Take Your Yoga Routine to the Next Level

Woman doing yoga

You probably took your first yoga class to help you relax and disconnect from the stress of work and your day-to-day life. If you were hooked after your first class, then you know that yoga is the perfect tonic for physical movement and stress reduction. It’s also beneficial for those who enjoy sports like golf, tennis or basketball, is a great counterbalance to weight training and running and can even help reduce back pain.  

However, it’s common to hit a plateau in our regular practice, which can leave us frustrated or feeling limited. If you’re ready to kick your practice up a notch,  you’d be amazed by the many ways certain equipment — tech and otherwise —  can boost your yoga practice. 

Mobile Device Apps

From ordering pizza to enhancing your daily yoga routine, there’s an app — or a dozen — for that. There are numerous apps out there that can help you through a short five-minute routine or offer you a variety of full-length classes. Additionally, you can use an app to time how long you hold Upward Facing Dog or track your schedule. It’s beneficial to find an app that helps you set and hit a weekly or monthly goal related to your yoga practice.

Tip: If you decide to follow a yoga instructor or listen to a guided meditation (like these favorites) it’s important to have a good set of earphones that can keep up with your workout. Look for bluetooth sport headphones that are designed for working out. That way, they’ll be lightweight and sweat-resistant.

Nadi X Leggings

You don’t always need an app or a SmartMat to help improve your yoga skills when you can pick up a pair of stylish yoga leggings to lend you a hand. In the knees, hips, and ankles of the Nadi X leggings, there are small electronic sensors that detect the wearer’s pose.

If corrections need to be made in a posture, the wearer feels a small buzzing in the direction they need to move to correct the pose. A gentle “om” runs across the implanted electronics when you strike the correct pose. These pants make it easier to not compare yourself to others but instead concentrate on the signals from the leggings. 

Yoga Socks

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More than likely, you’ve probably slipped out of a yoga pose once or twice. While you might think that it’s a balance issue or that you’re a little clumsy, it could be that your bare feet or regular socks are losing traction with the floor. Yoga socks are specially designed to grip the yoga mat or floor and help you stay in place. It’s beneficial to look for a pair with individual openings for each toe that can help encourage full use of the foot. 

Feetup Headstand Stool

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If you love doing headstands but your legs flop around like a Raggedy Ann doll, then the FeetUp Headstand Stool might be able to help you find your balance. The innovative inversion aid helps you hold your headstand in place without placing any extra stress on your neck or shoulders. This inversion chair provides confidence to beginners and also to practitioners with years of experience to go vertical in their poses. 

Dharma Mittra Classic Yoga Wheel 

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Having trouble bending your back as far as you need to create the correct stance? The Dharma Mittra Classic Yoga Wheel was created by Sri Dharma Mittra in 1977 to help support the back during yoga for better balance and form. The wheel can help you improve mobility and flexibility to achieve new postures. It’s made from eco-friendly ABS and PU material, making it lightweight while strong enough to support your weight as you bend and twist. 

Sage and Crystals

Aside from tech and equipment, there are some more natural supplies that can improve your practice by improving the vibe in your practice space. Smudging your yoga room with sage, burning incense, and cleansing with salt can help reduce tension and negativity in your home or studio. (You’ll want to clean and declutter first, of course.) You may also want to add some healing crystals, like tourmaline, rose quartz, and amethyst, to maintain your freshly-cleared space and ramp up the positive vibrations.

Yoga can help you relax and meditate and also gain flexibility and mobility. Each year, new tools, technology, and equipment help you practice yoga in more effective ways. Along with finding an instructor you really like, these props can help take your poses to the next level.

Ready to enhance your yoga practice? Subscribe to our Simply Health Fitness YouTube channel for expert tips on how to correctly perform your poses.