AD – This Yoga essentials post is a paid advertorial l but all thoughts are my own

If you know me through my blog or social media then you’ll already know that I LOVE Yoga. I’m an avid Yogi and have been for around 7/8 years now. I’ve been through a huge journey of self awareness and self discovery in my Yoga practice (which is far too long to get into here) but Yoga has and remains one of the most important parts of my life.

yoga essentials

Can I do the splits? No. Am I flexible? Not really. Can I do a crow pose for longer than 0.5 seconds without falling on my face? Absolutely not. But that’s the beauty of Yoga, is that none of that matters. There is no end with Yoga. No tick box. No end destination. It’s a process, a practice and a journey and it’s bloody beautiful.

Related read: Misconceptions of Yoga

But enough with the woo-woo stuff, which I could quite happily talk about all day, in today’s post we’re looking at the more practical side of Yoga and I’m sharing some yoga essentials which beginners of this ancient and sacred practice might want to consider investing in.

6 Yoga essentials for beginners:

Comfortable clothes that feel good for YOU

I wanted to make this point first because it’s likely that even if you’re not practicing Yoga yet, then you’ve probably seen tons of Yoga clothes related content around. Although a lot of these images you’ll seen will be of women wearing leggings and tight fitting clothing, that absolutely doesn’t mean that that’s what YOU have to wear.

As a beginner, my biggest recommendation would be just to wear what’s comfortable. Of course be sensible. Skinny jeans – despite how comfortable you find them – probably aren’t an appropriate piece of clothing for Yoga.

But seriously, you don’t have to spend hundreds of pounds on fancy Yoga clothes when you’re just starting out. I wore my pajamas for the longest time – and still do sometimes!

A good quality Yoga mat

A good quality Yoga Mat is absolutely essential. Not just for new Yogi’s but seasoned ones too. Everyone practicing Yoga needs that support under their feet. That dedicated piece of equipment that when they roll it out, then know they are safe and loved and supported.

At least, that’s how I feel when I roll out my mat every day and it’s beautiful. But aside from that, you need a good quality mat to protect yourself. Your wrists, knees, back, stomach and even head sometimes, will be touching the floor during a practice. You don’t want to be practicing on any old surface.

Yoga essentials

I was sent the Lotus Pro Yoga Mat from Yoga Bliss for the purpose of this feature, which came at an excellent time. I needed a new Yoga mat last year so I bought one from a popular retailer (naming no names) for around £25 and within a couple of practices, it has already ripped – eeek!

The Lotus Pro Mat feels super durable. It’s TPE foam is 100% environmentally friendly, hygienic and 100% recyclable as well as being free of toxic dyes and PVC. Which is exactly what you want in a good quality and environmentally friendly Yoga mat. It comes in a ton of colours too, so you can chose which suits you best!

I love the purple that I was sent. I probably would have gone for the same had I purchased this. The thing I love about this mat is that is doesn’t slip and slide around – which my last one did and it was VERY annoying on hard surfaces! Another bonus for me is that it’s firm enough for balancing postures – I do love a balance or two!

Yoga props (such as blocks and straps)

As a beginner just starting out, props are SUPER HANDY to have. However if you don’t have the monetary means of purchasing a load of different props then you can improvise. Instead of a block, use a pile of books. Instead of a strap, use a tea towel. There’s always a way around it!

But props in general are really great to have in your Yoga practice to keep on hand for if/when you need them. Having those additional props there just reminds me that I’m supporting myself in this loving and caring way by using an aid, rather than muscling through and potentially hurting myself.

A super cozy blanket

Some Yoga practices will require a cozy blanket. And you’ll probably find yourself pulling out your blanket more than what you expected when you first start your Yoga journey. There’s no special blanket you need here, just a cozy one that you have in your home!

Blankets can be used during meditations or cozy practices where you need that extra comfort. They’re also good to roll up and sit on to lift your hips if you’re tight in that area.

Related read: 5 At Home Yoga Practices For Stress Relief

Yoga essentials Crystals

Candles, crystals, incents and essential oils

Are these strictly “necessary”? No, probably not. But to grow your practice and really carve out dedicated and worthy time for YOU, then they’re definitely worth keeping on hand. These types of products certainly won’t be needed for all Yoga practices but for the more relaxing and rejuvenating practices, they can be a real treat.

You might want to burn a lavender candle or incent for when you’re trying to relax. Or use some peppermint oil on your Yoga props if you’re practicing with a cold. There are SO MANY different scents and oils you can incorporate into your practice!

A good teacher (an incredibly important Yoga essential)

And my final Yoga essential would be a good teacher. Particularly when you’re just getting started. Finding a class or a teacher that practices to YOUR LEVEL is crucial. Because diving straight into an advanced Yoga class just isn’t going to work, despite how fit or flexible you already might be.

Related read: Yoga With Adriene Practices For Every Mood

There’s a lot more to Yoga that just powering through the poses, building up a sweat and saying Namaste at the end. There’s a lot of breath work, alignment work, postural work and MUCH MORE you’ll need to understand as well. And a good teacher can help you do that safely and gracefully.

If you practice Yoga, what would you consider your Yoga essentials? Do you have anything else to add for beginners?

93 Comments

  1. I’ve been practicing yoga on and off for a few years, but have recently committed to a short practice every morning! I’m not flexible nor can I get in crazy poses, but I really love the clarity yoga gives me! Great post Jenny 🙂 x

  2. I’ve done little bits of yoga in the past but I’ve considered taking it up during isolation! It’s really the perfect exercise to do at home as it doesn’t take up a massive amount of space and is genuinely fun x

  3. I started yoga last year and absolutely love it. I watch Julia Marie on Amazon Prime. I was really surprised that I got hot and sweaty at the beginning, because yoga always looks slow and like you are not doing much. Of course I discovered that to be wrong. I think finding the right “yoga” is important. I prefer the slow once with postures such as tree pose etc and not too many handstands etc. And a great yoga matt always makes me look forward to yoga.

  4. Ah I love this – and it’s reminding me that I really need to start practicing again, it’s been far too long and my mat has been rolled up in the corner for months now. I really struggled with clothes to start with as well – pjs is a great tip!

  5. I have done a couple of Yoga sessions and it was amazing. However, it wasn’t that serious and didn’t have all these stuff. I will try to get back into it because it’s great for mental health. Thank you for sharing!

  6. I was really into yoga but I have been slacking with it lately and it is something I really need to bring back into my life! These are some great tips; I have a yoga mat which I love and this post had made me want to implement this back into my routine xx

  7. Beautiful words you’ve written about yoga! I admit I’ve never really done regular yoga but I have done hot yoga a handful of times. I love yoga as you’re so focus on your body movement and you get to really listen to your body and what it capable of! Thanks for sharing x

    http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

  8. Love these tips, especially number one, clothes that feel good for you! It doesn’t have to be fancy like you see on socials! Thanks for sharing, an amazing post to help anyone get started with their practise!x

  9. I used to do yoga all the time when I was younger and enjoyed it so much. I haven’t done it for awhile but I’m hoping to start sometime soon. I don’t yet have a yoga mat so I’ll take a look, I have plenty of fluffy blankets and crystals though! xx

  10. I recently started to practice Yoga daily and it has made such a big difference. The good thing about it is that there are a lot of different types of Yoga depending on what you want to take out of it. I agree on the mat, it is important for balance and stability.

  11. I have a mat and some crystals, but I have never had the confidence to go to a class. I am going to look and see if I can find something online.

  12. love this post! I appreciate that you named your mag I am not happy with mine and light try yours! at the moment my usual Yoga course is online, and for me it is essential that nobody wants anything from me in these 90 minutes so I can focus on myself – so my mum does not call, my phone is on mute and my boyfriend does not enter my room. 🙂 I love this time just for myself!

  13. I really love this piece. I have been trying to get into yoga, but haven’t gotten the motivation to start😭. But, this post, reminded me why I need to start.
    I honestly cannot thank you enough.

    Thank you

  14. I’ve done Yoga once in my life & honestly, I’m ashamed to say I don’t do it more, because it was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had. I had no idea that a blanket was part of the essentials. I’m going to start back up and incorporate all of the things! Thank you for sharing!

  15. Been incorporating yoga practice into my workouts for a couple weeks now thanks to Youtube. It’s definitely trying to practice the proper breathing that I find challenging next to doing some poses.

  16. I loved this post! Yoga is something I’ve been trying to get into for years, sadly when I was just starting to understand it (I was going to classes) lockdown happened 🙁 I’ve never thought to add candles but makes complete sense! Thanks for sharing xx

  17. These are some great tips for beginner’s! I’ve been looking for a new yoga mat too, so I’ll certainly look at this one. Sadly I won’t be able to do any leg stretches for a few more speaks as I tore my MCL in my knee. 🙁 But a new yoga mat may be the perfect motivation to get back to it when I’m healed.

  18. This was such an amazing read! I love when you started put saying that it’s a practice and a journey, not a run to get the best handstand. I started out doing some practices while I was back home with Adrienne on You Tube, but then stopped. Should really get back into it, thanks for sharing x

  19. I started Yoga this year because I’m having a hard time to adjust with my working at home schedule and self-care. This is definitely something to try! Thank you for sharing this Jen x

  20. I started dabbling in yoga during the first lockdown and realised how amazing it is for my joints, stress levels and everything else. I do YouTube videos that focus on specific areas of the body – running muscles for when I’ve been running lots, lower back for general life etc.
    I use some straps but having a mat, a clear mind and some comfy clothes really is all you need!

    Rosie

  21. This post is brilliant. I’ve been looking for something I can do at home, and rearranging my bedroom so I have the space. I think yoga might be exactly what I need. I love the look of those mats – and the prices! Thanks x

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