Enhance your yoga journey with our comprehensive guide on essential props tailored for beginners. Expand your skills, find comfort, and maximize your potential with the right yoga gear. These supportive tools will make every pose accessible and enjoyable for beginners. Elevate your practice with confidence using our curated selection of beginner-friendly yoga props.
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Every yogi starts somewhere – usually at the very beginner level
We’ve all been there…
You see the teacher demonstrate a crazy advanced flying variation of a pose, immediately copied by several advanced yogis in the class and you think: “Um… maybe not today” or “Yikes! How did they get their leg there?”
You reluctantly opt for the modified version, determined to someday achieve a Destroyer of the Universe pose. Until then, you focus on building your strength and flexibility by using the many props your studio has to offer.
Many students (including myself at the start of my yoga journey) are hesitant to incorporate props for the overrated stigma of looking “weak” by leaning on a “crutch.” It took me months to finally incorporate blocks and bolsters once I realized how helpful they are.
“Using props is just like wearing a coat in the winter:
if you need it, just use it.”
Miss Shayne, my yoga teacher
Yoga is all about feeling good 🙂
You never want to exert your body into poses that are physically taxing on your joints and muscles.
By adding props into your practice, you are reducing your risk of injury and building flexibility.
Knowing which props to use is only half the battle. I have compiled a list of the best props that Amazon has to offer, along with affordable makeshift tips & tricks that I’ve learned in class.
This is:
Elevate Your Practice: The Ultimate Guide to Essential Yoga Props for Beginners
Table of Contents
Mats
Every practice begins on the mat.
I partook in a Bloody Mary Yoga at a distillery. Little did I know that I was horribly unprepared for the unforgiving hard concrete floors in the production room. Though the flow was very gentle, my knees were begging for less Cat/ Cows and Child Poses.
I looked around the room, slightly jealous of the smart yogis who brought their thick mats or doubled up with 2 thin mats. They must have done that distillery yoga before, thus came prepared for their knees sake.
The thickness of your mat has a significant effect on your joints. Not only were my knees hurting, but my wrists felt strain in Chatarunga and Planks. My poor butt and shins could not stand any seated position, and from that day I started to take more consideration into the thickness of my yoga mats.
This Gaiam Essentials Thick Yoga Mat is about 60mm thick (2/5″) of soft, nonslip material. It also includes a convenient carrying strap for easy storage and transportation.
Gaiam Essentials Thick Yoga Mat with Carrying Strap
For balance poses, you might not want a super thick yoga mat since they can be pretty unstable and squishy. However if you love your mat on the cushier side, you can always do balancing poses on the floor for stability.
This best-selling Feetlu Yoga Mat is a solid 10-12mm thick and is nonslip, perfect for holding challenging one-legged poses like Standing Splits and Tree Pose. It is also reversible, with the same grippy surface on both sides. It’s like having 2 mats in one 😀
Affordable Option: Double up on 2 regular or thin mats. Some of mine are from Five Below because the designs are cute but the paper-thin mats aren’t very practical to be used on their own.
Blocks & Straps
For those hard-to-reach poses
Yoga blocks serve many functions for elevating your practice. For one, they elevate your stance in arm balances such as Dangling Earring Pose, lifting your tight thighs in a Pigeon, assisting in gentle supported backbends, balance in Standing Splits and Warrior 3, and we can’t forget Forward Fold and Downward Facing Dog.
You can also place it under your head in Savasana (Corpse Pose) if you find any discomfort in your neck while laying on your back. The same method goes for Child’s Pose by utilizing the block under your forehead.
Yoga blocks are usually made of lightweight foam or cork, adjustable to 3 settings: Small, Medium, and High.
In addition to offering a higher ground, yoga blocks make an excellent grip point when turned on their sides. If you struggle with planting your hands flat on the mat, such as in Plank variations or Down Dog, using blocks to hold onto will alleviate stress you may feel in your wrists and carpals.
These block sets come with an adjustable yoga strap to help you reach arm binds and seated forward folds.
Dakini 2-Pack Cork Yoga Block Set with Strap
Dimensions are: 6″ L x 9″ W x 3″ Th
Cork blocks are solid and offer a firm grip. Their natural sturdiness is great for supporting balancing and standing poses. However, they can be uncomfortable if you were to lay on them in more Restorative asanas such as in Extended Fish Pose.
Gaiam Essentials Foam Yoga Block Set with Strap
9″W x 6″H x 4″D
Foam blocks are lightweight and much more comfortable to lean or lay on, making them the preferred choise for more Yin and Restorative practices. They also work well in traditional, more active flows much like a cork block would. Supporting balancing and standing poses are no issue with foam blocks.
In my personal experience, I’ve only ever used foam blocks and am satisfied with the modifications that they offer. Other than slight discomfort I’ve experienced with the hard cork blocks, there really isn’t much of a difference in my practice between cork & foam
Push Up Bars
Grip it good
If you find yourself Planking or Down Dog on your closed fists, these inexpensive Push Up Bars allow for you to wrap your fingers around the handles. Your knuckles will thank you as your Plank Variations and Arm Balances are no longer fully supported on your fists – just your wrists.
Affordable alternative: If your Gym/ Studio or Home Gym has weights (at least 10 – 15 lbs), you can use those to grip – just be very careful to keep them stable in your practice.
Wedges
Like a yogi high heel
Yoga mat wedges are essentially an angled yoga block. Made from the same foam material, this tool provides a comfortable little elevation to your ankles for Malasana (Yogi squat) and Down Dog when placed at the back of the mat.
It can also be used for your wrists if placed at the front of the mat, alleviating the stress of flexing your joints too far out of your comfortable range.
Affordable Option: Roll the front or back end of your mat into itself, closing it in place with your hands or heels on the new elevation it created.
Yoga Wheel
Fun for all yoga levels
Yoga Wheels are a triple threat prop: used for building flexibility, stability, and as a massage roller.
While it does help in supporting your backbends, yoga wheels can transform your practice with challenging variations, combining Pilates style flows into your asanas.
This wheel set includes a booklet guide of instructions for over 30 poses and a funky-printed yoga strap to assist with even more flexibility training.
Aozora 13″ Yoga Wheel with Yoga Position Guide and Strap
Bolsters
The softest support
Bolsters are a sort of yoga cushion that act as a comfortable pillow to recline on in more relaxed poses.
These are often used in Yin and Restorative style practices, in which you stay in a position for 3-5 minutes at a time. You can either lay on a bolster such as in a Supported Bridge Pose or Child’s Pose. They make a great seat if you struggle with sitting on the mat for an extended period of time.
Pro-Tip: You can stack 1-2 blocks underneath the bolster to make a “ramp” to recline on. Be careful not to fall asleep, it’s so comfy!
Affordable Alternative: I was once late to a Restorative yoga class and they ran out of bolsters. The instructor wrapped a blanket around a rolled yoga mat as a makeshift bolster for underneath my back.
Blankets
The scratchiest support
Falsa style blankets are often used in Yin & Restorative yoga for their firmness and slight cushion when folded onto the mat. Woven tightly, the cotton fabric creates a sturdy texture that is excellent for promoting comfort & alignment in long-held positions such as Bridge or Lotus, which start to hurt after a few minutes of just mat contact.
These Mexican blankets are flat and slightly scratchy, similar to a beach towel that is not very absorbent. They also double as incredible mats for outdoor use such as the beach, bonfires, and camping.
Benevolence LA Mexican Style Falsa Blanket
Affordable alternative: Go to any flea market and get it for way cheaper. I found mine at a gas station in the Mexican neighborhood for $8, while the online prices are basically daylight robbery. As a Mexican American, I am floored at these prices. The designs are cute though <3
Towels
Speaking of “towels…”
If you plan on doing a Hot Yoga Session, you’re going to need a full-sized microfiber towel to help with keeping yourself stable. Nothing is more unpleasant than slipping and sliding around on your mat.
Simply layer the towel over your mat, and practice as normal, letting the towel do all the dirty work.
Affordable Option: A beach towel works fine for catching sweat. It won’t be as soft as a microfiber mat towel but it does the trick.
A face towel is also recommended for Hot Yoga or Power Yoga sessions to mop up excess sweat from your face, neck, & shoulders. The IUGA Towel Set (pictured above) comes with both a mat towel and one for your face.
Affordable Option: You can always use hand & face towels from home.
TLDR (too long, didn’t read)
Can we skip to the good part?
The most basic of the props are a mat and a set of blocks. The block sets I included come with a handy yoga strap, which is another essential prop for beginners.
Hot yoga has so many amazing health benefits like relaxing your muscles and detoxing your system. Even if you opt for a gentle hot yoga session, you are going to need a mat towel because you will sweat more than you anticipate. The best value, in my opinion, is the yoga mat set that includes a face towel.
The other props listed are secondary, suggested only if you feel you need extra support in your wrists and ankles, like the Push Up Handles and Yoga Block Wedge.
Bolsters and Blankets are highly recommended for Restorative or Yin style yoga practices in which you hold poses for up to 3-5 minutes. Even for regular yoga flows, these props provide cushioning if you feel discomfort on your knees, bottom, or back, allowing you to modify as needed.
The yoga wheel set can be used at all levels of yoga practice, allowing for backbend support as well as adding pilates style challenges to your flows. The wheels can also be used as a massage roller. Plus, it comes with a yoga strap to help reach binds and forward folds.
Overall, your yoga props are going to depend on your body and what style of yoga you’re interested in exploring.
Yoga props are excellent tools for safely and effectively building up your strength and flexibility. I hope my yoga guide was helpful in guiding you through the many basic props and their uses. Wishing you the very best in your yoga journey. Namaste.
Thanks for Reading!
-ELV
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