A student once arrived at her first class with a yoga mat still in its plastic wrapping, a brand-new set of blocks, a strap and what looked suspiciously like an entire new wardrobe – and confessed, slightly sheepishly, that she’d spent more on kit than she had on several block’s worth of classes. I told her, gently, that none of it had been necessary. You really don’t need very much to begin.
A Mat
This is genuinely the one thing worth having. A mat gives you grip, a small amount of cushioning for your knees and spine and just as importantly, it marks out your own bit of space in the room – somewhere to be, both physically and mentally. You don’t need an expensive one to start. A simple, mid-range mat will serve you perfectly well and I have spares you can borrow before deciding whether to buy your own.
Comfortable Clothing
Anything that lets you move freely through a full range of motion – bending forward, twisting, reaching overhead, getting up and down off the floor – will do. Leggings, loose trousers, a fitted top that won’t ride up when you fold forward. The why here is simple: you want to be thinking about your breath and your balance, not about adjusting your clothing every few minutes.
A Block or Two
If you don’t own one, don’t worry – I’ll always have spares. A block’s job is to bring the floor closer to you, rather than asking your body to stretch further than it’s ready to. In a forward fold, a hand resting on a block instead of straining toward the floor often allows far better alignment through the spine than forcing the reach would. It’s not a beginner’s tool you graduate away from. Plenty of very experienced practitioners use blocks regularly, simply because they make a pose work better.
A Strap
Useful for anywhere your hands need to “reach” further than your shoulders or hamstrings currently allow – a seated forward fold, or a shoulder stretch, for example. The strap effectively extends your arm, letting you find the shape and the stretch without compromising your form by overreaching. Again, entirely optional starting out – I’ll have these to hand too.
A Blanket or Bolster
Less essential early on, but lovely to have, particularly for restorative poses or the final relaxation at the end of class. A folded blanket under the knees in a kneeling pose, or beneath the head in Savasana (Corpse pose), can make a meaningful difference to comfort – and comfort, in turn, makes it far easier to actually settle and let the relaxation do its work.
What You Genuinely Don’t Need
Expensive leggings, a designer mat bag, or any of the kit you might see attached to yoga online. None of it changes how the practice feels or what it offers you. I’d far rather see you on the mat in an old t-shirt than not see you at all because you were waiting to feel “equipped enough” to start.
My Honest Advice
Come to your first class with comfortable clothes and bare feet, or socks if your feet run cold. Everything else – mat, blocks, strap, blanket – I’ll have available for you to try. See how it feels, see whether you enjoy it and only then think about what might be worth having of your own. Most people find they need far less than they expected.
If you’d like to go a little deeper, the Philosophy section explores the ideas behind yoga, while Practice and Poses offers a natural next step onto the mat.
If you’d like to try a class, I teach in Bebington and Hooton – you’d be very welcome to join us.
If you’d like a little more structure to guide you, Coming Home to the Body is a gentle course on alignment, awareness and ease – a good place to begin building your own practice.