Yoga Gear for Beginning Yoga The Essentials and Beyond
Yoga Gear - Beginning Yoga Essentials
One nice thing about beginning yoga is that very little special yoga equipment is required. Since yoga is done in bare feet, you don't even need special shoes.
Here's a list of common yoga equipment you may want to consider when beginning yoga:
Yoga Sticky Mats If there is one piece of yoga equipment you should have as a beginner, it's a sticky mat. Yoga Sticky Mats are vital to your practice--providing stability, traction, and support. The "sticky" texture prevents your hands and feet from slipping. Yoga Sticky Mats come in a variety of thicknesses, materials, and prices.
Yoga Blankets Yoga Blankets are another great piece of yoga gear providing cushioning, support, and warmth. You can use yoga blankets to cushion your knees, for support in gentle restorative yoga poses, and for warmth during final relaxation.
Yoga Straps Yoga straps are ideal yoga gear if you are less flexible, especially when stretching tight legs and shoulders.
Yoga Blocks Yoga Blocks are ideal when beginning yoga, especially if you have a tight back and/or hamstrings. This yoga gear serves to 'raise the floor,' making it easier to stretch in a deeper more supported way.
Yoga Eye Pillows Yoga Eye Pillows help deepen your relaxation by providing restorative weight to your eyes, forehead, and sinuses.
Yoga Gear - Beyond The Basics
Yoga Books If you are beginning yoga at home and prefer to be guided by a book, there are many wonderful resources to choose from. It seems like the variety and number of yoga books expands each time I visit my local bookstore. As a book lover, my yoga library continues to grow. Books exist for each and every level of your yoga development.
Yoga CDs A diverse selection of Yoga CDs for both beginning yoga and continuing yoga students is ever increasing. Yoga CDs can be divided into two major categories: instructional CDs and yoga music CDs. Both can make practicing yoga at home more enjoyable.
Once familiar with basic beginning yoga poses, instructional yoga cds can guide you through various yoga routines in the comfort and privacy of your own home. When you get to the level of being comfortable practicing your own yoga routines and sequences, a wide selection of accompanying yoga music awaits you.
Yoga DVDs Yoga DVDs are a great resource, especially if you want to do yoga at home. There are plenty of yoga DVDs of varying levels and styles to chose from -- yoga for beginners, yoga for weight loss, yoga for back pain, yoga for stress relief, gentle yoga, ashtanga yoga, power yoga, yoga for seniors, and yoga for inflexible people to name a few.
Many Yoga DVDs do a great job at demonstrating yoga positions for beginners while others are more suited to experienced practitioners seeking new yoga routines.
Yoga Gloves/Yoga Socks Are you interested in taking your basic yoga routine with you when you travel? Do you have sweaty hands and/or feet that make it difficult for you to do yoga without slipping and sliding?
Yoga gloves and yoga socks are specialty yoga gear designed just for you. Made of cotton or cotton/lycra blends with grippy rubber on the palms and soles, yoga socks and yoga gloves serve two purposes -- they can replace a yoga mat when traveling and/or provide additional protection against slipping and sliding during your yoga practice.
Yoga Sandals Are your toes cramped inside tight shoes most of the time? As you are beginning yoga is it difficult to 'spread your toes' as so many yoga instructors suggest?
After a lifetime of neglect it can be challenging to reconnect with your feet, especially when beginning yoga. I can still remember the uncomfortable sensation the first time my yoga teacher suggested we separate our toes by placing our fingers in between and giving them a good stretch.
Separating your toes helps more than just your feet -- it improves your balance, flexibility and alignment.
If you want assistance separating your toes yoga sandals can help. Worn around the house or on errands, therapeutic yoga sandals retrain your feet to spread their toes while also helping to relieve painful foot conditions.
Yoga Clothes, Yoga Apparel Comfortable clothing that allows movement but isn't too loose is all you need for doing yoga. If you feel better in clothes designed specifically for yoga exercise your options are plentiful. Sometimes a pretty outfit is all the motivation we need to get to yoga class!
Many athletic clothing manufacturers include yoga clothing -- yoga pants, yoga tops, and unitards in their lines. Stores from Target to Nordstrom carry yoga clothing and you yoga studio may offer a selection of yoga clothing and accessories in its boutique.
My favorite yoga clothes are multifunctional, allowing me to move from yoga class into my day seamlessly without a wardrobe change.
