The Best Yoga Accessories (Beyond the Mat) According to Top Instructors

Here’s everything you need to enhance your yoga practice.

The Best Yoga Accessories (Beyond the Mat) According to Top Instructors

Yoga—with its emphasis on elongating muscles and core conditioning—is perhaps summer’s best workout for a lithe, sculpted body. And it’s made even better when some of the best yoga accessories are incorporated. While you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to execute your asanas, the right mat and accessories can greatly increase your comfort, alignment, and motivation—thus, elevating your practice along the way.

Brooklyn-based yoga and SoulCycle instructor Eve Lynn Churst, for example, finds that a well-designed mat gives her the flexibility to explore different positions and reduces the risk for injury. “Good mats support our practice,” she says. “They allow us a cushion to fall on, some grip to hold onto, and a boundary to work within.” And that, she adds, helps her “move in the ways my body wants to, without the worry of hurting anything.”

Beyond the mat, other gear helps undo tension and prep you for a workout.  Below, the best yoga accessories and gear to use before, during, and after your yoga sessions to take your practice to the next level of effectiveness.

Pre-Yoga Warm-Up

Focus your attention inward—unwind your mind, warm up your muscles and inhale a refreshing mist to energize your body.

To bend deeper into her svanasana and triangle poses, Los Angeles-based Tonal coach Frances Flores often warms up with her Theragun Prime. “If I need to wake up my muscles or work out some tightness, it’s my favorite thing,” she says of the handheld pulsating massage tool. 

Theragun Prime

Vanessa Chu, founder of Stretch*d studios in New York, is partial to gentle backbends over a yoga ring. “It’s a great way to open up the spine before practicing yoga. We spend most of our day rounded forward, so it’s a nice way to help decompress the spine, open up the chest and undo the typical desk-sitting posture.”

Stretch*d ring

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Live the Process headband

During Yoga: Mats for Every Need

For grip and comfort, Chelsea Jackson Roberts, a yoga instructor with Peloton, is loyal to Manduka’s six-millimeter-thick Pro Yoga Mat. “This is the mat I’ve had the longest and has served me well—it provides the cushion you need to stay grounded in standing balancing postures.” 

Manduka Pro yoga mat 6mm

Roberts often flies with Lululemon’s carry-on mat, which is “lightweight and can easily be folded to fit in a duffle, backpack, or suitcase.” 

Lululemon Carry Onwards travel mat

Equinox+ yoga instructor Sho Higuchi is a fan of Liforme’s moisture-absorbing surfaces, especially for hot yoga sessions. “If you’ve ever felt the frustration of slipping on a mat, try this one—it offers the best grip for a sweaty practice,” he says.

Liforme yoga mat

Black Mat Yoga founder Eric Mosley likes Toned by Baggedem’s suede options, which “center on Black women and men with uplifting affirmations.” 

BaggedEm In My Zen yoga mat

Fitness and yoga coach Annabelle Lemes appreciates a cushy, oversized mat, similar to those by Gorilla, “when I do yoga outside on the grass or even on a dock.”

Gorilla Mats premium large yoga mat

New York yoga trainer Sarah Otey, who in a normal (non-pandemic) year travels up to five months, prefers to pack Nuprava’s microsuede mats. “They’re great for the beach and machine washable.” 

Nuprava the Unity mat

To really elongate her poses, Sky Ting co-founder Krissy Jones is fond of JadeYoga’s 80-inch length mat. “It’s extra-long, wide, and thick— perfect for tall people!”

Jade Yoga XW Fusion yoga mat

During Yoga: Essentials that Round Out Your Practice

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to master more challenging poses, the right accessories, such as straps, blocks, bolsters, and a multitasking towel, can bridge any gaps in your form, strengthen your muscles, and keep you grounded.

This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Kari Molvar