Essential Gear That Can Benefit Your Yoga Sessions

Many people believe that yoga isn’t very demanding – both on the body and in terms of gear. If you’re just getting started with yoga, don’t be one of those people. Even though yoga might seem easy at first, it still pushes your body’s limits. And that’s the beauty of it. After all, no pain – no gain, right?

Also, to get started with yoga you need more than just the basic pair of leggings. Since yoga requires you to put your body in positions you have never tried before, you need to enlist the help of yoga gear. Props and accessories help improve your posture and increase your range of movement and flexibility. In addition, they also help reduce the risk of getting hurt, which can happen with any physical activity. With that being said, here’s a list of everything you need gear-wise to make sure your sessions go as smoothly as possible.

Yoga Mat

Okay, let’s start with the base – a good yoga mat. Whether you’re going to a yoga studio or practicing at home, a mat is an indispensable piece of yoga gear. For one, it’s a lot more comfortable lying down on a cushioned mat than on the cold, hard floor. And most importantly, the mat creates traction for your hands and feet, thus reducing the risk of slipping and injuring yourself. Make sure to choose a large enough yoga mat so that you can comfortably perform a wide range of movements.

Yoga Belt Strap

When just starting off, everyone lacks some balance and flexibility. So, some positions can be difficult to achieve at first, and this is where a yoga belt strap comes in. With a yoga belt strap, you can start to slowly and completely stretch out your body in a safer way. A yoga belt also helps newbies feel more confidence as it gives them more control over the poses they find hard to grasp on their own. In addition, a yoga belt strap also helps you get used to maintaining proper form without tensing your back or rounding your shoulders.

There are unlimited ways you can use a yoga belt strap. When doing some seated poses, one of the methods is to place the strap around the feet, especially if you have tight hips. In certain standing poses where keeping your balance is crucial, you can loop the strap around your feet and it will serve as an anchor, preventing you from swinging from side to side. The yoga strap can also be used to get a more intense stretch in poses such as the cow face.

But yoga belt straps don’t only benefit beginners who lack confidence and flexibility and advanced practitioners who want to perform more demanding poses. They are also a great tool for warming up your muscles and joints before starting with your practice. And we all know how important this is for preventing injuries and soreness.

Yoga Blocks

Besides lack of flexibility, lack of support is another issue you need to gradually overcome as a beginner. Until you build enough strength to support yourself during the poses, it’s recommended to use yoga blocks. One way yoga blocks can benefit you is when performing poses that require your sit bones to be on the mat, like for instance hero pose (virasana) or pigeon pose (eka pada rajakapotasana). Since men tend to have tight hips, sitting on one or two blocks so that they don’t force their hips can prevent getting injured.

In addition, yoga blocks are a great way to learn paper form in certain poses. For instance, placing a block between your thighs can help make sure your legs are properly aligned in poses such as the bridge or wheel, where the legs tend to go out. Yoga blocks are made of all sorts of materials such as wood, cork and foam. As a beginner, it’s best to stick to the foam variety and then move on to the others.

Yoga Bolster

If you want to get into some of the meditative and restorative aspects of yoga, a bolster is a must-have accessory. It’s basically a big body pillow. And like a pillow, it has the role to provide you with comfort. After all, how can you get deeper into your meditation sessions if your butt starts to ache from sitting on a hard surface.

In addition to helping you assume a comfortable position for meditation, a yoga bolster can also help soften your posture or help in opening the body. This is especially helpful in resting poses, like the savasana (corpse pose) or paschimottanasana (seated forward bend). Yoga bolsters come in many shapes – rectangular, cylinder and crescent-shaped. However, picking a rectangular shape is the most versatile choice as it can assist you in more poses.