Creative Alternatives to Yoga Props
in your Home Practice
If you’re new to yoga, and you’re not quite ready to make it a long-term investment, the idea of buying yoga props might not be high on the list of your priorities. There are, of course, other reasons why yogis may not wish to buy yoga props; they might think they’re just for beginners or people who aren’t flexible. Although props can be helpful to helping to increase flexibility, they are also a benefit to yogis who wish to experience a posture in a different way. Not only this, but they can be a massive benefit to making yoga accessible to yogis who may suffer with a physical condition or injury. In addition, practising with yoga props can help with creating an ideal state of mind in your yoga practice – if you have a brick under the knee in Janu Sirsasana (head-to-knee pose) for example, this can prevent the mind from becoming distracted by the physical discomfort that some yogis may experience when the hip is abducted (moved away from the midline of the body in an ‘opening action’) and externally rotated (knee is pointing out) in this way.
Other great benefits to using props are:
- Certain styles of yoga, for example Yin, call for props to help yogis to explore a pose more deeply by making a posture more comfortable to hold for longer stretches of time.
- Yoga props can help yogis to connect to the ‘yoga within’, meaning they can free their mind by stressing the body less, whilst still being able to experience all the benefits of the posture physically.
Yoga props can also help you to experience more challenging asanas safely.
So, you’re sold on the idea that yoga props are beneficial, but still not ready to invest financially?
Luckily, I am about to share with you some creative alternatives to using props in your home and online yoga practice.
- Yoga Brick
A yoga brick on average measures 22cm along its length, 11cm along its width and 7cm along its height. So if you can find a similarly thick (hardback) book, this is a good temporary substitution and can work in most situations.
2. Yoga strap
Yoga straps are very useful, in particular to support the legs in reaching further into an extension, or to help the arms catch in a binding posture. A really easy swap that can be made here is using a bath robe tie, or a scarf.
3. Pillows / sofa cushion
Yoga Bolsters are brilliant for increasing the stretch in many restorative postures of yoga, and in my opinion, are essential for restorative yoga practices. If you have a sofa in your house with removable cushions, these can often make a fantastic substitution, as they are a bit firmer than a regular pillow. If you haven’t got a sofa with removable cushions, using bed pillows is also fine, but you may wish to use a minimum of 2-3 pillows to recreate the comfort and firm support that a bolster provides. If you have a small bean-bag, depending on its shape, this can also come in handy.
TIP: If you find that despite using a few pillows you still feel unsupported, try placing some small books underneath to firm up the support from the base.
4. Use your yoga mat!
If you roll your yoga mat up tightly enough and turn it so that the long edge is in line with your spine, you can use your mat as a substitute for a block in certain postures such as matseyandrasana (fish pose) or for supine pranayama (breathing) practices.
Related: Try my 15 minute Yoga breathing meditation for anxiety and relaxation.
Although these substitutions can bring a temporary benefit to your yoga practice, it is worth seriously considering investing in the correct props if you plan to make them a part of your regular home practice. This will ensure that you can begin to create a healthy, life-long habit that is safe, effective and tailored to your body’s needs. Start with your yoga mat as an essential, and then perhaps a pair of yoga bricks and a strap to follow. See my FAQ page for my recommended yoga prop retailers.
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