Yoga is now a popular form of exercise in the West, and one that doesn’t need a lot of equipment to get started. But knowing exactly what you need to go to your first yoga class, or even practice at home, can still feel overwhelming at first—especially when there are so many yoga supplies to buy. That’s why we’ve put together our recommendations on must-haves for a yoga beginner, and which items you might consider buying later.
One of the most obvious things you’ll need is one of the best yoga mats, but it can also help to have some yoga blocks to make the poses more accessible to you. As a beginner, you want to keep your practice simple, so using yoga blocks can be a real benefit.
What to buy as a yoga beginner: Yoga mats
Although you can technically practice yoga on any floor, one of the best yoga mats makes it much easier to hold poses like downward dog, as they provide extra grip. We don’t know if you’ve ever tried doing downward dog on the mat, but it’s definitely more of a workout!
One of the most important things you need in a yoga mat, as a beginner or otherwise, is a good grip. Alignment lines can also be helpful when learning the positions and where to place your hands and feet. The adjustment lines can help you find the right distance between your hands and feet, but they are only there as a guide – it’s important to listen to what feels best in your body.
Aside from grip, you’ll also want to consider how much cushioning a yoga mat offers you. Anything between 4 and 6 millimeters should offer adequate cushioning, but when you start yoga, you’ll find that your joints are more sensitive before they get used to the pressure placed on them in certain positions. So consider a thicker yoga mat or have a blanket nearby for positions where your joints aren’t as happy.
Here are our recommendations for the best yoga mats you can buy as a beginner.
What you can buy as a yoga beginner: Yoga blocks
For yoga beginners, props are essential – your body won’t be used to the poses and things will feel tight. Having props available will make the introduction to the practice easier. There are many forms of yoga props available for purchase, but we recommend starting with yoga blocks. These are versatile as you can use them for both sitting and standing positions.
There are different types of yoga blocks available, so it is important to know the differences between them. While most yoga blocks are known as such, you can also get something called “yoga blocks.” These are thicker than yoga blocks, which tend to be thinner and wider. Yoga blocks are great for standing positions to bring the floor closer to you, while yoga blocks are better suited for sitting positions, especially if you have pelvic tilt when sitting on the floor, which means it’s difficult for you to sit with a straight spine. Depending on your budget, you may want to get one of each. However, you can use both for both standing and sitting positions if you are limited by finances.
Another consideration is the material the yoga blocks are made of. You can get yoga blocks and blocks made from cork or EVA foam – both provide good support, so it’s really down to personal preference and the impact on the environment, with cork being the more eco-friendly option.
Here are our top recommendations for yoga blocks.
What to buy as a yoga newbie: Fitness trackers
Some of the best fitness trackers can be used to track your yoga practice. As a beginner, you may be more interested than an experienced yogi in understanding how yoga affects your fitness. With a fitness tracker, you can track how many sessions a week you do, how long you train in each session, your heart rate during yoga classes and calories burned. This can give you an idea of ​​how yoga is helping your fitness journey and the impact it can have on your overall health.
While some fitness trackers can be very expensive, you can also track your yoga sessions with one of the best budget fitness trackers. In fact, we can recommend the Motorola Moto Watch Fit as the best fitness tracker for yoga.
If you’re looking for a fitness tracker for other exercise than just yoga, you might want to invest in one of the best Garmin watches, where you’ll get a lot for your money.
Here are our favorite fitness trackers to track your yoga practice.
What not to buy as a yoga newbie (right away)
It may feel like you need a lot of equipment to practice yoga, but in reality you can get started with very little. We’ve outlined the essentials you’ll need to get started as a beginner, but as you develop a more regular practice, you may feel you need more props and objects, which is a natural progression. That’s where our list of non-essentials comes in – you can buy them now or wait until you’re more familiar with the practice.
Once you’ve been practicing for a while, you may want to consider specific yoga workout clothes, a yoga chair, a yoga bolster, or even a yoga belt. While these are great to have, we would argue that they are not essential for a beginner and can be purchased over time. Of course, you can get them at the start of your yoga journey, but they are not necessary.
At first, you can practice yoga in any comfortable workout gear, but over time you may prefer to get some yoga pants. These are comfortable to wear and can help prevent the feet from sliding down the leg in balance positions such as tree pose.
When it comes to other yoga props such as a yoga chair, yoga bolster and yoga belt, these can help you explore the poses with added support and ease. While they’re not must-haves for beginners (many poses can be done without the need for props), they can be useful once you’ve built up a regular practice to help you target areas of your body that feel resistant to the poses without additional support.
For example, a yoga chair can help make some backbends or sitting positions more accessible. A yoga bolster can help relieve upper back discomfort in some more reclined backbends, or can be used to support you in poses such as child’s pose. And a yoga belt can help make shoulder or hamstring stretches more accessible.
What to buy as a yoga beginner: The bottom line
Yoga is a practice where you don’t need a huge amount of equipment to get started, but as your practice develops, you may want to invest in more yoga props to support your body and deepen your practice. We recommend starting with the basics and expanding your collection over time.
