What You Need for a Decent Home Practice

No more excuses. It’s become apparent that the pandemic is not going away anytime soon. The time has come to make our home practice worthy of our time and attention.

What you need:

The basics: A mat and space

If your yoga practice is vinyasa or power, you move forward and back and enjoy it, then all you really need is a mat and space.

Invest in a good mat. Your mat is a reflection of your intention. If you buy a crappy mat from a big box store, and it smells, and it provides no cushion, and you slip and slide, then what does that say about your practice and how you value your time?

There are many excellent mats on the market and I have several blogs on my site describing pros and cons. We each have a preference for look and feel. Prepare to spend at least $70 to $120, but a good mat will last the rest of your life.

Next you need to designate a space. If you live in a small apartment or share space with roommates, then define a space where you will roll out your mat once a day. Move plants and knick-knacks, take pictures down and put couches on sliders for easy relocation. It’s a small investment in your time with a big payoff for your purpose.  

Next: Blocks and Strap

If you practice anything other than vinyasa, then you need a basic set up of props. Invest in at least 2 blocks and a yoga belt or strap. Again, please buy quality. A cheap strap will end up biting into your skin or the fastener will slip or break. I use straps by Manduka or Hugger Mugger which are thick, come in various lengths and have a strong metal clasp. If you are tall then buy at least 10 feet. For my purposes, 8 feet is fine – but I’m a shrimp of a human.

With blocks, you can go cheap. The more expensive blocks made from cork or wood are durable, but those are typically for studios where they will have multiple users in a day. For home practice, I prefer the Gaiam foam blocks. They are lightweight, come in multiple colors and sizes. The typical size is 4 inches thick. Buy at least 2, but if you have the space, 4 will serve you well.

There’s always more: blanket and chair

Lastly, you may need a blanket and possibly a chair.

Up to now I’ve been telling my students to grab their dining chair, which will work for most things. But Covid-19 means business, and so should we. I use a standard Iyengar prop chair. You can find it on the internet or Amazon, or contact a local studio that may be selling them. They cost around $40. It’s a metal folding chair without a back or padding so you can sit forwards or backwards. It’s also very sturdy so it won’t tip at a disastrous moment.

Lastly, invest in a yoga blanket. One should do the trick, but two would be great. These are available on the Yoga Outlet and other sources. They are infinitely useful in practice.

A truly spoiled yogi would also get: Bolsters and gewgaws

If you are delightfully spoiled, then you would also want a bolster. These come in round, sausage-like shapes or a rectangle. I suppose a very picky teacher would ask for one over the other, but I say get whichever you prefer.

Other gewgaws and accessories might include an eye pillow and sandbags. I have all that, but honestly they are rarely used.

Branching out: Fitness Accessories

 Lastly, I have invested in several fitness accessories that are serving me well for yoga and Pilates-based exercises. These are for building core strength and endurance.

I’m using ankle and wrist weights, just one pound each, a band collection and sliders. All of these are available on Amazon. I also own a set of hand weights from three to 15 pounds, but now we’ve left the yoga world.

I hope this helps. Let’s be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. Even if local gyms and studios reopen anytime soon, you might want to bring your props with you to practice. That’s what we’re doing in Colorado for now, and the foreseeable future.

Michelle Marchildon is the Yogi Muse. She’s an award-winner writer and yoga teacher based in Denver, Colorado.