Posts In: August 2022

Beginners to yoga who are heading to a class for the first time can turn up as they are, as long as they are wearing something comfortable. After a few weeks of practising, however, they might want to start getting themselves some equipment, so they can enjoy their new hobby at home, as well as in class.

Here are the top essentials every yoga enthusiast needs.

• A yoga mat

It goes without saying a yoga mat is a must, as hard floors are too uncomfortable to practise on. There are lot of cheap options out there, but if you want one that will last, get yourself a thick, good-quality mat. A non-slip variety is ideal for those who love hot yoga, so any dripping sweat doesn’t cause a health and safety hazard. 

• Blocks

Many people find yoga blocks, which are typically made from foam, wood or cork, very handy, particularly if they struggle to reach the floor in standing poses. 

Very Well Fit explains: “Blocks have the effect of ‘raising the floor’ to meet your hands, rather than forcing the hands to come to the floor, potentially compromising some part of the pose.”

• Straps

Those starting out in yoga might struggle with their flexibility at the beginning, which is why yoga straps can come in use. These help you to carry out poses that require you to hold your feet, even if you are unable to reach them. 

For instance, in pascimottanasana, you could use the strap on the bottom of your feet, so you are able to maintain a flat back without compromising your form. 

Find out more about beginner yoga in Marlow here. 

As any sufferer knows, arthritis is a very unpleasant condition and one that tends to get progressively worse with age. While there are various ways of mitigating its effects in terms of medication, hot baths and warm weather, taking up yoga can also go a long way to help.

Indeed, if you enrol in yoga classes in Marlow you will benefit from a practice that is 5,000 years old, which means that down all those years it will have been used by huge numbers of people to help ease their arthritic conditions.

The fact is that yoga is ideal for arthritis sufferers precisely because the key benefits it has for dealing with joint stiffness and muscle pain are exactly the kind of symptoms you will be seeking relief from.

Part of the benefit comes from undertaking yoga regularly, as it means gentle exercise that loosens the joints and muscles on a regular basis, ensuring that they are being moved and eased without any major impact or stress, helping slow down the loss of joint mobility.

Yoga also helps strengthen muscles, which can provide extra support for adjacent joints. Just as cycling can help the knee by building up thigh muscles, so yoga – while nowhere near as vigorous as riding a bike – can similarly provide a muscular bulwark of strength to support affected joints.

As well as muscle strength and flexibility, yoga helps improve balance. This is important for helping you avoid putting excess weight on any joint, but it also helps protect you from falls and trips that could further injure painful arthritis-affected areas.

In addition to all this, it will help those with osteoarthritis sleep better, which means you can tackle the next day with more energy.

If all that wasn’t enough, you can also enjoy the fact that yoga will keep you fitter and also provide a new social outlet, one where you and fellow arthritis sufferers can encourage and support each other.