Just started yoga? Good on ya. The first thing I want to say is, you may not need to get anything at all. Some studios already have mats that you can use and you might be happy with that. Some people prefer to use their own mat, in which case, please keep reading!
Was there a pose you learned in a yoga class that you couldn’t quite do? … and you really really wanted to get it? I can relate to that. When I first started yoga I would go home and keep practising the poses I couldn’t do in class because I didn’t want to wait for the next time I go back to the studio to give it another go. Going to a class is great, but having your own personal practice at home is even more special.
When thinking about purchasing a yoga mat, the first thing to think about is what type of yoga you want to practise. For slower styles like Yin yoga, where you have to stay in a pose for a long time, it would be better to get a thicker, foamier mat that is gentler on your joints. Perhaps you have a knee problem and it hurts when you place your knee down on a thin mat on hard ground. The other consideration is if you want to practise things like shoulder stand at home – some cushioning would be beneficial for that too.
If you are doing Bikram or any other style of hot yoga, then a mat with good grip is important so that you don’t slide all over your sweaty mat. You may also want to consider getting a yoga mat towel, which is a large towel that covers the entire mat to soak up all the sweat.
For other styles like Vinyasa and Ashtanga where there are one-legged poses, having a thick spongy mat doesn’t help. Your foot sinks into the mat and it’s difficult to get your balance. If you have a thick mat, you can just step off the mat for these poses, or you might want a thinner mat with a strong grip.
As well as my thicker mat, which I got a long time ago from Lorna Jane as a gift with purchase, I have the new Namastay mat from Lululemon, which is the Goldilocks of mats. Lululemon has 3mm and 5mm mats, and I feel that the 4mm was exactly what I was looking for and has more grip than their previous styles. What I also love? The mats are made from sustainably sourced rubber.
Props
It’s not necessary to purchase any props, but if there were one thing I would recommend, it would be a yoga strap. If there are some poses where you need to bind or grab another part of the body and you can’t quite reach, the strap will help you so much. Practising daily would be ideal, but even if it’s only a few times a week or less, practising with a strap will get you closer.
Spiky therapy balls are great, not just for yoga but for other sport too. If you can’t touch your toes because of tight hamstrings, this ball can help! You roll your foot over it, which releases the fascia in your feet, which is continuous with the fascia covering your hamstrings. (Fascia is a thin layer of body tissue that wraps around muscles) The balls are also great for targeting smaller, shorter muscles like the tensor fascia lata (TFL) which deserves a blog post of its own, but it’s a muscle near the hip that is a very important stabiliser during one-legged poses. I will write more about it another time!
Blocks
There are soft and hard blocks. Hard blocks are great for poses like half moon pose where your fingertips may be floating and you need some stability. They are also great for poses that require you to place your palm on the ground, but you may not be there yet. You can practise with a block until you’ve become flexible enough to reach the ground. Blocks have 3 different heights depending on which side you place down (see image below), so it’s a great way to progress.
Soft blocks are great for use in longer poses, such as during a Yin yoga class. You could get a foam block for this purpose. They are also great for sitting on during meditation or pranayama (breathing) exercises when you might be sitting for prolonged periods – it makes it more comfortable than just sitting on the mat. I went even softer and got a cotton block from Stretch Now. It’s not sturdy enough to use for a pose like half moon pose but it’s great for supporting the body – you can use it like a mini bolster. I use it when I do my yin poses in the morning, and when I meditate, as well as poses like these (photo below). When I was first learning chin stand, I used the cotton blocks under my shoulders, which are much kinder to the shoulders than cork or foam blocks.
Like I said at the beginning, most studios will have mats and props, but if you want to invest in some for your personal practice at home these are the ones I would recommend to get first. I hope this was useful!
Take care,
Miko xx
