Day 6 of IDJSIJ Challenge – A Fluffy Post About Fluff

It’s the weekend and I’m not going to have a lot of energetic opportunity for deep thinking and lengthy prose. Instead let’s talk about gearing up for doing jack shit.

First of all, you don’t need to. If you are the subtype of procrastinator who likes to buy a bunch of stuff before you do a new thing, and think shopping counts as doing the new thing, you will surely be disappointed. Most of the what you need is already lurking around your house.

Blankets are the most important prop in a restorative yoga practice. You likely have a collection of blankets and couch throws that you don’t recall buying and that seem to reproduce of their own accord. It’s their time to shine! Blankets rolled and folded in various fashions can replace a mat, bolster, and blocks. The most useful blankets are a heavier weave that holds shape to be supportive, which is why you’ll see “yoga blankets” made of dense cotton or wool. Soft fuzzy fleece is the least helpful for propping, although it’s a good type for snuggling under.

However, as a yoga teacher, I do have props around and do prefer them. I’ll show you mine, and you can decide for yourself if you need to head out for some supplies.

Bolster – These are great for seated meditation, active movement practices, and doing jack shit. It does the work of a few rolled up blankets, and stays firm enough to use as a ramp, which we’ll be doing later in the month. I love one under my knees for Savasana.

Blocks – Again, these are not necessary for a restorative practice but they’re pretty cheap and you can find them in most department store exercise sections. I feel they are pretty necessary for a home yoga exercise practice, especially as a beginner. You can sub them out for thick heavy books or even cans of tomatoes (28 ounce, Tuttorosso, whole peeled plum with basil, ONLY!).

Yoga blankets – These are cotton and a heavier weave, like I talked about above. Easily found on amazon, but not really a department store item.

Lavender eye bag – This is my favorite indulgence. In a restorative practice we’re trying to limit sensory input, and resting the eyes is really important. A scarf or sweater with do the job just as well if that’s what you’ve got.

Strap – Used more in a stretching or strengthening yoga practice, it’s sometimes used in a restorative practice. I’ll show how you can do that in later posts. Obviously, a regular old belt will work too.

Here's a link to my my yoga supply shop page with a link to all these items found on amazon, but you could also just stick to using what you have around the house. Happy propping!

#yoga #yogapractice #yogachallenge #yogaprops #restorativeyoga ​