My Top Yoga Essentials to Create Your Own Home Practice

It’s blistering cold here in Southern Ontario, and now is about the time of the year where attendance in my Yoga + Pilates classes are looking a little slim. I know you want to stay cozy and warm this winter, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop moving altogether!

If you’re not making it out to your usual fitness classes or the gym right now, but you don’t want to completely throw your fitness goals to the side, then its time to invest in the key pieces of equipment you need to flow it out right at home.

The best thing about Yoga is that it’s so accessible, it’s portable and there are great apps you can download (like Yoga Glo). It can come anywhere with you, whether you’re at home or on holiday with your family. The beautiful thing about yoga is that if you have your body with you, then you have your equipment with you.

You can do it anywhere; with whatever time you have. You can do just a few yoga poses, for a few minutes, if that’s all you have time for.

If you’re wanting to create a full-blown home practice, these Yoga essentials below are totally affordable and will help to remove the barriers between you and getting your movement in.

My Top Yoga Essentials to Create Your Own Home Practice

1. A Yoga Mat — Here’s a heads up — less expensive ones can slide under your feet and hands. They break apart and wear down quickly. A good quality yoga mat should last two to three years. Look for at least 2mm to 4mm cushioning, for when you’re down on your knees and tummy.
2. Yoga blocks — Especially for beginners, or the woman who is feeling extra tight. In a lot of the signature postures, the blocks can go under the hands, so you’re not trying to reach all the way to the ground. Or if you’re in a sitting posture and you don’t have flexibility, you can sit on the block to help ease the legs down.
3. Yoga Strap — You can loop it around your foot, to get the body where you’re trying to move it to. It helps with doing a hamstring stretch, as well as some of the balancing standing postures, like dancer’s pose. It gives you longer limbs to create that extension. It also provides support, so your leg is not hanging in the air. It gives you something to ground yourself into.
4. Yoga Tune Up Therapy Balls — Every class I teach, I use yoga therapy balls. I have some classes on my Youtube channel which show you how to use these babies. HERE is one of my favourites for if you have tight glutes and are looking for a release in your lower body and your lower back. Just head over to Youtube to search them all. Type in “Jenn Pike Yoga Tune Up” and all 4 of my classes will come up for you to try 🙂

If you want to read more about the benefits of Yoga, I recently did an interview with Walmart Canada all about this. You can read the full interview HERE.