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.
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.
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
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.
