DIY Yoga Props for Home Practice

Developing a regular yoga practice can bring health and well-being for your body and mind. Yoga is a proven stress reducer. It aids in weight control and builds strength. I discovered yoga a few years ago when someone gave me a Rodney Yee tape and I began to develop a home practice. Yee says, “The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind.” I agree, but I find in some yoga sequences and positions it is good to incorporate yoga props too. Props for yoga include mats, straps, blankets, bolsters, blocks, chairs and walls.

The benefit of using yoga props include:

• Props help conserve and replenish energy.
• Props make difficult poses more accessible and safe.
• Props help prevent injuries.
• Props aid stretches and strengthen muscles.
• Props can make it easier to stay in poses long enough to release tension.
• Props help create space in the spine and joint.
• Props can assist inverted and weight-bearing poses.
• Props help improve balance.
• Props help improve body alignment.

Here are some DIY prop ideas:

• Use a blanket or thick towel as a bolster or temporary yoga mat.
• Cut a small tennis ball in half to use as wrist support.
• Stack small throw pillows under your head, chest, or back as a wedge. I like the inexpensive foam pillows from IKEA.
• Tie two neckties together for a strap or use strong cloth belts.
• Use books of varying thickness as blocks. Tie them together with rope if needed.
• Use a sturdy chair for balancing poses.

DIY Yoga Blocks
What you need:
Tape measure
Wood (cut to 3-by-5.5-by-9 inches)
Saw
Sandpaper

What to do:

1. Cut the blocks so that they are 5 1/2 inches wide, 9 inches long and 3 inches tall.

2. With sandpaper, soften the wood. Sand the corner proportionately.

Yoga mats break down and wear out. Gaiam has some great tips for recycling and repurposing old yoga mats. Interested in making your own fashion-forward yoga clothes? Here is an article that includes yoga props and clothing patterns.

Ronnie Citron-Fink lives in New York with her husband, two children (when they come home to the nest), two dogs and a cat. Ronnie is a teacher and a writer. She has been a contributing writer for Family Fun magazine. She currently writes articles about education and home design. Her writings are in four books including Family Fun Home and Some Delights of the Hudson Valley.

EcoNesting

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

jerry c.

2:36AM PST on Dec 26, 2011

cool

send a green star

Past Member .

11:39PM PDT on Jul 31, 2011

Practicing yoga and tai chi regularly may help reverse some effects of aging, such as restricted and narrowed movements.

KS G.

5:12AM PDT on Jun 29, 2011

Thanks for the article.

Catherine C.

9:20AM PST on Feb 8, 2011

I find the thing I love about doing yoga.. it is a practice not a competition. If we can not achieve a posture one day it is because our body is not able. As long as we try our best, tomorrow perhaps we will. I go to hot yoga daily and every day is different. No props- just sweat, heat and breath...

Grateful to my practice... it helps me stay flexible, calm and have learned to breath- which helps me outside the yoga studio...
bliss!

Mars L.

4:22AM PDT on Oct 26, 2010

great article, thanks.

Claire N.

12:14PM PDT on Jun 28, 2010

I have scoliosis and have difficulty bending forward. Sometimes I get really angry with myself when I can't do poses. Then I get discouraged and stop my practice (vicious cycle). I use journaling and meditation to work on my attitude, and I use props to help me move into poses at my own pace.

Faith M.

12:57PM PDT on May 11, 2010

I've been looking into starting yoga and these are some great tips, thank you! :]

JE L.

8:56PM PST on Dec 7, 2009

Thanks.

Good B.

2:44PM PST on Dec 3, 2009

Yoga is a different experience for every one of us, every time we practice it. Use props or don't, whichever is more conducive to having a good experience with the session you are in now.

Poet D.

2:50AM PST on Feb 24, 2009

Thank you Ronnie for reading my views and taking the time to reply :)

My mind is always open ............ just hope that some of the info doesn't drop out, hehe