Yoga Mats, Straps, Bolsters, and Other Props to Aid Your Practice

The yoga mat is so ubiquitous in today’s yoga world, you may not even consider it a prop. It may seem surprising, but mats (which provide cushioning between you and the floor and help prevent slipping in various postures) are actually relatively new to the practice, when you consider that yoga began approximately 5,000 years ago.

The yoga mat was the brainchild of Angela Farmer, a well-known yoga teacher, says Krucoff. Farmer started using an early version of a yoga mat herself in the late 1960s, and was marketing them by the 1980s, according to her website.

“Farmer wanted something to put on the floor when she practiced so that she wouldn’t slip or slide, so she had the idea to use a rug pad — the sticky rubbery kind that you put under a rug — and the first yoga mat was born,” says Krucoff.

For certain postures, like Downward-Facing Dog, a mat can be really useful to help you hold the pose, Krucoff says.

Typically, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on props — you can often use something you might have around the house rather than purchasing a special strap or a blanket — but getting a nice yoga mat is a good investment if you’re planning on continuing your practice, Krucoff says. Poorer quality mats can hold on to smells and degrade quickly, she says. “You can expect a good yoga mat to last 20 years or longer,” she says.

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Yoga belts (also called “straps”) are used to help you extend your reach. The truth is, most of us can’t reach our toes when we fully straighten our legs, says Krucoff. “This could be because of tight hamstrings, shorter arms, longer legs, or a combination of all three,” she says — but the strap can help you do so, and it can help you pull yourself further into the pose to get a fuller stretch.

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Another example: If you’re lying down on your back and you lift one leg up that you want to stretch, by holding the end of the strap in each hand, looping the strap around the bottom of your foot, and keeping tension on it you can maintain a straight leg, says Krucoff.

In some restorative classes, you might use the strap to gently tie your legs together in some poses, such as when you are lying on the floor and have your legs up the wall, to help you fully relax, says Krucoff. “The strap can help you access and hold poses that you might not otherwise be able to do,” she says.

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Chairs can be used as props in a variety of ways, says Krucoff. Older individuals or those with limited mobility due to health conditions may have an easier time performing some seated yoga poses in a chair rather than sitting on the ground, she says.

Sitting on the floor often can lead to poor posture because most people just aren’t used to it, says Krucoff. “Sitting on the edge of a chair can help you sit up tall while you do different poses and can help build strength in the core of the body.”

Some forms of yoga use specially designed yoga chairs that look like a typical metal folding chair without the backrest, says Krucoff. “These can be used in standing poses and backbends,” she says.

There are many uses for a block in yoga, and often two blocks are used at once, says Krucoff.

“A single block can be used for strengthening or keeping you in a pose,” she says. For example, you could hold a block between your thighs for some poses (such as chair pose) to keep your knees from splaying out, she says. In this case, you’ll need to keep your thighs in proper alignment to keep the block from falling.

Blocks can also be used to help you access a pose by bringing the floor “closer to you,” says Krucoff. For example, in a lunge, her hands don’t comfortably reach the floor, she says. “My back would have to be rounded, which is not what you want in this pose,” she says.

By placing a block under each hand, she can keep a long spine and do the pose properly, she says.

By propping up different parts of your body, blocks can also help you reach a fuller stretch in your chest or hips. Using a block may allow you to experience a pose in a new, deeper, or more intense way.

A bolster is a long and narrow pillow or cushion with firm support. When used as a prop in yoga, a bolster can help provide comfort and correct posture for certain poses. It’s often used in restorative yoga classes where it can be placed under the spine or the knees, says Krucoff.

A restorative class is designed to help people find calm and ease; it’s not an active workout, says Krucoff. “It’s more of a resting practice to help people let go of tension. Lying over a bolster in a backbend or a side bend can be very relaxing,” she says.

A bolster can also help your alignment, says Krucoff. “Often if you’re doing sitting poses on the floor, sitting on a bolster can help you sit nice and tall, and your knees drop down,” she says. In general, to achieve good alignment in a seated pose your knees should be below your hips, says Krucoff.

The blanket is used as a prop in yoga to help with your alignment and to keep you warm in restorative poses. Blankets can also be used for cushioning and propping up parts of the body, Krucoff says. “When I go on to hands and knees, my knees are kind of bony, and it helps to put the blanket under them so it doesn’t hurt when I do different poses,” she says.

You can use a blanket to prop yourself up in a pose like Pigeon pose. “For many people, their hips are not going to be even on the ground for that pose,” says Krucoff. By folding the blanket up and putting it under one of the hips for support, the body can settle into a pose without strain or struggle, she says.