Gear worth buying — and what to skip
Yoga needs almost nothing. You can practise every pose in this library on a carpet in whatever you slept in. So this page is deliberately short: the few things that genuinely make practice better, and why.
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Mats
You need exactly one mat, and the honest answer is that any grippy mat works. These are the three we get asked about most.
Manduka PRO
The buy-it-once option — dense, stable, famously durable. Heavy, so it lives at home, which is where practice happens anyway.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Manduka PRO on Amazon
Liforme Original
The grippiest mat we've used, with alignment markers that genuinely help beginners place hands and feet. Priciest of the three.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Liforme Original on Amazon
Gaiam Essentials (budget pick)
Perfectly fine to start on. If yoga sticks, upgrade later — if it doesn't, you're out very little.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Gaiam Essentials (budget pick) on Amazon
The three props worth owning
Props aren't training wheels — they're how you get the shape of a pose before your flexibility catches up. Nearly every modification in the library uses one of these three.
Cork blocks (set of 2)
Bring the floor closer in lunges, folds, and triangle — and a block between the shoulder blades turns a backbend into something you can hold.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Cork blocks (set of 2) on Amazon
8-foot cotton strap
Extends your reach in hamstring and shoulder work — the honest substitute for grabbing a foot you can't yet reach. Get 8ft, not 6ft.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find 8-foot cotton strap on Amazon
Yoga blanket
Folded under the hips in seated poses, under the knees in kneeling ones, under the shoulders for shoulderstand. A firm household blanket works too.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Yoga blanket on Amazon
Restorative & sleep
Long holds only work if the shape is genuinely comfortable. These are what turn a five-minute Yin pose from endurance into rest.
Bolster
The single best restorative purchase. Under the knees, under the spine, or lengthwise under the back to open a gentle supported backbend.
Eye pillow
For final rest. Gentle weight on the eyes reliably deepens the relaxation response — one of the few props that does something you can feel immediately.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Eye pillow on Amazon
Sleep mask
Light is the loudest signal your brain gets at night. A contoured mask doesn't press on the eyes.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Sleep mask on Amazon
Grip & joint support
Two specific problems worth solving: sweaty hands sliding in a heated room, and wrists that complain in arm balances.
Grippy yoga towel
Essential for hot classes and the Bikram 26 — a wet mat is genuinely unsafe in standing balances. Also saves a nice mat from sweat.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Grippy yoga towel on Amazon
Wrist wedge
Reduces the wrist angle in plank, chaturanga, and arm balances. Worth trying before concluding your wrists can't do this.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Wrist wedge on Amazon
Yoga knee pad
A folded blanket does the same job, but this is tidier for kneeling poses and low lunges if your knees are sensitive.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Yoga knee pad on Amazon
Desk setup
The Desk Relief course needs zero equipment. These fix the input side — the setup that's undoing your practice between sessions.
Laptop stand
Screen to eye level is the single highest-value change for screen neck. Pair with any external keyboard.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Laptop stand on Amazon
External keyboard + mouse
Required once the laptop is raised. Any basic combo works — this is about geometry, not features.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find External keyboard + mouse on Amazon
Sit-stand desk converter
Optional. Alternating positions beats either position held all day — it's the holding still that hurts.
Who it's for (and who should skip it)Find Sit-stand desk converter on Amazon
What you can skip
- · Yoga clothing brands — anything you can move and breathe in.
- · Yoga wheels, sliders, and gadgets — fun, but they solve problems beginners don't have yet.
- · A second mat. One grippy mat outlasts the enthusiasm that made you want a spare.
The library itself is free — start with the poses and buy a prop only when a modification tells you it would help.