So you’ve turned up to your first class, you’re beginning to get the hang of sanskrit and you’re wanting to expand your practice into a little bit at home but you don’t have any of the fancy stuff that the gym or studio has, what to do? Let’s be honest the ‘yoga accessory’ industry has boomed recently with more variants of mats, blocks and straps than you can imagine before we get onto other toys such as wheels. So what do you invest in as a beginner or maybe even as someone more experienced looking to expand your home practice?
First and foremost this is purely my opinion, I haven’t tried every single mat and block out there but these are my opinions on the ones I have tried and a little bit of advice if you are looking to invest. Remember though to do yoga all you really need is yourself, nothing else. This is just a handy guide for if and when you do want to look at having your own yoga bits and bobs
So to start mats
There are so many yoga mats out there that you really have to start by asking yourself two main questions, what do I need out of a mat and what is my budget? The rule of the more expensive mat being better really doesn’t apply in totality as it depends what suits you. Have a think about how much padding you need, the grip level, whether you practice hot yoga, the weight of the mat, all of these are important to consider and will help you to narrow down the myriad of options.
Instead of reviewing a lot of different mats (there’s a good resource that does this on Reviews.com or you can always just Google) I thought I would go through the ones I own or have practised on and what I love (or don’t) about them.
My all rounder – PAWS mat by YogiBare – I love this mat and although I was lucky enough to win this one in a competition I was very close to buying one just before I won. Natural rubber and with a gorgeous etched pattern to the surface which doubles as an alignment map it is an absolute bargain at £49.99. I say that because I would honestly say it is as good as the Liforme mats which are double that price. Having tried friends Liforme mats I would say this has exactly the same grip and padding as well as the alignment cues built in. I hardly ever slip unless I am particularly tired or sweaty (and I’m a sweater!). It’s a nice thickness at 4mm which provides enough cushioning for kneeling postures and at 2.5kg it’s not too heavy to take to the gym or studio with you. Also Kat who runs YogiBare is the most amazing girl boss and there’s a lovely eco friendly message that runs through everything she offers. Interested in the mat? Have a look here, available in grey, red and black
My beginner mat – Yogamatters Sticky Yoga Mat – If you practice in a studio there is a chance you’ll have rolled one of these out as they’re one of the studio mats of choice. Inexpensive at only £17.99 and available in a huge range of colours this is one of the first mats that I bought and I have a couple dotted around in different places. I find the mat good and sticky and again rarely slip other than when really sweaty. The only reason I don’t use it all the time is sometimes I find it a little too spongy on my wrists, especially when practising at home on carpet. It’s 4.5mm thick so not hugely spongy but it’s just the feeling I get. For an inexpensive mat though I think it’s great and well worth having a look at
My travel mat – Manduka Eko Superlite Travel Mat – Previously I have always travelled with my Yogamatters Sticky mat whether on holiday or for work but once I knew I was going away for three months and living out of a backpack I knew this wasn’t an option. The key characteristics when choosing my travel mat was that it was light, thin and could fold. I wanted to be able to fold it into my carry on so I always had it in airports. I did quite a lot of research and tried a few mats and came up with the Manduka one and even practising in 36 degree heat in India it did not let me down!. Easy to fold down, weighing only 1kg and being natural rubber were all amazing plus points. It was also very sticky to use so I rarely felt like I was going to slip. While in ashrams and studios I used it as a topper on other mats as at only 1.5mm thick it obviously doesn’t give much padding but if another mat wasn’t available I just didn’t do much kneeling work. I’d also looked at the Liforme and Jade option but the Liforme one was just too heavy at 1.6kg and didn’t fold as well and the Jade one was a bit slippery for me. Manduka won and at £38 it wasn’t super expensive either
Other mats I’ve tried that I didn’t love (all my opinion, everyone is different!)
Mukti Grounded Yoga Mat – I love that this mat is all natural rubber with a jute woven structure but for me its just quite harsh on the body (think elbows in dolphin) and a bit abrasive. I wanted to love it but for me just not comfy
Sweaty Betty Eco Yoga Mat – Funnily enough you’d expect this to be super good being Sweaty Betty but at 6mm thickness I felt this was way too spongy and I felt myself slipping a lot
Blocks and Straps
So you’ve got your mat sorted, the two other essentials I would say are blocks and straps. These are great for modifying postures and increasing stretches and can be got anywhere. I have no real preference to blocks and straps but just have a look at what they are made of and the sizes.
Blocks/bricks – blocks can be wooden, cork, hard foam or made from foam chips (more like a cushion). Personally I prefer the hard foam ones like these as they are hard enough to give support but not so hard on the wrists etc like the wood or cork ones. Blocks are available in brick sort of shapes or wider flatter rectangles and both are useful but not essential. Bricks are great for using when your hand doesn’t meet the floor in triangle for instance whereas blocks are perfect for tilting the hips in forward folds. All up to you which you go for though
Straps – any sort of strap would do and to be honest I started out using a scarf or a dressing gown cord. The length is worth looking at so you get one that’s long enough for a full hamstring stretch but other than that any cotton strap will do, ideally with d-rings at one end so you can create a loop easily. I have the Yogamatters one but Sweaty Betty and Manduka also do great options
Other Yoga Toys
This is where the yoga industry is beginning to go a little bit crazy and all our houses are beginning to fill up. You see that amazing prop on Instagram and convince yourself you need one or maybe want to up your meditation game and are craving a bolster or cushion.
Bolsters and cushions – great for a really relaxed practice but you can also make do with using things you’ve got at home. I love a bolster as much as the next person but if you really don’t have the space you can always improvise with a towel wrapped around a spare yoga mat. As for cushions, if I want to elevate my hips I just use any old scatter cushion off of the sofa, easy.
Wheels – this one is all over the online yoga world and I admit I have one and although I don’t use it weekly I really like it as a tool for back releasing and drills. Its a really good prop for deep back bends or to roll over to give a massage and perfect for firing up the core as well when used in plank and pike lifts. I would say its a trend that’s actually worth investing in
Eye pillows and blankets – If you’ve ever been to a restorative or yin class chances are you’ll have come across these props and enjoyed the weighting they bring to the savasana. Again I don’t feel there is any need for the blanket to be a specific ‘yoga blanket’, it can be anything but it is a nice thing to add to your savasana at the end of a flow. Eye pillows are also gorgeous to use to weight the eyes in savasana but don’t feel you have to invest, a folded yoga strap or scarf can do a similar job
Infinity Strap – I’ve included this one as it’s quite common to see at the moment and I actually got one for Christmas. It was one one of those things I asked for in order to try out after seeing it everywhere myself. A figure of eight strap without a buckle it takes the hassle out of getting the correct size loop but also it is great for creating stability through the arms when used in arm balances or inversions and perfect for learning to flip your grip due to its short length. I wasn’t convinced before I got it but honestly it’s one of my most used props now.
Yoga Towel – I’m not a hot yoga practitioner but if you are, a yoga towel will be an absolute saviour. A microfibre towel with rubber dots on the under side which you lay on your mat to stop slipping during those sweaty flows! Yogamatters again does a good quality inexpensive one
There is obviously so much more out there as well, swings, chairs, ropes to name a few but I really just wanted to give an overview of what you could invest in if you were beginning or exploring a home practice. Remember though there really is no actual requirement for most of these props, they can all be cobbled together out of something you already have so don’t feel the pressure to have all the stuff.
The main thing is to have an area that you can call your space, a mat, a towel, any area that you can move your body and listen to it. That’s the important thing, turning up and creating your practice
Any questions or comments please let me know