bottoms after every pose.

While my face, arms, and, well, my entire body were dripping with sweat by the tip of the practice, I didn’t feel a buildup of constrained heat in my legs. Ultimately, they felt like an excellent balance between the lightweight leggings I would like in a hot class and the thicker compression pants that keep all the pieces in place.

After testing them out, the functional—and stylist—elements of those leggings are impressive. While I don’t experience frequent knee pain, these shall be first on my list to recommend the subsequent time certainly one of my friends complains of their joint aches—or of fussing with extra towels and blankets within the studio.

Maät 1.0 Leggings ($148), available in black, army green, and metal, sizes XXS-XL