Yoga Equipment

The first most obvious Yoga equipment to start off would be your mat, and they come in a wide variety of sizes, colours, thickness, and stickiness, and the quality is very much dependant on how much you want to spend, plus a bag to put your mat in when travelling to classes etc.

The equipment that many people who practice Yoga is endless, and is too vast to mention here, but needless to say it depends on the level to which you are aspiring to.

Yoga equipment also includes, bolsters, back bending benches, straps, inversion slings, Yoga ropes, heart blocks, forward benders and calf stretchers, and here again this equipment comes in various levels of quality.

Sandbags are pliable soft weights, which can be placed on different parts of the body to intensify a particular Yoga stretch, or to keep your body balanced during a special pose, and being soft will not hurt you if they fall onto any exposed limbs, either yours or someone else's.

A Yoga bolster is a great piece of equipment for stretching, and especially for supporting your back, stomach, chest and hamstrings, plus it also needs to be firm enough to give adequate support during difficult manoeuvres or positions.

Equipment such as Yoga ropes are still considered to be one of the most effective and versatile tools for developing strength and flexibility, supporting you in stretching and bending exercises, which can help relieve back pain, tone up those pelvic and abdominal organs, and strengthen all your main muscle groups.

Essential equipment for any Yoga student are the books, videos or DVD's, plus audio and music cd's, where you can learn and practice in the comfort of your own home.